Game Sense is a student-centered approach to physical education that prioritizes gameplay and critical thinking over traditional skill instruction. It encourages social interaction, collaboration, and reflection among students, allowing them to modify games and develop a deeper understanding of sports. The pedagogy supports various skills outlined in educational syllabi, fostering motivation and meaningful learning experiences.

1. The Game Sense
Approach
What’s all the fuss? - A guide for parents/caregivers

2. What is exactly is Game Sense?
• Game sense is a fairly new approach to teaching physical education which uses games as the
focus of the lesson. It replaces a ‘tradition approach’ that sees a focus on performing
techniques in isolation to the game (Light, 2013).
• A student-centered pedagogy that allows students to develop their own skills and knowledge
during the active involvement of a game. Playing of the games is are at the center of the
lesson instead of teaching specific skills and techniques of a sport (Light, 2013).
• Game sense is more than just games for learning, instead the games are sequenced to achieve
particular outcomes, discussion is included to stimulate higher order thinking and provide
students the opportunity to collaborate with peers to evaluate and modify the games they are
playing (Pill, 2014a).

3. Tell me more..
• Social interaction is at the heart of this approach. The
interaction between students in these games and the
development of understanding makes them fun and
motivating.
• Research shows that adopting a game sense approach
has the potential to develop cognitive and physical
abilities through movement (Light, 2013).
• The key feature is the understanding that students
develop about a sport rather than just learning about
performance strategies that are broken away and are out
of context (Pill, 2014a)

4. Adapted from Pill (2014b) and Light (2013).
Warm up
game
Game
Discussion/
explore solutions
to game
problems
Practice
tasks
Return to
the game
Warm
down
Final
reflection
What does a physical education (PE) lesson using a
game sense approach look like?

5. Pedagogical features of game sense
As suggested by Light (2013), there are four features at the core of the game sense pedagogy:
1. The learning environment
Student learning happens through their participation in modified games rather than through teacher
instruction. The teachers planning and designing of the modified games are crucial to the learning
environment.
2. Emphasizing questioning
Teacher questioning is important for stimulating discussion and reflection. After a game is played, the
teacher will bring the class together and pose open ended questions. Here students have the opportunity to
evaluate game play. In a game of Monkey in the Middle the questioning might look like this, ‘What are
you finding challenging in this game? Was there one person in the middle for a long time? How did this
effect your engagement? What could you change about the game to overcome this?’. It is important for
questions to be open ended and for students to know there are no right or wrong answers.

6. Pedagogy continued
3. Collaboration
Following questioning time, students formulate strategies to
improve the game through group discussion. The game is
then played again with these modifications. Throughout
game play, students interact with each other and collectively
decide the most effective way to play the game.
4. Supportive environment
Due to the collaborative nature of the game sense approach,
it is important for the teacher to create an environment that
is safe and supportive in which students feel comfortable to
engage. The teacher can do this by creating a culture where
it is okay to make mistakes.

7. Game Sense and the Syllabus
Using the game sense approach in physical education has students
building upon all 5 skills outcomes outline in the syllabus for Stage
3 learners (year 5):
Communicating COS3.3 - Communicates confidently in a variety
of situations
Decision Making DMS3.3 - Makes informed decisions and accepts
responsibility for consequences
Interacting INS3.3 - Acts in ways that enhance the contribution of
self and others in a range of cooperative situations
Moving MOS3.4 - Refines and applies movement skills creatively
to variety of challenging situations
Problem solving PSS3.5 - Suggests, considers and selects
appropriate alternatives when resolving problems.

8. Game sense and the Syllabus
It also links with the knowledge and understanding outcome:
Games and Sports GSS3.8 - Applies movement skills in games and sports
that require communication, cooperation, decision making and observation
of rules.
As a student:
• Devises games or refines rules of games
• Participates in games and sports combing strategy, teamwork, movement
skill and fair play
• Explains the rationale for particular strategies and rules in team sports
• Develops strategies for effective teamwork

9. Why I think it is the BEST approach to teach
your children
When teaching your students physical education, I will be taking on a game sense
approach. I believe it will benefit them in the following ways:
• Increase motivation by letting them play a game first before being introduced to
skills/techniques
• Learning is more meaningful as they have the opportunity to modify the games
themselves
• Student centered – I am not telling them the best way the play the game, they are
working it out for themselves
• Collaboration – students formulate strategies as a team
• Supports critical thinking and problem solving
• Students have more time for physical education as there is less teacher led
instruction time

10. References
Board of Studies NSW. (2007). The New South Wales syllabus for the Australian curriculum:
PDHPE K – 6 Syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Author.
Light, R. (2013). Game sense: Pedagogy for performance, participation and enjoyment. New
York: Routledge.
Pill, S. (2014a). An appreciative inquiry exploring game sense teaching in physical education.
Sport, Education and Society, 1‐19.
Phil, S. (2014b) Developing Netball Game Sense: teaching movement and tactical skills.
ACHPER, chapter 1 (pp 1‐12)
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