Nonlinear pedagogy : implications for teaching games for understanding (TGfU)

Nonlinear Dynamics, provides a framework for understanding how teaching and learning processes function in Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). In Nonlinear Pedagogy, emergent movement behaviors in learners arise as a consequence of intrinsic self-adjusted processes shaped by interacting constraints in the learning environment. In a TGfU setting, representative, conditioned games provide ideal opportunities for pedagogists to manipulate key constraints so that self-adjusted processes by players lead to emergent behaviors as they explore functional movement solutions. The implication is that, during skill learning, functional movement variability is necessary as players explore different motor patterns for effective skill execution in the context of the game. Learning progressions in TGfU take into account learners’ development through learning stages and have important implications for organisation of practices, instructions and feedback. A practical application of Nonlinear Pedagogy in a national sports institute is shared to exemplify its relevance for TGfU practitioners.

Why the Constraints-Led Approach is not teaching games for understanding: A clarification

Background There is some apparent confusion regarding similarities and differences between two popular physical education (PE) pedagogical frameworks, that is, the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). Purpose Our aim in this commentary is to detail important theoretical and pedagogical concepts that distinguish these approaches, as well as to recognise where commonalities exist. Findings In particular, we note that TGfU had its roots in the 1960s in the absence of a substantial theoretical framework, although several attempts to retrospectively scaffold theories around TGfU have subsequently emerged in the literature. TGfU is a learner-centred approach to PE in which teachers are encouraged to design modified games to develop the learner's understanding of tactical concepts. In contrast, the CLA has arisen more recently from the umbrella of Nonlinear Pedagogy (NLP), emerging from the empirically rich theoretical framework of ecological dynamics. The CLA adopts a ‘learner–environment’ scale of analysis in which practitioners are encouraged to identify and modify interacting constraints (of task, environment and learner) to facilitate the coupling of each learner's perceptual and action systems during learning. The CLA is a broader framework which has been adapted for the design of (re)learning environments in PE, sport and movement therapy. Other key distinctions between the approaches include: the overall goals; the way in which the learner and the learning process are modelled; the use of questioning as a pedagogical tool; the focus on individual differences vs. generic concepts; and how progressions and skill interjections are planned and implemented. Conclusions Despite such distinctions, the two approaches are somewhat harmonious and key similarities include: their holistic perspective of the learner; the proposed role of the teacher and the design characteristics of learning tasks in each. Both TGfU and the CLA have a powerful central focus on the nature of learning activities undertaken by each individual learner. This clarification of TGFU and the CLA is intended to act as a catalyst for more empirical work into the complementarity of these juxtaposed pedagogical approaches to learning design.

A Case Study of Disengaged Students' Experiences with Teaching Games for Understanding

The purpose of this research study was to determine if the instructional model, Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), would allow for the successful teaching of sport to disengaged female students in Physical Education (PE) classes. An instrumental case study research design was used to determine grade nine female students’ experiences with TGfU, the factors of TGfU that facilitated their engagement, and the ways in which these students resisted engaging in TGfU. Data was collected through a pre and post TGfU unit focus group, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and researcher reflections. Results showed that TGfU caused an increase in the participants’ engagement in PE physically, mentally, and socially/emotionally. Future researchers could structure their entire study holistically and should examine TGfU’s impact on student engagement over the course of an entire semester. Subsequent studies should moreover examine the presence of disengagement within physically skilled students in PE.

Teaching games for understanding (TGFU) as a positive and versatile approach to teaching adapted games

This paper presents a small scale research project that focused on pre-service physical education (PE)teachers’ and sports coaches’ considerations of using Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) to teachgames. A research design akin to action research was adopted whereby pre-service PE teachers and sportscoaches (n = 72) completed a one-off 90 minute introduction to wheelchair rugby league utilising a TGfUapproach. Data were generated through end of session whole-class reflections, semi-structured individualinterviews undertaken (n = 3), and post session first-author/primary practitioner reflections. Data analysiswas conducted via inductive coding procedures and revealed three themes: 1) TGfU as a positive pedagogy;2) TGfU as a versatile approach, and 3) significance of content within a PE Teacher Education programme.

The Games Concept Approach (GCA) as a mandated practice : views of Singaporean teachers

This paper reports on the views of Singaporean teachers of a mandated curriculum innovation aimed at changing the nature of games pedagogy within the physical education curriculum framework in Singapore. Since its first appearance over 20 years ago, Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), as an approach to games pedagogy has gathered support around the world. Through a process of evolution TGfU now has many guises and one of the latest of these is the Games Concept Approach (GCA) a name given to this pedagogical approach in Singapore. As part of a major national curricular reform project the GCA was identified as the preferred method of games teaching and as a result was mandated as required professional practice within physical education teaching. To prepare teachers for the implementation phase, a training program was developed by the National Institute of Education in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and well known experts in the field from the United States. For this part of the study, 22 teachers from across Singapore were interviewed. The data were used to create three fictional narratives, a process described by Sparkes (2002a) and used more recently by Ryan (2005) in the field of literacy. The stories were framed using Foucault’s (1980/1977) notion of governmentality and Bernstein’s (1996) notion of regulative discourse. The narratives reveal tales of confusion, frustration but also of hope and enthusiasm.

A constraints-led approach to talent development in cricket

The aim of this chapter is to increase understanding of how a sound theoretical model of the learner and learning processes informs the organisation of learning environments and effective and efficient use of practice time. Drawing on an in-depth interview with Greg Chappell, the head coach at the Centre of Excellence—the Brisbane-based centre for training and development in cricket of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Cricket Australia—it describes and explains many of the key features of non-linear pedagogy. Specifically, after backgrounding the constraints-led approach, it deals with environmental constraints; the focus of the individual and the implications of self-organisation for coaching strategies; implications for the coach–athlete relationship; manipulating constraints; representative practice; developing decision-makers and learning design including discovery and implicit learning. It then moves on to a discussion of more global issues such as the reactions of coaches and players when a constraints-led approach is introduced, before finally considering the widely held belief among coaches that approaches such as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) ‘take longer’ than traditional coaching methods.

Socially critical pedagogy and the 'production of skilled performers': Further considerations of teaching and learning in physical education

The growing call for physical educators to move beyond the bounds of performance has been a powerful discourse. However, it is a discourse that has tended to be heavy on theory but light on practical application. This paper discusses recent work in the area of skill acquisition and what this might mean for pedagogical practices in physical education. The acquisition of motor skill has traditionally been a core objective for physical educators, and there has been a perception that child-centred pedagogies have failed in the achievement of this traditional yardstick. However, drawing from the work of Rovegno and Kirk (1995) and Langley (1995; 1997), and making links with current work in the motor learning area, it is possible to show that skill acquisition is not necessarily compromised by child-centred pedagogy. Indeed, working beyond Mosston's discovery threshold and using models such as Games for Understanding, can provide deeper skill-learning experiences as well as being socially just.

La enseñanza integrada técnico-táctica de los deportes en edad escolar : explicación y bases de un modelo.

Resumen tomado de la publicación

Integrated physical education model

This paper focuses on an Integrated Physical Education Model that links the cyclical model of experiential learning (Kolb, 1971, 1979), the Complete 4MAT System (McCarthy, 1980), and Teaching Games for Understanding (Bunker & Thorpe, 1982). Understanding the similarities between experiential learning and a games-based approach to teaching games may help physical educators to design and to facilitate more beneficial lessons for their students. Key outcomes of successful physical education are students that have the ability to make successful decisions on the field and have awareness of both technical and tactical aspects of games. This discussion of an integrated approach involves playing games, emphasises active involvement, and encourages student decision-making.

Game-centred models and teaching in culturally diverse settings

This presentation draws on the observations and experiences that we, as teacher educators, have had using Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) as a pedagogical tool with generalist pre-service teachers in two different sites: Malaysia and Australia. TGfU is a game-centred pedagogy in which students learn the „Why‟ of game playing before the „How‟ of the skills associated with the game. This concept is based on a student-centred approach to learning. The benefit of this pedagogy to generalist teachers is the notion that they are not required to be a master of many sports. This narrative relates the observations and experiences of teacher educators of Malaysian and Australian generalist pre-service teachers confronted with teaching and learning TGfU for the first time in their culturally specific contexts. The two key issues arising from teaching the TGfU model were: the disparity in the cohorts‟ experiences arising from institutionalised conceptions by the pre-service teachers of what and how learning occurs in physical education; and the pre-service teachers‟ difficulty with implementing the TGfU model in a practical situation. Crossing the cultural divide for the Malaysian and Australian pre-service teachers required them to explore more fully the range of approaches to teaching and to recognise a more student-centred approach as a valid and authentic tool. As both teachers and observers of this process, our intention was to examine the two cohorts‟ learning and subsequent teaching with the aim of developing better understandings of the challenges when teaching TGfU in tertiary settings.

Relatório de Estágio realizado na Escola dos 2º e 3º Ciclos Dr. Horácio Bento de Gouveia: relatório apresentado com vista à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de Educação Física nos Ensinos Básico e Secundário

Este relatório pretende abordar todo o processo de estágio pedagógico que ocorreu no ano lectivo de 2009/2010 na Escola Básica dos 2º e 3º Ciclos Dr. Horácio Bento de Gouveia. O Núcleo de Estágio de Educação Física foi constituído por quatro estagiários, duas orientadoras da escola e um orientador da Universidade da Madeira, sendo que os estagiários subdividiram-se em dois grupos e desenvolveram a sua prática lectiva no 2º e 3ºCiclo, respectivamente. Portanto no nosso caso em particular, a prática lectiva foi desenvolvida numa turma de 5º ano sob orientação pedagógica de uma professora da escola do 2ºCiclo. A estrutura deste relatório segue, de uma forma geral, a composição das tarefas a realizar no estágio pedagógico, ou seja, a sua análise é expressa por pontos e subpontos referentes às “linhas programáticas das actividades e avaliação”. Após alguns pontos introdutórios e a própria caracterização da escola o primeiro grande tema a ser abordado é a prática lectiva, fazendo referência à gestão do processo de ensino/aprendizagem na turma que nos foi atribuída/escolhida, bem como outra componente importante e que também se prolongou por todo o ano lectivo, a assistência a aulas. Relativamente às actividades de intervenção na comunidade escolar, os estagiários integrados no 2ºCiclo, utilizaram um dia e uma temática tradicionalmente enfatizados na escola e desenvolveram uma actividade para os alunos em geral. Esta actividade intitulou-se a “Expedição do Pai Natal”, e como o próprio nome indica, relacionou-se com as festividades do Natal, tendo por objectivo principal a divulgação das várias actividades extracurriculares presentes na escola aos alunos. Esta foi a actividade de estágio com a maior amplitude de intervenção, ou seja, mobilizamos um grande número de alunos e professores na escola, garantindo uma oportunidade de aprendizagem interessante a esse nível. As Actividades de integração no meio foram desenvolvidas numa lógica de conhecimento e intervenção na turma que leccionávamos. Destas actividades fazem parte a caracterização da turma (relacionada fortemente com a descoberta de hábitos de actividade física e alimentação dos alunos); o estudo de caso (relacionado com o estudo de um aluno que se destacou negativamente na turma); e a acção de extensão curricular. Esta acção intitulou-se “Família Activa” e abordou os temas referidos na caracterização da turma relacionados com a saúde. Nesta fase intervimos nas turmas, não só a nível dos alunos mas também a nível dos Encarregados de Educação e Professores. Por outro lado, as Actividades de natureza científico – pedagógica foram rentabilizadas no sentido de desenvolver alguns temas que nasceram das nossas vivências pedagógicas. No nosso caso em particular, de uma forma individual abordámos a aprendizagem dos Jogos Desportivos Colectivos através do jogo (Teaching Games For Understanding), e a nível colectivo, e da autoria do Núcleo de Estágio, abordámos as Potencialidades e Limitações do Programa Nacional de Educação Física. De uma forma resumida, estas foram as actividades desenvolvidas neste estágio pedagógico. Gostaríamos que não encarassem este documento com uma soma de várias acções mas sim como uma acção global do estagiário que pode ser decomposta em vários níveis de intervenção, sendo que todos eles contribuem para a nossa formação profissional e pessoal de uma forma eclética. É neste sentido que existem algumas abordagens de conjunto, sobretudo nos pontos finais.

Relatório de estágio realizado na Escola Básica e Secundária Gonçalves Zarco: relatório apresentado com vista à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de Educação Física nos Ensinos Básico e Secundário

O desenvolvimento de um conjunto de actividades inseridas num estágio pedagógico é a base deste documento onde constam informações sobre o processo ensino – aprendizagem, nomeadamente as estratégias usadas, assim como os resultados e principais dificuldades sentidas. São também analisadas as acções de carácter científico - pedagógico, a actividade de intervenção na comunidade escolar, assim como as actividades de integração no meio, que engloba um estudo de caso, uma caracterização da turma e uma acção de extensão curricular. Salienta-se os resultados obtidos através da interacção entre os modelos de ensino Teaching Games for Understanding e o Modelo de Educação Desportiva, assim como os resultados de uma nova abordagem a conteúdos rítmico – expressivos em contexto escolar, através do RopeSkipping. Destaque ainda para os resultados obtidos no estudo de caso, que além da identificação de possíveis causas para o problema, enuncia algumas medidas que podem vir a contribuir para a melhoria dos alunos envolvidos neste estudo. São ainda apresentadas algumas considerações sobre as actividades dinamizadas, apontando os aspectos que são passíveis de serem melhorados, assim como algumas sugestões que visam melhorar o processo de Ensino-Aprendizagem em que estivemos envolvidos.