Sample of student comments from using website.

What is the Teaching Games for Understanding Approach?

I have to admit that throughout most of PE 452 I really didn't know what TGFU was. I understood that we should teach a tactical approach before teaching technical skills and that we do this through modified games. However, I used the term "TGFU" without really knowing what it meant. That was until I read Dr. Hopper's article entitled Teaching Games for Understanding: The Importance of Student Emphasis Over Content Emphasis. If you guys have not had a chance to read it yet, I would suggest doing so before the final exam, it really helped clarify the 452 material for me. Anyway, here is what I learned TGFU is and means to me:

Dear Dr. Hopper and Dr. Bell,

Happy New Year. I had a little time to myself so I thought I would email the two of you and give you an update of how the year has been so far. I am having an amazing time, I never thought I would love teaching as much as I do. I am working at school with a really good administrative staff and an awesome PE department. I also have been fortunate to pair up with two amazing sponsor teachers who are letting me be me, and try the things I want to do. I am also lucky to have the resources to practice the TGFU strategy in my classes.

I am teaching 2 blocks of Social Studies 9, 2 blocks of PE 12, 1 block of grade 10 Girls PE, and Weight Training 10. I was met with a lot of resistance initially with using TGFU but the students are starting to understand the routines and the processes and now are having a lot of fun with it.

Dr. Hopper's website has been extremely useful and I think I must be on it 3 times a week. I hope you do not mind but i have taken your tennis tactics and skills rubric and adopted it for other team sports as well. I find that it is a useful tool and the kids like being involved in assessing themselves and knowing how they are being assessed.

Hi Tim, Thought you would appreciate hearing this. My mom swims with a lady who's daughter was in the class Casey and I taught. She called me about a week ago asking if either of us would consider coaching the girls grade 7 "B" basketball team at Uplands. Unfortunately, we're both coaching other teams right now and were unable to help out. She said that was fine and that she would do it herself with the little knowledge she had. I told her about your website and the unit plans there to provide some help. She just called to say how much fun she and the girls are having going through these units together and that they are of great help indeed! Nice to see those units being used!! Eliot

Sample of comments from physical educators around the world drawing on the website.

Dear Sir,

I am a lecturer in a Spanish Sports college and am preparing a article about cricket. I found your wondreful webpage searching for the Ellis' paper about differences and similarities in games preented in 983 in Rome. I wonder if you can help me i gettong a copy of it from de web.

Even though, I am haveing a through look at the articles, papers and comments you have on your site,

Thanks in advance.

Raúl Mtz. de Santos Gorostiaga c/ Sancho el Sabio, 27 - 3º dcha. 01008 - VITORIA

945 200 341 667 688 989

Hi my name is Adam Spencer I am attending the University of Worcester in England. I am studying primary teaching specializing in physical education. I am working at my dissitation on how ''TGFU' can develop soccer skills' I find the TGFU approach fascinating and i am just starting an eight lesson programme in a school over an eight week period using this research to gain my evidence from. I am lucky that Andy Frapwell who you have met at a seminer in the U.S.A is a lecturer at my college and has been great help. I was hoping that you could help me in my research and give me some lesson ideas. Your web site has already been very helpful and interesting to read. Thankyou for any assistance you can be. Address: 83 Comer Road, St Johns, Worcester, England, WR2 5HY

From: Anne McKay [mailto:a.mckay@ace.ac.nz] Sent: August 2, 2004 7:53 PM To: thopper@uvic.ca Subject: <no subject>

Hi Tim,

Greetings Tim. Its Adrian Farnham, remember me from St Georges school in good old Broadstairs. I am now living in New Zealand and like yourself am involved in the world of Physical Education. I am currently on a course entitled Games for Understanding and your website was recommended as a site to visit for info and ideas in a secondary setting.