Action for well-being

Teaching approaches continued

Games for Understanding model

By building on young people's interest in games, teachers of physical education can help their students to develop the skills and understanding of tactics that they need in order to play games successfully. Rather than using a formal, direct teaching approach characterised by small, progressive steps in skill development, teachers using the Games for Understanding lesson sequences of game-like scenarios. These scenarios include game-like tasks (called 'game forms'), in which students can work on the skills needed for the task, and on game strategies, in a developmentally appropriate manner.

There are six basic steps. These are as follows:

1. The game: Introduce the learners to the game, giving an overview of how it is played and offering the students an opportunity to play it.
2. Game appreciation: Describe the history and tradition of the game in a way that will interest and engage the students.
3. Tactical awareness: Explain to the students the major tactical problems that the game presents.
4. Decision making: Use game-like tasks and activities so that the students begin to develop their tactical knowledge and can apply strategies to specific situations.
5. Skill execution: Encourage the students to use their new skills and tactical knowledge in game-like situations.
6. Performance: Create opportunities for the students to refine their skills so that their overall performance is based on tactical knowledge, game appreciation, and game strategies.

Note that the actual learning of physical skills is delayed until steps 4 and 5. The students are encouraged to develop higher-order cognitive skills and social skills through problem solving, analysing, evaluating, decision making, and social interaction, which are all important in a physical education context.

Reference
For more information about the Games for Understanding model, refer to Game Sense (Australian Sports Commission, 1997).

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