This week Eric, Krystal and I taught the class about invasion games. We chose to teach this lesson because I thought the title sounded interesting and the first game that came to mind was Capture the Flag, a classic game we have all been playing for a very long time and also recently a Shame Game. When we did just a little bit of research I found the category of invasion games was a lot more than that. It included any game that was about defense, offense and protecting a zone or target from the invading team. These games are much more complex than striking, target or net/wall games in that they usually involve basic strategies and skills to be able to play them.
The way we were probably taught most invasion/territorial games in PE was through a series of drills, scrimmages and intramural sports. This is called the multi-activity curriculum pe model. This approach is usually successful if your class has a background playing these sports on a team and has practiced these drills before. If this is new to them there can be a high rate of frustration as students do not like to be asked to perform in front of others, or waiting or learning new skills this way. It can create anxiety and boredom for all of your students. A lot of games that were taught this way in PE are soccer, football, basketball and rugby. It can be hard to get a real grasp of the game.
There are other ways to teach these popular sports which is what we learned about by reading Chapter 3 and comparing and contrasting various curriculum models in PE class. We used our game Prairie Dog Pickoff as a way to demonstrate the Teaching Games for Understanding Model. This is a fun game using alternative equipment and boundaries but some of the basic rules and strategies involved in most invasion games. The students had to work together to develop strategies to knock over opponents targets and defend their own. It was a fun way to get all learners involved in the game and everyone could participate at a level they were comfortable with. I was very impressed with the success of this game and can’t wait to teach it in my pe classes. I think the Teaching Games for Understanding Model is very effective and in line with the new BC Curriculum that is student centered and learning focussed. I am looking forward to exploring this more.
In my next post I will reflect on what it was actually like to teach PE for the first time! Stay tuned!
My initial idea of invasion games was also Capture the Flag, which I never considered to be a PEHOS game because I remember how much I enjoyed playing it back in the day. It surprised me too that games like soccer and basketball are also considered invasion/territorial games because they involve both defensive and offensive skills.
The end goal in my high school PE classes was always to be able to play the sport, and like you said, using the multi-activity model. We would start off with drills and gradually move on to playing the actual game. Like you mentioned, this effectively separated students who had prior experience with the drills and games and those that didn’t. This is why I like the TGfU model. It starts off with a game (not necessarily the full game of basketball but games that incorporate the basic skills used in invasion games) and works backwards from there to help students understand the basics of invasion games.
I thought that the overall “Space” theme was a great idea to connect the lesson from start to finish. Prairie Dog Pickoff was a great choice of game as it incorporated the basic defensive and offensive skills without playing a full-blown game of basketball or soccer, which might have resulted in frustration for both those that were highly skilled and those that weren’t. It also incorporated strategy, and students didn’t have to feel embarrassed, left out, or targeted if their alien was knocked over because then they had the opportunity to join another team. The idea that everyone would end up as one big team at the end and all “win” was fantastic and great for building a sense of community within the class.
At first I didn’t know what the invasion games are. I thought it was a little similar with striking games. And I was wrong! After you guys did your Group Teach on last Tuesday, I have had a better understanding of what the invasion game is like. I agree with you invasion games are more involve with the offense and protecting a zone from the invading team. I can see that the games were more focus on the basic strategies and skills. I realized ‘‘space’’ is very important in invasion games. Before starting the game, teacher needs to make sure if the game is good to play inside of the gym or not. If the gym size is too small, then they’ll have to decide to do the game outside or somewhere else. It is important all the students have the enough space to move around during the game. I really liked and enjoyed the Prairie Dog Pickoff game on last Thursday. I liked how we all have to work together as a team and NO ONE GETS LEFT OUT in the game. Part of the activity was to work in as a team and building up the community with others. Furthermore, I agree with what you said the ‘‘Teaching Games for Understanding Model is very effective…’’. Because it is part of the students learning and focused in PE. Overall, I think you guys did a good job on your Group Teach. I have to say the game was FUN!!!