What's Happening in Germany?

What's Happening in Germany

New Project on TGfU in Germany
Video-based TGfU in Elementary Schools at the Start

In her dissertation project Henrike Diekhoff works with Prof. Dr. Jessica Süßenbach and Dr. Steffen Greve on developing a video-based concept of teaching games in elementary school using the method of TGfU.

The concept consists of two lessons in media education and six to eight PE lessons for fourth graders in Germany, i. e. the students are 9 to 10 years old. In the PE lessons the students will play various football games implementing small-sided-games and using the method of TGfU while filming and tagging each other with an app. The tagging generates short videos, which are approximately 8 seconds long. After a set time the team comes together to watch and discuss certain tagged scenes and reflect the past game.

The study will be conducted in four elementary schools in August 2021. The goal is to examine the students’ perception of video-based reflection regarding their tactical understanding and whether this approach is an effective possibility of facilitating the game learning process. Furthermore, there is an interest in the students’ and PE teachers’ experience with a digital game learning and teaching approach. Interviews with students and PE teachers will be conducted for the research interests stated above. Due to the explorative character of the study data will be analysed with qualitative methods. Data collection and analysis will be carried out on the basis of the Grounded Theory methodology. After the first round of data collection, a first system of categories is developed. In the summer of 2022 the study will be repeated in a similar fashion, and a final category system will be established.

During the media education lessons students will learn about the right to their own image, to determine talking rules for the discussion rounds which will take place during the reflection phases in the PE lessons, and to test the app for the very first time.

Recent Publications

Heemsoth, T., Boe L., Bükers, F. & Krieger, C. (2020): Fostering pre-service eachers’ knowledge of ‘teaching games for understanding’ via videobased vs. text-based teaching examples. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2020.1850668

Baumberger, J., König, S. & Bislin, S. (2021). Sportspielvermittlung: Gelingens- und Mißlingensfaktoren [Teaching Games: Factors of Success and Failure]. SportPraxis, 62(2), 11–15.

König, S. & Memmert, D. (2021). Teaching Decision-making and Creativity as a Vital Issue for teacher Education – a Qualitative Intervention Study with German Trainee Teachers. In Light, R. L., & Curry, C. (Eds.), Game Sense for Teaching and Coaching: International perspectives (S. 99–112). Routledge.

König, S., Baumberger, J. & Bislin, S. (2021). Getting Familiar with Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU)—A Qualitative Experiment with German and Swiss Teachers. International Journal for Physical Education LVIII(2), 15–28.