2. What is Game Sense?
• Game Sense revolves around creating
or modifying games to achieve
learning outcomes. Questioning and
reflecting create opportunities for
discussion, collaboration and
evaluation amongst the participants
(Light 2012, p. 48).
3. • Game Sense pedagogy is
learner-centred,
teaching/coaching is
indirect through game-
based activities (Light
2012, p. 48).
4. • Game Sense was developed from
Bunker and Thorpe’s (1986)
‘Teaching Games for
Understanding (TGfU)’ approach
which focuses on games as a
whole, instead of breaking them
down into fundamental skills or
techniques, which makes learning
more engaging and interesting for
children.
5. Is Game Sense an effective teaching
approach for PDHPE?
• Garrett and Wrench (2008) suggest
that pedagogical practices in physical
education should encourage students
to be a part of inclusive and equitable
societies within their learning (p. 43).
• Game Sense promotes coaching
through teaching, rather than
teaching in general, which allows
students to learn using and
extending their own personal skills.
6. • Garrett & Wrench (2008) state
“when children connect learning to
their own experiences they are able
to build meaningful connections
that are important for deep
understanding and authentic
learning” (p. 44).
• Taking part in a game or activity
which promotes collaboration and
use of personal skills, students are
creating experiences for
themselves, which are able to be
reflected on.
7. How can Game Sense be used to achieve
syllabus outcomes?
• The learning area of “PDHPE
provides students with the
opportunity to enhance and develop
resilience and connectedness and
learn to interact fully with others”
(NESA, 2018 p. 10).
• When teachers take on the role of
being a coach allows students to
accept and act on constructive
feedback from what they are doing/
have done, rather than getting
taught how to do so. Participation is
the only effective way to trial and
error skills and strategies in
PDHPE.
8. • The PDHPE K-10 Syllabus (NESA,
2018) aims to develop the
knowledge, understanding, skills and
attitudes for students to take
positive action to protect and
enhance their own and others’
health, safety and wellbeing (p. 10).
• Game Sense pushes students to their
limits of knowledge and understanding
to make executive decisions when
taking part in a game based activity.
Their skills and attitudes will be closely
monitored by reflecting, questioning
and evaluating with their peers.
• Their safety and wellbeing are being
protected and enhanced, by discovering
different aspects of movement and
physical space while taking note of the
set of rules and expectations for them.
9. References
Garret, R., & Wrench, A. (2008). Connections, pedagogy and alternative possibilities in primary physical
education. Sport, Education and Society, 13(1), 39-60. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1080/13573320701780514.
Light, R. (2012). Game Sense: Pedagogy for Performance, Participation and
Enjoyment. Routledge, United Kingdom.
NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). (2018). Personal Development, Health and Physical
Education K-10 Syllabus. Retrieved from
https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/2f657694-dc52-48ba-a440-
9256e92c00e3/pdhpe-k-10-syllabus-2018-pdf.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=.
Bunker, D., & Thorpe, R. (1986). The Curriculum Model. In Thorpe, R., Bunker, D., & Almond, L. (ed.) Rethinking
games teaching, 7-10. University of Technology, Loughborough.
