Playing Fair

Games, in the right environment and with the right guidance from teachers, offer students opportunities to grow as independent problem solvers, decision makers, and team players. In addition, students can learn a host of other skills, strategies, and concepts that can transfer not only to other games but also to other life situations.

Playing Fair shows teachers how to create the learning environments typical of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach. This text takes the TGfU approach to a new level, incorporating the development of group processes and democratic behaviors that promote personal growth as well as the ability to thrive in group situations.

Antisocial behavior and bullying are ongoing problems in schools today. The concepts and practical ideas for lessons offered in Playing Fair address those problems proactively as students learn about conflict resolution, inclusion, democratic decision making, leadership, and bullying. The topics in this book come together in developing the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains, all primary goals of the physical education curriculum.

A Peek Inside Playing Fair

Playing Fair offers teachers these benefits:

• Practical classroom stories showing teachers how they can apply theory and learning situations to their own students and school context

• Activities that include modifications so teachers can apply the games with students of all developmental levels

• Learning checks consisting of questions for teachers to ask their students in order to assess their learning

• Key Concepts, a special element that calls out important concepts for readers

The first part of the book covers the process of inventing games and the democratic principles involved, how social justice can be taught and learned through games, understanding the TGfU classification system, curriculum design, and pedagogical principles. The remaining 10 chapters show how to implement the concepts presented in the earlier chapters. Readers learn how to invent and play a variety of games: target games, striking games, net/wall games, and invasion games.

What Your Students Will Gain

Implementing the principles advocated in this book will help learners in these ways:

• Better understand and appreciate the constructs of game play through external and internalized schemas

• Transfer concepts, strategies, tactics, and skills within and among game categories

• Improve their...read more...