Having done the reading summary for last class, I was able to familiarize myself with the various models associated with teaching Physical Education. I myself liked the Teaching Games for Understanding the most as I really liked the aspect of skills learned in one game being carried over into other games and sports. I also liked how drills are not a part of this model since skills should be developed in context as opposed to in isolation. I remember doing drills in elementary school PE and being so bored as well as not understanding the important concepts and strategies behind the game. I feel like the initial modified game also takes some of the pressure off of students because the game feels less formal than the complex, actual game/sport that some students may already know and excel in.
I think the majority of my high school PE classes followed the Multi-Activity Model with the seasonal sport aspect. I never really liked the seasonal sports except for volleyball and we were stuck doing the same sport for a long chunk of time. I feel like the net sports that involved a net in the middle of the gym, like badminton and volleyball were done out of convenience since our teacher did not want to dismantle and then re set up the net, but the other seasonal ball sports could have easily been swapped for something else given that our amount of time with each sport was long and repetitive over the years.
Hi Sydney,
Thanks for a wonderful post! The readings for this week were very informative, as well as providing a trip down memory lane to my own physical education experiences. I agree that Teaching Games for Understanding is the most enjoyable and seems to be the best teaching philosophy to engage children and promote lifelong active living. I also like this model as it breaks down the games, so that students can focus on specific skills and have a chance to improve those skills before increasing the complexity of the game. I think that this model is especially useful for children who do not do extracurricular sports and younger grades that have not had much exposure to a variety of sports activities.
Like you, much of my childhood experience in school also followed the Multi-Activity Model, in addition to the Sports Education Model. The games were so complex that I had trouble understanding and following all of the rules. I also felt I was given inadequate training on the skills needed to play the game, such as throwing, catching, dribbling, etc. I remember many instances where the elite sports players would accuse other students of fowling, double dribbling, travelling, etc., even though these concepts had not even been properly explained by the teacher. Elitism and ball hogging was a major problem in my school. I went many classes without touching a ball. During basketball season, I went an entire month without touching a ball. I would enviously watch the boys play the game, while desperately trying to get a chance to touch the ball. Eventually I got so desperate to have the opportunity to play, I started playing offense against my own teammates out of frustration, only to be teased for ‘misunderstanding’ the rules. Of course at the time my only goal was to touch a ball once that class, if not once during the entire basketball season! Ironically, I preferred the drill days during my intermediate years, as they provided me with a chance to actually touch a ball during gym class!
Yes I agree with you that it was very annoying being forced to do the same sport for a whole season. Although volleyball became one of my favorite sports due to the fact that it was not male-dominated and I actually got a fair chance to participating through serving and rotations. However, the TGFU model is a much better approach to allowing fairness and equality of opportunity to all students. I also agree that teaching a single sport is extremely repetitive.
When sports are played in isolation, the complexity of the rules and techniques can make the games seem needlessly complicated and prevent the transfer of skills and knowledge. Without building on prior knowledge and skills, it is difficult for students to gain a full understanding and appreciation of new sports. TGFU provides an excellent framework through which students can connect meaning from previous lessons and gain an appreciation of new sports through the application of transferable skills and knowledge.
Angela (Group B Reply)