GAME SENSE

By Rebecca Thomas
17483940
What is Game Sense?
Game sense is a new approach to physical education lessons
and coaching practices.
Games sense places an emphasis on participants having fun,
being more tactically aware, skill development and to improve
decision making skills when playing sport.
Game sense incorporates the use of target, invasion, net,
court, striking and fielding games to improve the above listed
skills in participants.
(Light, 2012; Pill, 2014)
Game Sense Continued
Game sense is achieved through:
Beginning with more simple games and then moving on to
more complex games as skills and game knowledge develop.
Game modification to improve a particular skill.
Inquiry and discovery learning by asking the participants
questions.

(Pill, 2014; Chen & Light, 2006)

Why is Game Sense used in PDHPE
lessons?
This is a student-centred approach to learning, placing an
emphasis on all students actively engaging in physical
education lessons.
Game sense employs strategies to modify games, making it
easer or more difficult, catering to an array of student
capabilities.
Game sense emphasises inclusion and active participation of
all students.
Students are afforded the opportunity of reflection, creating
thinking players.
(Australian Sports Commission, 2017)
Why is Game Sense used in PDHPE
lessons? Continued
Game sense emphasises participation and inclusion in sports and games.
Active participation in physical activity has positive ramifications for
overall health and wellbeing in students.
Playing sports and games can also help improve a students:
Self-esteem
Establish a sense of belonging
Help to make new friends
Social learning
Moral learning
Sense of enjoyment
Having fun
(Light, 2013)
PDHPE Syllabus
The content strand Games and Sports within the NSW PDHPE
Syllabus focuses on students competence and confidence in a
broad range of games, sports and physical activities. Students
develop fundamental movement skills (FMS), progressing to more
games and sport-specific skills in non-competitive and competitive
environments that foster positive feelings of success and enjoyment.
This is correlated with Game Sense and provides a detailed approach
to how games and sports should be played in PDHPE.
Teachers of all NSW Schools need to promote an inclusive
environment that students feel like they can actively participate in
and, most importantly have fun!
(Board of Studies, 2007)
Conclusion
I believe as a teacher, students should have fun in a safe learning
environment. Students should feel like they can actively participate in all
games played with PDHPE lessons.
The most important thing is not how good a student is at a particular sport
or what skills they possess, it is about if they are participating and enjoying
themselves.
Incorporating a game sense approach to all physical education lessons is
something I will continue to adopt in all PDHPE lessons.

HEALTHY. ACTIVE. HAPPY

THANK YOU
References
Australian Sports Commission. (2017). Sporting schools: Game sense approach. Retrieved
from https://www.sportingschools.gov.au/resources-and-pd/schools/playing-for-
life-resources/game-sense-approach
Board of Studies, NSW. (2007). Personal Development, Health and Physical
Education K-6 Syllabus. Sydney, New South Wales: Board of Studies.
Chen, S., & Light, R. (2006). 'I thought I'd hate cricket but I love it!' : Year six students'
responses to games sense pedagogy.Change: Transformations in
Education,9(1), 49-58.
Light, R. (2012). Game sense. Pedagogy for performance, participation and enjoyment.
Taylor and Francis.
Pill, S. (2014). An appreciative inquiry exploring game sense teaching in physical
education. Sport, Education and Society, 21(2), 279-297.