1. game sense approach for teaching pdhpe
Further information for parents – Nicole Borg

2. WHAT IS GAME SENSE?
Game Sense Approach uses student centered learning to explain principles that are common throughout multiple games while letting students develop their own skills. A principle is a fundamental movement skill that students need to learn in order to have knowledge of proper function of their body. Students learn these principles to help them further understand and perform in games. For example, striking principles can include learning about striking through playing games such as softball/baseball etc. Using these games helps to increase a students level of fundamental movement skills and therefore become more familiar with their own body movements.

3. Categorising Team Games
The Game Sense Approach can be categorised into four main areas:
“Invasion games eg, soccer, touch, netball
Target games eg, golf, archer, bowls
Court and net games eg, volleyball, tennis, badminton
Stricking and fielding games eg, cricket, softball” (Curriculum Support, 2015)
Students are exposed to the action(principle) they are learning and then further develop their skills while being active in the game that follows.
This Game Sense Approach “encouraged a sense of ‘team’ and, perhaps even more importantly, a sense of ‘worth’.” (Townsend, 2007)

4. rationale

5. Why use game sense approach?
Research on Game Sense Approach suggests that “decision-making and skill performance in games are seen as being intimately interrelated and are developed simultaneously” (Light, 2006) meaning that students develop their decision making skills and their action skills at the same time. Using Game Sense approach is helpful for building students’ locomotor skills, cognitive and social skills. When using a Game Sense approach to teaching teachers need to know their students locomotor level and can then further their skills through the use of game play. The teacher needs to engage students in the learning process however, also note that to learn these skills, students will need to struggle until they get it right and this in itself creates the learning process.

6. Game sense approach allows the teacher to set the rules and boundaries for the game, demonstrate to students the actions they will need for the game and then trust that the students will play and actively learn and practice these new skills in order to sufficiently develop more of their fundamental skills. As students are allowed to make trial and error mistakes in a trusting environment, they will feel as though they can persist until they get it right rather than be in a negative environment where they would ultimately give up. This also builds persistence and resilience within the child. How does Game Sense differ from coaching? If students are learning jumping, hopping, throwing/passing, and aiming skills, a game that combines all of these movements could be netball. Therefore, students need to know these actions to play the game, however they do not need to know all the rules to play on the court as they are learning more about the skills rather than the game rules. This example also relates the the NSW PDHPE syllabus in a range of areas however, specifically MOS3.4 (Moving Outcomes and Indicators) Game sense is learning during the game rather than coaching which is more focused on technique and winning and losing.

7. “Giving up control of scripted lessons with neat and regimented outcomes takes a belief in learning that moves away from mechanistic and simplistic notions of telling, showing or programming the learner. The shift requires acceptance that learning is non-linear, subject to individualized constraints, contextualized both physically and socially, and susceptible, but not dependant on teacher or coach guidance.” (Hopper, Butler & Storey, 2009) In doing all of this, this creates a student centered learning environment where teachers can ensure students feel safe, and can have fun while learning. Since children like playing games and being active, using game sense approach is a great way of helping students build their social, cognitive, locomotor and fundamental movement skills which they will need for their journey through life.

8. References:
(2015). Retrieved 11 September 2015, from df/pa_002.pdf Curriculum Support, retrieved from a_002.pdf Hopper, T., Butler, J., & Storey, B. (2009). TGfU--simply good pedagogy. [Ottawa, Ont.?]: PHE Canada. Light, R. (2013). Game sense for physical education and sport coaching. In Game sense: Pedagogy for performance, participation and enjoyment (pp ). London, UK: Routledge. Townsend, G. (2007). Game Sense. Rugby Football Union.