Bats, Balls, Nets and Walls Games and Activities that focus on Teaching Games for Understanding By Robert Matheson, CIRA Ontario Background There is a fundamental shift in thinking about Physical Education in Canada. The ultimate goal is to stop teaching sports as the end goal. Instead the focus should be on the students. We should be helping them develop an interest in a healthy, active life. This is done by teaching a variety of games and sports and focusing on the strategies of the game not on mastery of the skills and winning the game. The Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach has been around since the 1980s. It was recently used as the foundation of the new Ontario H&PE curriculum. One of the main benefits of this approach is that students get active quickly by playing the game instead of practicing skills. Students will naturally develop skills and strategic knowledge from playing the game. Games can be played in smaller groups of students with similar abilities. A strength of this approach is that games often have tactics, rules, and skills that are transferable. Due to that, TGfU games have been categorized into four main groups (the top four listed below). Some Physical Educators have proposed a fifth group that covers games that involve mostly running and evading. This workshop will focus on the first two categories: Net and Wall Games Players generally score points by propelling an object over a net or off a wall. The goal is to make it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Striking and Fielding Games The offensive team scores by striking an object into the playing area, trying to make it difficult for the defensive team to field it. Territorial Games Teammates work together to control an object as they advance into the other team’s zone. This gives them the opportunity to score. Target Games Players propel an object at a target, attempting to score as many points as possible. Racing Games Participants focus on moving around a course, attempting to complete it in the shortest amount of time. There may be tasks to complete along the way. Games might also involve evading other players. There are a lot of transferable skills. Ontario Curriculum Links Strand A: Active Living A1. Active Participation – Regular participation, variety, lifelong activity; Enjoyment, motivation A2. Physical Fitness – Fitness development though daily physical activity Strand B: Movement Competence: Skills, Concepts, and Strategies B1. Movement Skills and Concepts - Movement skills – stability, locomotion, manipulation; Movement concepts – body awareness, effort, spatial awareness, relationships; Movement principles; B2. Movement Strategies - Components of physical activities; Strategies and tactics in all physical activities Living Skills Strand B: Personal Skills – Self-awareness and self-monitoring skills; Interpersonal Skills – Communication skills, relationship and social skills; Critical and Creative Thinking – Planning, processing, reflecting/evaluating “To accommodate different developmental levels and abilities and to maximize participation, it is desirable to give students an opportunity to learn and apply skills within the context of a modified game or activity. Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) is a particularly useful child-centred approach of this kind. Through developmentally appropriate sequencing of activities that are representative of a variety of game elements, students learn to apply increasingly complex skills and strategies. The learning connected to movement strategies gives students opportunities to experience versions of activities that are appropriate to their age and abilities, so that they can recognize the basic concepts in the games or activities, appreciate their challenges and rules, understand their tactical aspects, and identify movement skills and concepts that they can apply to many other games and physical activities. This experiential approach gives responsibility to the teacher to act as facilitator and to maximize participation and fun by making adaptations that optimize the level of challenge for all participants and by giving students opportunities to make their own adaptations to the activities. Teachers are encouraged to use open-ended questions to help students explore, discover, create, and experiment with movement and tactical solutions. Because of its focus on student autonomy, critical thinking, and learning, this approach gives students valuable preparation for lifelong participation in physical activities.” The Ontario Curriculum: Grades 1-8 – Health and Physical Education (2010) The Games For the purposes of this presentation, I have chosen to focus on two of the following games from each category: Net and Wall Games Striking and Fielding Games Five Lives Who’s Faster? Tennis Baseball Love or Money Whack a Zoo Slamball Volleyball Beat Your Neighbour Catchers vs. Runners French Cricket High Ball Caterpillar Cricket Throw-Catch-Throw Relay Hand Ball Sides An expanded version of this presentation based on Ontario curriculum is available by email from [email protected] or the books in the TGfU series can be purchased from CIRA Ontario. Net and Wall Games Players generally score points by propelling an object over a net or off a wall. The goal is to make it difficult for the opponent to return the object. These games are build-up games to net sports, including tennis, badminton and volleyball. They also lead to more traditional wall sports such as squash, racquetball and handball. There are strategies and tactics that are similar in all of these games and the sports that they lead to. Five Lives Game Objective - To throw the ball over the net onto the opponent’s side, trying to force the opponent to lose a life Strategies and Tactics Place an object over the net away from the opponent Vary the types of throws (long, short, fast, slow) to make it more difficult for the opponent Cover the space defensively Equipment – A net (actual net, bench, or mat) and a ball or other object (Gopher ball, utility ball tennis ball, rubber chicken) for each group of two Set Up Nets are placed in the middle of the gym, forming a long line Establish side lines (two paces wide) and end lines (2-4 paces deep) Players pair up to and stand on opposite sides of the net Instructions The rally begins with an underhand throw over the net If the opponent catches the ball before it hits the ground, she underhand throws it back and the rally continues The ball must be throw within the confined areas A player loses a life, if: 1. The ball hits the net 2. The ball is thrown overhand 3. The ball is not caught before it hits the floor The winner is the player that gets her opponent to lose all five lives Variations Use a higher net Players must throw the ball from where they catch it Allow underhand or overhand throws Use racquets or paddles Questions for Understanding What height of throw was the most difficult for your opponent to catch? What speed of throw was the most effective? Why is it important to vary your throws? How do you get your opponent to lose a life? Love or Money Game Objective – Love – Two players work cooperatively to rally back-and-forth over a net; or Money – Two players rally competitively, trying to make it difficult for an opponent to return the object over the net Strategies and Tactics Look for open space on the opponent’s side of the net Defend space on your side of the net Make it difficult for your opponent to return the object over the net Equipment – An object that can be thrown (Gopher ball, tennis ball, rubber chicken) or struck; nets; pickle ball, badminton or tennis racquets Set Up Divide the courts in half, using a net One person from each pair on either side of the net Instructions Play starts when the teacher blows the whistle and yells, “Love!” – all the players play cooperatively and try to sustain the rally One player starts the rally by serving it over the net The rally continues until the teacher blows the whistle again and yells out, “Money!” Now the players try to win the rally The rally ends when the object lands outside the boundaries, bounces too many times or fails to clear the net Players can then start over, playing for “Love!” until the teacher signals a change in game again Variations Use racquets and balls instead of throwing an object back-and-forth Allow overhand or underhand throws except on serve Bump the ball back-and-forth over the net Play with two players on each side of the net Questions for Understanding How did your strategy change between playing for “love” and playing for “money”? What did you do to try to win the rally? Where is the open space on the court? How do you try to defend the most space possible? How does one throw/hit help you set up the next one? Slamball Volleyball Game Objective – To defend your side of the net and keep the ball from landing on your side Strategies and Tactics Defend your space Hit the ball to open space on the other side of the net Work with your teammates to set up the point Equipment – Volleyball or other bouncy ball; a net Set Up Set up a regular volleyball court with 6-9 players on each side Players will follow a regular volleyball rotation Instructions Play begins when a player serves the ball to the other team The player who catches the ball may not move with the ball and has two seconds to pass it to a teammate (maximum of two passes) The ball eventually must be played over the net by spiking it, slamming it or throwing it so that it