A Game Sense approach to teaching physical education focuses on developing students' skills and understanding within the context of game-like situations, keeping them actively engaged. It categorizes sports into four areas and emphasizes skill development, decision-making, and fostering positive attitudes rather than strict performance or rules. Research shows this student-centered approach improves cognitive dimensions of play without hindering skill development and helps students learn values like participation, responsibility and realizing their potential.

1. Game Sense
approach
For teaching primary PE lessons
By Melanie White

2. What is a Game Sense approach?
A game sense approach is a style of
teaching that focuses on providing
students with the skills and attitudes
needed for physical education. It is a
student centred approach and aims to
assist students in the development of
their skills and understanding, while
keeping them actively involved in the
game. (Curriculum Support, 2015).

3. Categorising team games
Instead of simply teaching students sports and team
games, the Game Sense approach categorises sports
that use common principals and locomotor skills and
divides them into four areas:
• Invasion games e.g. soccer, touch, netball
• Target games e.g. golf, archery, bowls
• Court & net games e.g. volleyball, tennis
• Striking & fielding games e.g. cricket, softball

4. Traditional VS Game Sense
Traditional games/coaching
• Performance
• Skill
• Winning/losing
• High focus on warm up,
drills etc – game appears
at end of lesson
• Strict rules
• Thorough instruction
Game Sense approach to teaching
• Game is main focus of lesson
• Sense of worth
• Belonging/sense of team
• Fundamental skill development
• Student centred
• Improves tactical play and
confidence
• Reduced demands of technique

5. Why use a Game Sense Approach?
• Moves beyond the outdated approach to coaching
• Game Sense approach ‘involves taking a view of
coaching as a form of a multi-variate and dynamic
human interaction and not the mere transmission
of knowledge’ (Light, 2013)
• Makes PE a more relevant and rewarding
experience
• Offers the teacher/coach ‘a means of developing
intelligent, autonomous, and creative players’
(Light, 2013)
• Allows players to explore and discover for
themselves (Townsend, 2007)
• Skill development

6. What the research says…
Research on Game Sense approach to coaching suggests
that students can ‘improve the cognitive dimensions of play
without detracting from skill development’ (Light, 2013).
A study conducted in 2002 & 2003 with five experienced
coaches and coach educators in Australia set out to examine
their experiences of coaching using game sense. Findings
demonstrated that the Game Sense approach ‘emphasises
the development of skill, understanding and decision
making ability as occurring at the same time’ (Light, 2013).
It is not the skill that is important in game sense, but what is
learnt within the context of games or game like situations
and are thus more easily transferred to competitive matches.

7. Rationale
Including a game sense approach in primary school PE lessons
will assist in the fundamental skill development of our children
and the values and attitudes they form as they engage in
physical education. Students will not only have positive
experiences but will adhere to the values and attitudes
outcomes of the NSW PDHPE Syllabus:
• V1 refers to a sense of their own worth and dignity;
• V2 respects the right of others to hold different values and attitudes from their own;
• V3 enjoys a sense of belonging;
• V4 increasingly accepts responsibility for personal and community health;
• V5 willingly participates in regular physical activity; and
• V6 commits to realising their full potentials.
(K6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au, 2015).

8. Reference list
• Curriculum Support, (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/
pdhpe/assets/pdf/pa_002.pdf
• K6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au,. (2015). Retrieved from
http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/6e4311c5-
336e-44f8-8c39-e289d96597a8/k6_pdhpe_syl.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
• Light, R. (2013). Game sense for physical education and sport
coaching. In Game sense: Pedagogy for performance,
participation and enjoyment (pp. 37-47). London, UK: Routledge.
• Townsend, G. (2007). Rugby Football Union