Teaching Games for Understanding

Teaching Games for Understanding

The Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) model fosters tactical awareness and skill instruction.

TGfU is most effective when it is ākonga-centred and game-centred. It is founded on the principle that understanding the tactics and strategies of a sport should precede developing and executing the required skills.

Suggested lesson sequence for teaching games for understanding:

1. Game form: Small numbers of players, modified equipment, rules and playing area.
2. Game appreciation: Applying and understanding the particular rules of the game (simplified and modified), so that ākonga develop tactics appropriate for their skill levels.
3. Tactical awareness: Developing tactics by gradually introducing movement principles (for example, space and time), and increasing the complexity of scenarios (for example, creating and denying space, recognising their opponents' and team-mates' strengths and weaknesses).
4. Decision-making: Facilitated through questioning, for example, what can you do?, who could you pass to? and how can you do it?
5. Skill execution: Ākonga recognise the need for required skills to be executed correctly. Instruction is provided for skills and technical aspects.
6. Performance: Ākonga demonstrate technical efficiency and appropriateness of movement.
7. Game: After completing all the previous steps, ākonga are able to play the full, unmodified game competently.

Teaching games for understanding allows ākonga to:

• take responsibility for their learning
• transfer understanding about games to other games.

Bunker, D., & Thorpe, R. (1986). Issues that arise when preparing to teach for understanding. In R. Thorpe, D. Bunker, & L. Almond (Eds.). Rethinking games teaching. Loughborough: University of Technology.