History and Philosophy of TGgU

History

(who/when/where was the TGfU approach developed?)

The Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach was developed in the early 1980’s at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK. Itwas developed by David Bunker and Rod Thorpe upon noticing that when students left school they knew little about how to play games because they had to use their decision-making skills (Araújo, Button, Chow, Davids,Renshaw & Shuttleworth, 2007). Students were also having difficulty transferring previously learned skills over to game situations. This resulted from the focus on learning technical skills in physical education classes with little to no emphasis on strategy and game sense. In 1982 Bunker and Thorpe introduced their model for teaching to the public with their article, A model for the teaching of games in the secondary school. Since the release of this article the TGfU approach to teaching in physical education has garnered a great deal of attention internationally, with many scholars and teachers writing a large number of their own articles about this relatively new model of teaching (Mandigo, Butler, & Hopper, 2007).

Philosophy(why was the TGfU approach developed?)

Before TGfU, the common physical education philosophy was to focus on the acquisition of skills through specific sports related drills. The problem with this philosophy was that:

a)         students showed a lack of technical skill transferability between drills and game

situations
b)         students were unsuccessful at certain drills which made them feel as if they could not

participate successfully in the game

c)         students wanted to play the game rather than focus on skill acquisition drills
(Mandigo, Butler, & Hopper, 2007)

The learner-centered TGfU model was developed in order to address these issues. The

philosophy of the TGfU is to enhance physical literacy through the teaching of game-like

activities in an inclusive, non-threatening, highly motivational environment. These types of

environments can provide students' with the opportunity for an optimal learning experience. The

emphasis being on player decisions and individual readiness. The teacher/coach takes on the role

of facilitator and creator of problem situations. (Light, 2005)

TGFU is an approach which directs students toward understanding strategies about why a skill is

performed before they learn how to perform. In other words, TGFU emphasizes a deeper

understanding of tactics before teaching movement techniques (Araújo et. al, 2007). Thorpe

states that "the basic philosophy of TGFU is that a person can play games with limited

techniques and, even with limited techniques be very competitive" (Araújo et. al, 2007).

Benefits (According to research, what are the benefits to using the TGfU approach?)

Teaching Games for Understanding creates an environment where students can formulate their own opinions and answers through critical thinking and problem solving. This approach breaks games skills down into step-by-step movements that allow the students to be more successful at complicated skills. As students begin to develop their skills in a given task it can increase the amount of active participation and, “promote enjoyment for participants” (Webb & Pearson, 2008). Skills acquisition are developed within low organized or simple games, by doing so educators can remove the aspect of varied skill levels and therefor create an equal playing ground for the whole class. Many skills, technical and tactical, can be transferred from game to game. Teaching Games for Understanding allows the students to understand this transfer process and therefore can increase game competence; while at the same time, having fun learning. This model not only benefits the students, but the teacher as well. Assessment can be done more effectively by pin-pointing the specific area that needs more improvement.

The TGfU model recognizes differences in developmental levels and allows student/athletes to work at their own rate, while teachers/coaches help facilitate learning through situational experiences which allows the student/athlete to understand a games principles and concepts at a deeper level (Butler et. al., 2003. pg. 5).

Through both mental and physical engagement, TGFU promotes the overall knowledge and understanding of the game (Webb, 2008).

TGFU gives the students an opportunity to gain essential knowledge and skills, which allows them to be able to participate in a variety of games (Mandigo et. al., 2007).

References

Araújo., D, Button, C., Chow, J,I., Davids, K., Renshaw, I., & Shutleworth, R. (2007) "The Role of Nonlinear Pedagogy in Physical Education." Review of Educational Research, 77 (3), 251-78.

Butler, J., Griffin, L., Lombardo, B. & Nastasi, R. (Ed.). (2003). Teaching Games for Understanding in Physical Education and Sport. Reston (VA): NASPE.

Light, R. (2005) "An International Perspective on Teaching Games for Understanding." Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 10 (3).

Mandigo, J. , Butler, J. , & Hopper, T. (2007) What is Teaching Games for Understanding? A Canadian perspective. Physical & Health Education Journal, 73(2), 14-20.

Webb, P., Pearson, P. (2008, January 21). An Integrated Approach to TGfU. Retrieved October 24, 2008, from

http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:AaG_GeR4_h8J:caef.flinders.edu.au/sie2008/Presentations/An%2520integrated%2520approach%2520to%2520TGfU.ppt+TGfU+benefits&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ca,