GPAI

        As Brown and Hopper (2006) suggest, far too often we measure psychomotor competence in games through skill testing. As a result, no matter how much effort some students put in, they may receive low assessment scores and feel discouraged from pursuing future physical activity. In addition, skill testing rarely occurs in a game context, which causes us to believe it would give an incomplete picture of a student’s abilities.

        As a result of these flaws with skill testing, we advocate for the use of the Games Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) for assessment in this as well as other units. GPAI provides teachers with a means of “observing and coding performance behaviors” (Mitchell et. Al., 2006). GPAI defines seven components of game performance, not all of which may be applicable to all games. These seven components cover both on the ball and off the ball skills and as a result cover the cognitive domain of learning in addition to the psychomotor.

The Seven Components of Game Performance assessed in GPAI are:

1. Base - Appropriate return of performer to a recovery position between skill attempts

2. Decision Making – Appropriately deciding about what to do with the ball during a game

3. Skill execution – Efficiently executing selected skills.

4. Support – Appropriately supporting teammate with ball by being in position to receive a pass.

5. Guard or mark – Appropriately guarding or marking an opponent who may or ma not have the ball.

6. Cover – Appropriately providing defensive cover, help, or backup for a player making a challenge for the ball.

7. Adjust – Moving either offensively or defensively as necessitated by the flow of the game

(Mitchell et. Al., 2006)

                            For a sample GPAI form that can be easily adapted to many grades click here.

Skills Assessed in the unit:

Passing: In step passes are predominantly used and are executed accuracy.

Positional Play: Demonstrate use of the width of the field.

Ball control: Able to receive a pass with control.

Tactical Knowledge to be assessed in the unit:

Decision making skills – Appropriate decisions when and where to pass or shoot the ball.

Supporting Ability – Movement to open space to get open for a pass from teammates.

Communication – Students communicate with teammates in game.

Self-Evaluation

        Another assessment method used in this unit was self-evaluation. In the class that we taught, self-evaluation was already being used as an assessment technique to evaluate a student’s participation in each class. Students are marked on a 10 point scale based on how they feel they contributed in the class that day. Factors that affected this daily mark include arriving on time, wearing gym strip, participating to the best of ones ability and displaying good sportsmanship. Although this mark was self-evaluation, the teacher often gave feedback on whether he agreed or not.

                                The marking rubric for the class is available here.

Student Learning

        The main abilities we wanted students to learn in this unit were the use of the whole field space and team play through good passing and off the ball support. We felt that too many soccer units tend to put emphasis on skills like dribbling. While this is an important part of an individual’s game, we feel that team play is what truly makes the difference in the game of soccer. By focusing on these aspects, we noted demonstrated improvement in the student’s team play abilities. As such we feel all aspects of the CAPS learning domains were improved during this unit as was desired in the BC IRP.

References:

Brown, S., & Hopper, T. (2006). Should all students in PE get an 'A'? Game performance assessment by peers as a critical component of student learning. The PHE, 72(1), 14-21.

Mitchell, S., Griffin, L., & Olsen, J. (2006). Teaching sport concepts and skills: A tactical games approach. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

GPAISoccer07.doc