The Game Sense approach focuses on student-centered learning through modified games to develop tactical awareness and skills in a fun environment. It emphasizes playing the game first before focusing on skills. Students are actively involved in games and must communicate, make decisions, and be responsible for outcomes as they reflect on their performance. This aligns with the NSW PDHPE syllabus by encouraging skills like decision making, cooperation, and following rules through game play.

1. Game Sense Approach
• What is it?
• Game Sense Model
• Why use Game Sense?
“When are we going to play a game?”

2. What is it?
“When are we going to play a game?” is the most
common question my students ask me when we
begin our Physical Education lessons.
Game Sense is a relatively new method of teaching in PE
classes that focuses more on the game rather than technique.
This allows students/players to make better more tactful and
strategic decisions during the game, whilst enabling them to
develop skills in a more realistic and fun environment.
There are 4 Types of Game Sense Categories:
• Invasion Games: Soccer, Touch Football, Netball etc.
• Target Games: Archery, Golf, Lawn Bowls/Bowling etc.
• Court/Net Games: Tennis & Volleyball etc.
• Striking & Fielding Games: Cricket & Baseball etc.
Towns. J., (2002) About Game Sense, University of Wollongong

3. What is it Cont.
Game Sense approach to Teaching PE Activities focuses on a Student
Centred approach. It allows students to develop their own skills and
understanding while being actively involved in a game.
Game Form
Tactical Awareness
(How to do)
Skill Execution
(What to do)
After playing a modified
game during our PE
lessons, skill
development becomes
the focus after children
have been exposed to
the game which leads
to them becoming more
tactfully aware,
enhancing their game
and skill improvement
more as shown here by
this model as well as
the model on the next
slide.
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/pdhpe/assets/pdf/pa_002.pdf

4. Game Sense Model
Game Sense Model Developed by Bunker & Thorpe as Cited by Jacob Towns 2002

5. Why use a Game Sense
Approach?
The reason I choose to use the Game Sense approach in my
class room is that it has many strengths and many connections
to the NSW Board of Studies PDHPE K-6 Syllabus (NSW Board of Studies,
2006).
• Communication: COS3.1 Communicates confidently in a variety of
situations (p 21). The Game sense approach puts players in a situation
where they must become tactical and strategic – this encourages them
to communicate with their peers to better enhance their skills.
• Decision Making: DMS3.2 Makes informed decisions and accepts
responsibility for consequences (p 22). The cycle of the game sense
approach allow students to get a feel for the game, develop their skills
and put their skills to use – based on this they must make informed
decisions about what they have learned and how they are going to
execute that skill and accept the responsibility for the outcome.
• Moving: MOS3.4 Refines and applies movement skills creatively to a
variety of challenging situations (p 24). This teaching approach puts
students in a challenging position where they must move and interact
with other students to gain a positive outcome which also enables them
to better develop their movement skills in relation to the game.

6. Continued…
• Games and Sports: GSS3.8 Applies movement skills in games and
sports that require communication, cooperation, decision making
and observation of rules (p 28). The Game Sense approach
enables students to communicate and cooperate with one another
to achieve a common goal. They must also make decisions to
achieve this goal based on previous knowledge and also
knowledge of the rules.
I believe that the Game Sense approach, to put in laymen's terms,
throws students into the deep end. While they must make decisions
and communicate and become actively involved in the game, as
shown in the model this form of teaching also allows for reflection. It
enables students to ask questions based on an action or decision they
have made such as “why did I do that? Did that work well for me?
How can I make an improvement?” etc. Being able to reflect enables
students to better enhance their skills and enjoyment of an activity or
game.

7. References
• NSW Department of Education and Communities. (n.d.).
Game Sense approach to Practical Lessons. Retrieved
from
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/se
condary/pdhpe/assets/pdf/pa_002.pdf
• Towns, J. (2002). About Game Sense. University of
Wollongong
• New South Wales Government, Board of Studies. (2006).
Syllabus: Personal Development, Health and Physical
Education K-6. Sydney, Australia: Board of Studies NSW.