A games-based approach can be mistakenly considered as a game-as-teacher approach. This is because children can learn from playing the game. The mistake is not that children can learn from playing the game. Of course they can. Children in PE can learn:
- nothing at all
- something without us
- something from peers
- something in spite of us
- something unintentionally
- something intentionally because of us
Teachers of PE should be interested in all these outcomes and when, how and why they might occur (or not). However, it is the last one that is of most importance. Here I draw upon Gert Biesta’s view of the point of teaching and education more generally (and therefore also physical education). It is that children don’t just learn, but that they learn something, that they learn it for particular reasons, and that they learn it from someone. This is the crux of the mistake when seeing a games-based approach as a game-as-teacher approach. The game is not the teacher. The teacher is the teacher. Just because we might decide to use the playing of games as a tool to facilitate learning, we do not give up our legal, professional and moral responsibilities that come with being a PE teacher.
Therefore the use of a games-based approach is about the teacher being deliberate about choices regarding content, purpose and relationships. To exemplify that intentionality I’m going to use Shane Pill’s framework for a games-based approach – Play with Purpose – which is positioned as method of deliberate practice and explicit teaching of games and sports.
Play with Purpose offers a semi-structured and non-linear framework to physical education curriculum and lesson planning, focusing on the strategic choices teachers need to make regarding the content, rationale, and methods for teaching games and sports. The main focus of the framework is to develop Game Sense (combining both the physical and cognitive learning domains together), but can also be used for other learning outcomes such as developing fundamental movement skills, sports literacy and positive social interactions.
Play 1 Episode: The PE teacher needs to design a modified game that is suitable for the developmental stage of the participants. In doing that it is essential to integrate an explicit educational objective. In my own practice this objective often revolve around a tactical problem or a fundamental principle of play that the participants are encouraged to investigate and resolve. During Play 1 ample time should be allocated for instruction, constructive feedback, and asking thought-provoking questions, all aimed at facilitating a deeper appreciation of the purpose game and supporting participants growing comprehension of its underlying problems. The design of the game should intentionally serve this educational purpose, ensuring that the play is not only engaging but also instructive.
Inquire Episode: To enhance the visibility of participants’ thought processes regarding the game and its tactical problem, it is crucial to stimulate their thinking. Two key aspects to emphasise are the reflection on what they have learned and the reflection on their actions within the game. The inquiry should be thoughtfully structured to align with the clearly defined learning objective. It is considered best practice to facilitate this reflective process within small subsets of players actively engaged in the game, rather than addressing the entire group at once. Pill has written an excellent blog post on this, providing a range of inquiry strategies that can be used. The goal is to bring to light the participants’ cognitive engagement and comprehension of the game, making their thinking processes transparent and discernible, preferably resulting in a plan of action of what to improve and how to improve it.
Depending on the outcome of the inquiry episode of Play 1, the teacher, informed by the children’s thinking, reflection and responses, has a decision to make where to go next. The group they are working with can either return to Play 1 (they might need more time to understand the game or they might have a plan they wish to try out). The group can also go to Practice or Play 2 Episodes which are described in more detail below. This is the non-linearity and flexibility of the Play with Purpose framework which allows the lesson and teaching to be adapted to what emerges out of playing and reflecting on play.
Practice Episode: Upon observing the gameplay and considering the participants’ responses during the inquiry phase, it may become apparent that additional practice is necessary to improve both the gameplay and the participants’ understanding. The design of this practice should be intentional, with a focus on facilitating the development of specific technique or movement pattern that have been identified by the participants during inquiry as a potential barrier to making. The approach to practice can be informed by employing various practice structures, such as blocked, variable, or serial, and can be executed through different styles like reciprocal, self-check, or inclusion, to support the learning process effectively. After Practice the participants can return to Play 1 to see what impact it has on helping them to solve the games tactical problem.
Play 2 Episode: The game in question is a thoughtfully crafted, modified version that is suitable for the participants’ developmental levels which aims to elevate the complexity of the challenge presented to them. It may take the form of an adapted version of the initial game or an entirely new one. Crucially, it must maintain a direct connection to the learning objectives, tactical problems, or principles of play that were introduced in the game during Play 1. The fundamental purpose of this game is to advance the participants’ gameplay and deepen their Game Sense, building upon the foundation laid by the first game. Whether the participants have moved back to Play 1 or Play 2, time is given for them to develop their understanding, when the use of another Inquire Episode can make their thinking visible and inform where they might go next.
As a PE teacher develops greater competence at using the Play with Purpose framework as a way to inform their professional judgement and decision making, all children can still be working towards a common goal, but at a level that is suitable for their current capabilities. However to do this means seeing the game as a context to learn in and from, but not as the teacher. The teacher can’t give up their responsibility of teaching to the “game”. They need to be intentional and deliberate about the games they design, the adaptations and modifications they make, the questions they ask, the reflections they facilitate, the decisions they make on how to progress or regress tactical complexity, whether technical practice is needed and if it is what it needs to focus on and how it is structured. As Pill and Williams argue, a games-based approach “should be organised through principles of purposeful and explicit pedagogical intention” and that we need to move “away from ideological or fantastical notions of ‘the game as the teacher.“
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