Game Sense Approach

By Amina Naboulsi
18891632
Game Sense Approach
What is it?
 Game sense is an engaging and contemporary method of coaching and physical education (PE)
that places the game at the core of the lesson (Light, 2013).

 Game sense (GS) promotes tactic skills, decision making and enjoyment in a realistic context
(Light, 2013).

 The concept of combing learning in and through teaching games was brought in by Bunker and
Thorpe and known as Teaching Games For Understanding (TGFU) which reflects the
constructivist perspective (Castro, 2012; Light, 2013).

 Thorpe, who was involved in developing the TGFU model alongside the Australian Sports
Commission, suggested that GS builds on the TGFU model (Light, 2013; Pill, 2016).

 GS encourages students to answer questions and problem-solve to find solutions.

Fundamental movement skills
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are the building blocks for movement in
the human body and are prerequisites for engagement in physical activities.

FMS include:

• Locomotor skills: these involve the movement of body through space like
in running, galloping, skipping, hoping, sliding and leaping.

• Manipulative skills: these involve the manipulation and projection of

objects like in throwing, catching, bouncing, rolling, striking and kicking.

• Balance skills: these require the body to remain in place and move
around its horizontal or vertical axis maintain posture.

(Jaakkola, Yli-Piipari, Huotari & Liukkonen 2016).

Features of Game Sense
(Light, 2013; Johnson & Walker, 2016)

The game sense features are divided into 4 categories which are:

 Invasion games such as soccer, football

 Striking/ fielding games such as cricket, softball

 Net/wall games such as tennis, basketball, Newcombe ball

 Target games such as golf, Ultimate frisbee,

How is Game Sense achieved?
(Wright & Forrest, 2007; Pill, 2012; Light, 2013; Pill & Hewitt, 2017)

o Students partake in small-sided games that are played for a purpose.

o The game is the core of the session.

o Students are challenged and motivated to problem-solve to deduce the

skills and the rules of the game.

o Students develop tactical and strategic thinking skills, decision making,

sport-specific motor skills and enjoyment in a realistic context.

o Students understand the game through a game-centred approach learning

the rules and skills by participating in a number of small activities.
Strength as a Teaching Approach

 Students become confident and competence in the sports activities played.

 Enhances player participation in the game.

 Promotes cognitive and social skills.

 Encourages the development of sport-specific motor skills (locomotor and

movement skills) in an engaging and interactive way. GS activities foster
whole body exercise.

 Aids in the development of problem-solving, decision making and tactical

strategic skills.

 Encourages students to lead a healthy active lifestyle.

 GS Pedagogies
(Reid & Harvey, 2014)

When utilising GS pedagogies, four features arise:

 The manipulation and creation of practical activities and games in which

Educators design and deliver sessions based upon adapted game-related
events to prohibit specific tactics.

 The utilisation of questioning to enable students to develop understanding

through reflection leading to less dependency on the educator and
encouraging their own thought processes and critical knowledge

 Educators provide opportunities for discourse and argument with peers in

which students assess their solutions for tactical problems during a game.

 Educators build a collaborative socio-moral context in a safe and

supportive learning context to enable learners to develop their creativity
and comprehension of games.
Links with syllabus content

There are apparent links between GS and the PDHPE syllabus.

 The PDHPE syllabus encourages students to: make informed decisions,

develop their social and cognitive skills and to lead a active and healthy
lifestyle by gaining knowledge and skills. In addition to participating in
regular and various physical education activities and developing FMS
through games, play, gymnastics sports and other activities. This also
applies to game sense as evidenced earlier.

 The PDHPE strands Dance, Active lifestyle, Games and Sports, Gymnastics,
Growth and Development require movement and activity that further
motor skills such as locomotor and gross motor skills which embody the
problem-solving, moving, communicating, interacting and decision making
skills which are also incorporated and developed in GS.
 References
• Board of Studies NSW. (2007). Personal development, health and physical education k-6 syllabus. Sydney, Australia: Board of Studies NSW.

• Castro, J. (2012). Game sense: pedagogy for performance, participation and enjoyment. Sports Coaching Review, 1(2), 157-159.
doi:10.1080/21640629.2013.790176

• Jaakkola, T., Yli-Piipari, S., Huotari, P., Watt, A., & Liukkonen, J. (2016). Fundamental movement skills and physical fitness as predictors of physical
activity: A 6-year follow-up study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 26(1), 74-81. doi:10.1111/sms.12407

• Johnson, I. L., & Walker, E. R. (2016). Teaching games for understanding: Building a physically literate individual. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 87(6), 47-49. doi:10.1080/07303084.2016.1192922

• Light, R. (2013). Game sense pedagogies for performance, participation and enjoyment. Routledge studies in education and youth sports. Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge

• Pill, S. (2012). Teaching game sense in soccer. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 83(3), 42-52.
doi:10.1080/07303084.2012.10598746

• Pill, S. (2016). An appreciative inquiry exploring game sense teaching in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 21(2), 279-297.
doi:10.1080/13573322.2014.912624

• Pill, S., & Hewitt, M. (2017). Tennis coaching: Applying the game sense approach. Strategies, 30(2), 10-16. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1080/08924562.2016.1273807

• Reid, P., & Harvey, S. (2014). We're delivering game sense … aren't we? Sports Coaching Review, 3(1), 80-92. doi:10.1080/21640629.2014.967519

• Wright, J., & Forrest, G. (2007). A social semiotic analysis of knowledge construction and games centred approaches to teaching. Physical Education &
Sport Pedagogy, 12(3), 273-287. doi:10.1080/17408980701610201