In practice, the skills of an expert teacher in the classroom actually go beyond split second decision making, and into innovation. Careful attention to and reflection on the processes unfolding in the classroom often lead to an exploration of other possibilities in lessons. As noted above, the goals of the lesson and the curriculum usually have a quite a bit of room for creativity, if the teacher does not look at lesson planning as a burden. One of the constraints on this is the set of physical tools available to the teacher: on a basic level, this includes the textbook and the other more academic material, but it can also include tools for games such as vocabulary and picture cards, toys and standard game pieces. The abilities of the students also present a set of constraints, but these should be interpreted in terms of developmentally solvable difficulty for students.
In order for a game to be competitive and fun, participants must be able to accomplish the tasks that are set. In addition, in order for a game to pedagogically useful, participants must be able to make the intellectual leaps required, and internalize them to a certain extent. On a broader level, however, the exercise of planning and implementing games in the classroom could serve as a training ground for more academic activities, such as worksheets and even textbooks. Ultimately, this process is about making effective learning experiences for the student.