Teaching Games for Understanding

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Teaching Games for Understanding:

Evolution of a Model

Journal article by Peter Werner, Rod Thorpe, DavidBunker; JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education,

Recreation & Dance, Vol. 67, 1996

Journal Article Excerpt

Teaching Games for Understanding: Evolution of a Model.

by Peter Werner , Rod Thorpe , David Bunker

The games curriculum occupies an important place in public school physical education.Research suggests that 65 percent or more of the time spent in physical education is allotted to

games (Hill, cited in Thorpe, Bunker, & Almond, 1984). The purpose of this article is to informteachers about current models of teaching games in the public schools. First, the technical model

is outlined. It is followed by the history of an emerging model of teaching games called theunderstanding approach (which stresses the importance of the game, tactical awareness, and

decision making, among other things). A brief literature review followed by a discussion of newtesting instruments provides the reader insight into the future of games teaching in the public

schools.

The Technical Model

Over the last decade there has been considerable debate as to how games should be presented to

youth. The traditional model follows a series of highly structured lessons relying heavily on theteaching of skills and techniques. This model is similar to one proposed by Rink (1993), in

which the first two game stages are concerned primarily with the development of control andcombination experiences through extending, refining, and application tasks which lead toward

skillfulness. It has been the belief that once skills have been mastered, the student will be in a position to transfer these skills into game situations. Thus at stage three a student typically enters

modified game situations, in which the number of players, rules, and conditions of the game are

gradually introduced (Read, 1993; Rink, 1993). Finally at stage four, students play games under conditions which represent the rules and standards of the official game. Students learn specificoffensive and defensive tactics under direct guidance of the teacher.

The Tactical Model

An alternative model has been termed an understanding approach to the teaching of games

(Bunker & Thorpe, 1982) and has evolved as observations of the technical model of teaching



games consistently revealed: (a) a large percentage of children achieving little success due to theemphasis on performance, (b) skillful players who possess inflexible techniques and poor

decision-making capacities, (c) performers who are dependent on the teacher/coach to maketheir decisions, and (d) a majority of youngsters who leave school knowing little about games. In

addition, the authors noted that skills (perhaps more appropriately called techniques, in that they

were usually practiced out of context) that were taught often did not transfer to the game, thatchildren approached this phase of the lesson with low motivation (children are often heard toask, "When can we play the game?"), and that the skills were focused at the average child.

The history of the understanding approach to games actually dates back to the late 1960s and

1970s to a group at Loughborough University, England (Werner & Almond, 1990). Thisapproach does not assume that tactical or strategic awareness in games must wait for the

development of sophisticated skills. Bunker and Thorpe (1982) argue that if it does, somechildren will never be able to play because they will never attain the skill level required of them.

These authors take the point of view that the task of the teacher is to present a game whichchildren can enter with some of the skills already developed and that improvement can be

achieved through understanding what the game is about. Rules and equipment used in games aremodified to ensure that all children can play and gain insight into the games they play.

Evolution of a Game

The evolution of any game follows the model presented in figure 1 (Bunker & Thorpe, 1982).First, students must be capable of understanding (with guidance) the particular game form, and

will be led to recognize the unique problems to be solved. It is important at this level for teachersto give careful thought to the size and shape of the playing surface, the number of players on a

team (e.g., small sided 2 vs. 2, unbalanced sides 3 vs. 1), and the modified equipment to be usedin an attempt to present students with problems involved in playing a game (e.g., creating space

to attack/denying space to defend).

Gradually students should learn to appreciate the primary and secondary rules which shape each

game. They may learn to recognize that the height of the net affects the pace of a game, that

changing the number of fielders makes it easier or more difficult ...

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Teaching Games for Understanding