What is a Powerful Original Game?

A Powerful Original Game (POG) is an educational game that teaches or refines fitness and/or skills. These games have at least one psychomotor, cognitive and affective objective. A POG game includes all students of every ability level. The games are both educational and fun for every single student. No student ever feels that the game is too hard or too easy. POG games also offer differentiation and opportunities for assessment. Every POG game is based on NASPE'S national standards. Desert Island Volleyball is an example of a POG game and is excerpted from my book: Fun, Fitness and Skills - The Powerful Original Games Approach. The other games are condensed for brevity. Some of the games are my own creation while others are collaborative games developed at various workshops.

The term original can sometimes be problematic. You may have played a similar type of game. Sometimes games are totally original and other times they are just tweaked so that there is a new wrinkle. Many times you as the teacher or with collaboration from your students make adjustments to games to better fit the needs of the students. Here is an example of how to tweak a game: In the game Builders and Bulldozers, half the class tries to knock over the objects -maybe traffic cones or plastic bowling pins- while the other half of the class attempts to pick them up. After a given period of time, the teacher stops the action and counts the number of cones still standing. The students then reverse rolls and try to beat the other team. Unfortunately, this type of game divides one half of the class against the other. This division leads to focusing on the product (winning) rather than the process (fitness, spatial awareness, and skill building). Some students will also attempt to knock down or stand up a cone after the signal to stop action is given. However, you can tweak this game to keep the aerobic fitness level higher and focus more on individual effort. Each student counts how many cones he stands up or knocks down in one minute or some other designated time. She then tries to beat her previous score. Reverse rolls and do the same thing. This simple rule change takes the team competition out of the game and allows the individual to work at his own ability and fitness level. If a student is dishonest, the other students really won't mind because they are only competing against themselves.

Please do not hesitate to e-mail me with any questions or comments about any game from my book or web site. I will also be happy to help you change an existing game or drill that you presently use.