Game sense is an approach to teaching physical education that uses games as the focus of instruction rather than isolating skills drills. It emphasizes allowing students to learn techniques organically within the flow of the game. This helps students understand the intellectual aspects of the game better and stay engaged compared to drilling skills separately. Game sense is important because it allows students to consider all factors like pass selection or deception within the context of actually playing rather than just isolated drills. It aligns with curriculum goals like applying skills creatively in games that involve cooperation and decision making.

1. Game Sense
Game Sense

2. What Is Game Sense?
 Game sense is a practice of a game that has not been
run through with drills and techniques beforehand.
 “Game sense is a relatively new approach to teaching
and coaching which uses games as the focus of the
session” (Towns, 2002. pp.1)
 Without the use of practicing technique of the game
students are able to become more aware of the game
and the techniques involved in playing.

3.  Students thrive from playing the actual game rather than
focusing on the technique used to playing. Meaning that
students may become bored with the practice of
technique and are usually eager to participate in the
sport rather than the drills beforehand.
 With the use of game sense teachers saw “Improved
student understanding of the intellectual aspects of the
game (Pill, 2014. pp. 280).
 This approach to teaching personal development, health
and physical education can see students learning how to
make better decisions when playing games, including
how to pass the ball, defend and in which direction to run
to score points for the team.

4. Why is Game Sense
Important?

5.  When using game sense in teaching physical
education, we are able to see the difference this can
make in students picking up the technique of the game
rather than isolating teaching technique and then
playing the game.
 Teaching technique of a game in isolation does not
allow students “to take into account any factors
executing the skill such as the selection of different
passes or how to deceive a defender.” (Towns, 2002.
pp.1)
 This approach to teaching is beneficial for students to
learn exactly what it is like to play the game rather than
learning the drills and rules around how the game is
played that is taught separately.

6.  When applying game sense in the teaching of personal
development, health and physical education, it links
with the New South Wales PDHPE syllabus by
following the below outcomes:
 MOS3.4 – Refines and applies movement skills
creatively to a variety of challenging situations.
 PSS3.5 – Suggests, considers and selects appropriate
alternatives when resolving problems.
 GSS3.8 – Applies movement skills in games and sports
that require communication, cooperation, decision
making and observation of rules.

7. Strengths of Game Sense
 Using game sense as a teaching approach allows students
to acknowledge aspects of playing a game that cannot be
shown when teaching drills and techniques.
 Students are able to learn from the aspects of the game the
techniques used in playing and how to control the situation
at hand, letting students progress through the course of the
game while playing.
 Game sense is a beneficial teaching approach when it
comes to playing any game, allowing students to learn
movement skills based on the actual idea of space and time
required while playing.

8. References
 Board of Studies, New South Wales. (2007). Personal
development, health and physical education K-6
Syllabus. Australia: Sydney. Board of Studies.
 Pill, S. (2014). An appreciative inquiry exploring game
sense teaching in physical education. Sport, Education
and Society. Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group.
 Town, J. (2002). About game sense. Wollongong:
University of Wollongong.