Game sense is an approach to teaching games and sports that focuses on tactical awareness, student-centered learning, and the discovery of fundamental skills. It emphasizes critical thinking, decision making, problem solving and the appropriate application of skills in a game-like environment. Game sense can be applied to various categories of games and integrates well with personal development, health and physical education curriculums. It provides benefits such as enhancing engagement, inclusion and long-term learning while developing important skills.

1. GAME SENSE
(TEACHING GAMES FOR UNDERSTANDING- TGFU)
What is Game sense?
• This is an exciting and innovating approach that focuses on game or sport appreciation
and tactical awareness as a basis for making game play decisions meet skill development
needs (Brooker, Kirk, Braiuka & Bransgrove, 2000).
• In addition, unlike traditional approaches to sport, Game Sense is student centred and
involves enquiry based learning. This is because Game Sense encourages dialogue and
questioning between students and teachers throughout games (Light, 2012).
• Game sense promotes the discovery of important tactics and fundamental movement
skills (Light, 2008).

2. WHY IS GAME SENSE IMPORTANT FOR
STUDENTS?
 Game Sense is important because students are challenged to think critically about what they are
actually doing and why.
 Game Sense encourages students to use the appropriate skills and techniques at the right place
and space throughout a game.
 Game Sense enhances a student’s decision making and problem solving skills within a game or
sport-like environment.
 Game Sense is important for students because it is inclusive. It encourages the participation of all
kinds of learners by allowing the modification of games in order to suit the learner. Therefore, is
considered crucial for students’ social, physical and intellectual development
 Game Sense allows students to experience a challenging and enjoyable environment.
• (Butler & McCahan, 2005).

3. TYPES OF GAME SENSE?
Game Sense includes the teaching of a wide range of crucial skills in an environment
that also teaches students how to apply those skills in a game or sport-like context.
The Game Sense approach differs based on the category of the game or sport that is
being played/developed. Game Sense categories are:
 Invasion or territorial games such as soccer, basketball, rugby and Australian football.
 Striking games such as softball, baseball or cricket.
 Net/wall games such as tennis, squash or volleyball.
 Target games such as archery, bowling or golf.
• (Light, 2004)

4. GAME SENSE AND THE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT,
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PHDPE) SYLLABUS.
Game sense integrates all the 5 essential skills that students
are required to develop across all stages of the PDHPE
Syllabus.
https://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/pdhpe-st6-syl-
from2010.pdf

5. RATIONALE
Game Sense is an efficient teaching approach as it helps to enhance students understanding
about all aspects of games or sports whilst increasing their motivation, engagement and
enjoyment for PDHPE lessons. In addition, Game Sense promotes the delivery of fun, hands on
and real learning experiences for all learners. This is extremely important because student’s
long term memory is impacted.
Moreover, Game Sense is beneficial in teaching pedagogies because it assists students with
learning how to execute strategies and to use them to solve tactical problems throughout a
game or sport. Furthermore, Game Sense is a great opportunity to influence student’s cultural
development. This is because, as it has been mentioned before, Game Sense is inclusive and
therefore, it allows teachers to incorporate indigenous cultural perspectives in regards to
understanding games and sports for learning.
Finally, Game Sense helps educators as a teaching pedagogy to develop greater skills for
observation, facilitation, self-reflection and questioning, by building stronger relationships with
students.

6. GAME SENSE’S STRENGTHS
 Student centred
 Impacts students’ memory capacity and consequently long-term learning.
 Enhances students’ critical, strategic and problem solving skills.
 Improves students’ locomotor skills
 Is inclusive
 Increases students’ interest towards physical education thus promoting healthier
lifestyles.

7. REFERENCES
Brooker, R., Kirk, D., Braiuka, S., & Bransgrove, A. (2000). Implementing a game sense approach to teaching junior high school basketball in a naturalistic
setting. European Physical Education Review, 6(1), 7-26.
Butler, J., & McCahan, B. J. (2005). Teaching games for understanding as a curriculum model. Teaching games for understanding: Theory, research and
practice, 33-54.
Fisher, A., Reilly, J. J., Kelly, L. A., Montgomery, C., Williamson, A., Paton, J. Y., & Grant, S. (2005). Fundamental movement skills and habitual physical
activity in young children. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 37(4), 684-688.
Light, R. (2004). Coaches' experiences of Game Sense: opportunities and challenges. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 9(2), 115-131
Light, R. (2005). Making sense of chaos: Australian coaches talk about game sense. Teaching games for understanding: Theory, research and practice,
169-182
Light, R. (2006). Game Sense: Innovation or just good coaching? New Zealand Physical Educator, 39(1), 8.
. Light, R. (2008). Complex learning theory—its epistemology and its assumptions about learning: implications for physical education. Journal of Teaching
in Physical Education, 27(1), 21-37.
Light, R. (2012). Game sense: Pedagogy for performance, participation and enjoyment. Routledge.