Models based practice in physical education - blending models
"Hey mate, I am running a blending models in PE workshop, can you help out by delivering a practical: something on the Game Sense approach and blending in other pedagogical models?"
"No problems!" (A good bit of Australian slang there)
That workshop was today. I took risk, extended myself by developing a 'new' workshop. I decided the practical would look at the Game Sense approach through the lens of arguably the oldest pedagogical model for PE, The Spectrum of Teaching Styles (The Spectrum). In recent times, I have been immersed in The Spectrum, working with Brendan SueSee and Mitch Hewitt on a new book on The Spectrum and physical education teaching. I have blogged elsewhere about my introduction to The Spectrum (see here) and its wisdom of the professional judgement of the pedagogical astute teacher in purposefully matching teaching style to intended student learning impact. It was Brendan SueSee who forced me to look at the Game Sense approach a few years back 'through fresh eyes' using the lens of The Spectrum. I (like others) had been describing the questioning emphasis in a Game Sense approach as a form of guided discovery: guided in the sense that the students thinking was being shaped and focused by the choice of questions of the teacher. I was given cause to question this description while listening to Brendan talk about 'how The Spectrum would explain Game Sense' at the 2016 AIESEP Conference (see here for a link to his presentation). I pursued a conversation with Brendan about his lens on this pedagogical element of the Game Sense approach after listening to his talk. Fortunately, we both like good coffee and surprisingly, down town Laramie Wyoming had good coffee at Coal Creek Coffee and so it wasn't hard to get him away from the conference for a coffee and a chat. From this conversation, Brendan invited me to contribute to a paper on the presentation, that he had been working on. 'Brilliant' I thought, this will be a good learning opportunity for me. 'Fair to say', the collaboration changed the way I looked at the Game Sense approach. Here is how.
This is the game I used today to examine a Game Sense teaching episode through The Spectrum model.
"No problems!" (A good bit of Australian slang there)
That workshop was today. I took risk, extended myself by developing a 'new' workshop. I decided the practical would look at the Game Sense approach through the lens of arguably the oldest pedagogical model for PE, The Spectrum of Teaching Styles (The Spectrum). In recent times, I have been immersed in The Spectrum, working with Brendan SueSee and Mitch Hewitt on a new book on The Spectrum and physical education teaching. I have blogged elsewhere about my introduction to The Spectrum (see here) and its wisdom of the professional judgement of the pedagogical astute teacher in purposefully matching teaching style to intended student learning impact. It was Brendan SueSee who forced me to look at the Game Sense approach a few years back 'through fresh eyes' using the lens of The Spectrum. I (like others) had been describing the questioning emphasis in a Game Sense approach as a form of guided discovery: guided in the sense that the students thinking was being shaped and focused by the choice of questions of the teacher. I was given cause to question this description while listening to Brendan talk about 'how The Spectrum would explain Game Sense' at the 2016 AIESEP Conference (see here for a link to his presentation). I pursued a conversation with Brendan about his lens on this pedagogical element of the Game Sense approach after listening to his talk. Fortunately, we both like good coffee and surprisingly, down town Laramie Wyoming had good coffee at Coal Creek Coffee and so it wasn't hard to get him away from the conference for a coffee and a chat. From this conversation, Brendan invited me to contribute to a paper on the presentation, that he had been working on. 'Brilliant' I thought, this will be a good learning opportunity for me. 'Fair to say', the collaboration changed the way I looked at the Game Sense approach. Here is how.
This is the game I used today to examine a Game Sense teaching episode through The Spectrum model.
Regarding a Game Sense approach, the game is the focus of the session (tick), questions are planned (ticked), the game is modified purposefully (tick), the game is understood within a game category (tick). How would we describe this teaching episode using The Spectrum model?
Pre-Impact (planning): the teacher chooses the subject matter and the design of the experience.
Impact (student experience): the students play, but they are not asked to 'discover' or 'create' a way to propel the ball. Students were told the aim of the game. Students may be stopped at some point in the play, and asked to reflect on the first focus question in a QandA with the teacher, and then return back to play. Again, after a period of play, students may be stopped and asked to reflect on the second focus question in a QandA with the teacher, and then return to play.
Post Impact (after a period of play): The teacher is deciding when to stop play, which questions to ask, and who to answer the questions.
From The Spectrum perspective, this would be an example of practice style teaching. While questions are asked, it is not Guided Discovery as there was not a series of questions leading to discovery of a previously unknown concept. Unless the teacher had a pre-assessment of students game understanding, the teacher would not know whether answers to the questions were retrieval and elaboration of students known understanding, or 'discovery' of new understanding prompted by the experience of the game and the focusing of thinking provided by the question.
To add Guided Discovery Style to the teaching episode, a series of questions could have been planned. Using an understanding by design process (McTighe & Wiggins), planning for the series of questions could occur like this:
The ideas I present in this blog come from the paper with Brendan SueSee and Ken Edwards, available open access - RECONCILING APPROACHES – A GAME CENTRED APPROACH TO SPORT TEACHING AND MOSSTON’S SPECTRUM OF TEACHING STYLES The Spectrum of Teaching Styles website is a wonderful resource for PE teachers development of pedagogical decision making. You can access it here. If anyone is interested in doing a research piece or a research higher degree on PE teaching or sport coaching using The Spectrum, always happy to chat and see if we can get something to work out. You can get in contact with here.
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