An Integrated Approach to TGfU

Dr. Paul WebbDr. Phil Pearson

Presentation for 1st Asia Pacific Sport in Education Conference, Adelaide January 21, 2008

Edward De Bono

“… Lets teach everyone to walk and then give specialist coaching to

those who can run rather than the present system of teaching

everyone to run and neglecting those who are no good at running”

‘Thinking for the New Millennium’, 2001

Background

• An emphasis on the play, where tactical and strategic problems are posed in a modified game environment,ultimately drawing upon students to make decisions

• The key to TGfU approach is questioning

• Questions should be used with technique, strategies, rules and psychological areas

Some Benefits of TGfU

TGfU has the capacity to• Encourage a holistic approach to the

teaching/coaching of games by establishing meaningful contexts

• Promote deep knowledge and understanding

• Promote critical thinking and problem-solving

• Engage students (physically and cognitively)

• Promote enjoyment for participants• Cater for varying abilities

Implications of TGfU for Teachers

A deep understanding of games both within and across categories (target, invasion, striking/fielding, net/court )

Integrated approach refers to analysing and developing constructive and

innovative lessons across sports and categories

ObservationsMethods used in practical studies courses

and Game Sense workshops for Professional

Development• Focus on what to do, not how to do• Focus on examples of games and questions

to use not how to develop them• Focus on questions to ask to generate

understanding• No focus on where the questions were

generated from nor how understanding was gained to ask them

Tactical Model

• Foundation of the movement component New South Wales Secondary Schools Personal Development, Health and Physical Education syllabus

• Difficult pedagogical process (Turner, 2005)

• Still very limited awareness regarding TGfU in the teaching and coaching community in NSW

(Pearson, Webb, Towns and Rowland, 2005)

Questioning

Questioning skills and the ability to develop appropriate activities to

allow the questions to be answered are critical to the

success of TGfU (Light 2003)Questioning can be applied to 4 areas: strategies. technical, rules

and psychological

Game Example

Two Court Bounce

Two players per team, two squares 10m x 10m

Aim is to bounce the ball in your court and

have it bounce in the opponent’s court before

they can catch it

IRE Discourse from pre service Teachers

• Initiation: Where do you bounce the ball to be successful?

• Response: To space

• Evaluation: Correct

Issues

• Reason for question• Meaningful feedback• Evaluation of answer• Indicated learning

The student may leave this class with no more knowledge about a net court game than when

they entered but may well have been very busy and

very active

Game Sense

Beginner Teachers and Coaches need tounderstand

• Reason for using the game• Matching the game with the questions• Matching questions with elements

they wish to develop• Matching games with the category

The Model

Phase 4Advanced Understanding of Games Within and Across Categories

Phase 3Advanced Understanding of a Game Within a Category

Phase 2Elementary Understanding of Games Across Categories

Phase 1Elementary Understanding of Games within a Category

Theoretical Model for Teachers and Coaches

Phase 1 - Elementary Understanding of Game within Category

Deconstruct the game through analysis, based on• Strategies and tactics (initially Principles of Play)• Technical skills (physical, psychological,

communicative)• Rules• Match with games and develop questions

associated with the elements of the game• Conduct for all games within the category

Theoretical Model for Teachers and Coaches

At end of Phase participants should have

• A bank of elements required to successfully participate in the game

• A bank of games for each game within the category

• Some elementary questions based on how to develop understanding about the game principles

• Some ideas around similarities and differences in games of the category

Purpose• Provide the how and why, not only the what• Deconstruct games to provide teaching

‘keys’• Allow a range of interpretations from

students• Give a framework for pre service teachers

and beginner coaches to develop lessons, units and sessions

• Create connections between aspects of games to increase intellectual quality of lessons

Phase 2

Phase 2• Compare games across categories• Find similarities and differences in

rules, technical skills and tactical strategies

• Find commonalities in games and questions

• Find games that can be adapted to different categories

Phase 3Use the same process as Phase 1 but examine

more advanced elements of games, especially the

tactics andstrategies• Deconstruct a game within the category• Determine elements required by players to

participate at a more advanced level• Examine the game as a complex pattern,

including the role and interaction of opposition• Adapt games from Phase 1 to challenge

students in a familiar framework

Phase 4Use the same process as Phase 1 but examine more advanced elements of games, especially the tactics

and strategiesacross the category• Deconstruct each game within the category• Determine elements required by players to

participate at a more advanced level• Compare games within the category to determine

how strategies may be adapted to different games within the category, again comparing, analysing, evaluating

• (Forrest, Webb and Pearson, 2005)

Integrated Model for Unit and Lesson Planning

Stage 1: Develop a unit on one sportStage 2: Develop a unit across a

subcategoryStage 3: Develop a unit across

subcategoriesStage 4: Develop a unit across

categories

Stages of Unit PlanningPhase 1: Choose a category and subcategory eg

invasion carrying the ball across the linePhase 2: List the sports or activities to be analysed.Phase 3: Analyse the sports or activities under the

headings of tactics, skills, rules and psychologicalPhase 4: List the differences of the sports under the

same headingsPhase 5: Develop the unit plan for teaching the

sports

THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS?