Game Sense is a student-centered approach to teaching sport skills that uses modified games. It enables accommodation for varying ability levels, promoting critical thinking and problem solving. Games are classified into categories like net/court, target, invasion, and striking/fielding. Lessons now focus less on direct teaching and more on developing competency through gameplay connections to concepts. Questioning techniques challenge students to think strategically as games progress in difficulty. Game Sense makes PE a more engaging subject by presenting tactical, technical and fitness components contextually in modified games.

1. Game Sense
Activities
An approach to modified sport

2. What is Game Sense?
• Game sense uses a student-centred approach for teaching skill sets. (Pill, 2008)
• A variation of the Teaching Games for Understanding model (Thorpe and Bunker, 1996) where
modified game techniques are used to develop both skills and an understanding of the tactics
of the sport or game.
• Enables age-appropriate accommodation of activities for students of varying ability levels,
making all games inclusive and challenging to all in a positive and motivational environment
(Mandigo, Butler &Hopper, 2007).
• Promotes critical thinking and guided inquiry through questioning and problem solving to
make more effective decisions during gameplay (Towns, 2002)
• Thematic classification of games based on similarity in principles of play.
(Net/Court, Target, Invasion and Striking/Fielding)

3. “BACK IN MY DAY’
Lessons have moved from being overly focused on direct teaching and assessment
based solely on performance.
They are no longer memorising a series of movements, short of the opportunity to
master skills before being thrown into gameplay, where there is no clear connection
made to the concepts and ideas of the unit.
There is Less focus now on what students cant do, less about their physical ability and
no longer about talent identification over competency development.

4. Structure and Sequence
The use of questioning techniques by
myself, Mrs Guerrero, challenges the
students to think about the need for
complex skills as the game progress
becomes more difficult.
Still employing a few traditional drills in
my practice, I ensure my focus lies on
improving student game development
through purposeful selection of skills,
design of game play and enforcing the
connection to concepts of movement
within the syllabus
Sourced from Hopper, 2003

5. The Pro’s
• Fun
• Engaging
• Critical Thinking
• Communicating
• Inclusion
• Challenge
• Player-centred
• Progress learning
All of the positive effects of
Game Sense have transformed
learning PE content into a
more desirable subject in
Australian schooling,
increasing participation rates
and retention of learned skills.

6. How will our
Warriors benefit?
Game Sense teaching presents the tactical, technique and fitness components contextually in a
designer game to represent a customised modification specific to our students in 5/6 Warriors. This
will ensure every student is made to feel included throughout all lessons, forging relationships
between peers through respectful communication and effective teamwork.
Presenting them with the opportunity to make meaningful connections between the skills and the
content (presented on the right ), they will utilise problem solving and inquiry based learning to
develop their critical thinking throughout gameplay.
(Board of Studies, 2007)
(NSW DET, 2000)

7. REFERENCES
• Mandigo, J., Butler, J., & Hopper, T. (2007). What is teaching games for
understanding? A Canadian perspective. Physical and Health Education
Journal, 73(2), 14-20.
• NSW Department of Education and Training. (2000). Get Skilled: Get
Active [Ebook] (1st ed.). Retrieved from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/asse
ts/pdf/gsga/wholebooklet.pdf
• Pill, S. (2008). Teaching games for understanding. Sport Coach, 29(2), 27-29.
• Werner, P., Thorpe, R., & Bunker, D. (1996). Teaching games for
understanding: Evolution of a model. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 67(1), 28-33.