Hi Gordon,
Nice analogy with kids playing soccer.
So sad that many teachers still don't understand the difference between learning activities and testing activities. The dominant model is still: present a body of information and then test to see if students can regurgitate it. How students manage to do so and whether they have real insight and know-how is not always seen as the teacher's responsibility.
But I don't despair - I do see more and more teachers who are evolving...
Cheers,
Glenys