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Journal article by Peter Werner, Rod Thorpe, David Bunker; JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, Vol. 67, 1996
games consistently revealed: (a) a large percentage of children achieving little success due to the emphasis on performance, (b) skillful players who possess inflexible techniques and poor decision-making capacities, (c) performers who are dependent on the teacher/coach to make their decisions, and (d) a majority of youngsters who leave school knowing little about games. In addition, the authors noted that skills (perhaps more appropriately called techniques, in that they were usually practiced out of context) that were taught often did not transfer to the game, that children approached this phase of the lesson with low motivation (children are often heard to ask, "When can we play the game?"), and that the skills were focused at the average child. The history of the understanding approach to games actually dates back to the late 1960s and 1970s to a group at Loughborough University, England (Werner & Almond, 1990). This approach does not assume that tactical or strategic awareness in games must wait for the development of sophisticated skills. Bunker and Thorpe (1982) argue that if it does, some children will never be able to play because they will never attain the skill level required of them. These authors take the point of view that the task of the teacher is to present a game which children can enter with some of the skills already developed and that improvement can be achieved through understanding what the game is about. Rules and equipment used in games are modified to ensure that all children can play and gain insight into the games they play. Evolution of a Game The evolution of any game follows the model presented in figure 1 (Bunker & Thorpe, 1982). First, students must be capable of understanding (with guidance) the particular game form, and will be led to recognize the unique problems to be solved. It is important at this level for teachers to give careful thought to the size and shape of the playing surface, the number of players on a team (e.g., small sided 2 vs. 2, unbalanced sides 3 vs. 1), and the modified equipment to be used in an attempt to present students with problems involved in playing a game (e.g., creating space to attack/denying space to defend). Gradually students should learn to appreciate the primary and secondary rules which shape each game. They may learn to recognize that the height of the net affects the pace of a game, that changing the number of fielders makes it easier or more difficult ...
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