Games are an
important part of people’s lives. Although many adults have forgotten how to
play, for children it is one of the main activities throughout their days. The
reasons are introduced by Koťátková (Děti a my, 3, 26): ‘In a game, a child has
the opportunity to try out and modify much of what they see; the game is therefore
a source of cognition for them.". In this article she
also states that a game is an opportunity for the child’s self-realization and
a way to dispose of stress.
The idea of using
games in teaching does not seem to be widely accepted and implemented yet,
although its profitability and almost necessity has been proposed and justified
as early as in the seventeenth century by Comenius. In spite of years of such
knowledge and experience, it is still rare to see games implemented in the
teaching process in schools in other than first to third grades. Also Maňák and
Švec claim that ‘Comenius’s provocative appeal – schola ludus (school by play) remains
nor understood, nor realized.’ (2003, p.126).
The use of games
in the teaching process is not applicable restrictively to teaching languages;
nevertheless, this is the area this work will focus on.
1. Advantages and disadvantages of using games in language teaching
Let’s take a quick
view at what a game is. Prodromou suggests (1992, p.120): ‘What is a game? One
working definition is that of an enjoyable activity involving an objective that
is achieved by following certain rules, usually in competition with one or more
other people.’ Although the competition element is what characterizes a game
most often, for the purpose of this work, both competitive and non-competitive
games will be considered as a subject of the thesis, both can be, and are, used
in language teaching.
The use of games
in teaching English is not, however, appropriate at all times. Using various
games can help students memorize vocabulary or grammar; it can eliminate the
anxiety aroused from using a foreign language or uncertainty about the
correctness of the output. As Demes da Cruz also states (2008, p.18): ‘While
playing language games, students can be exposed to the target structures.
However, because this is done in a context of a game, they relax and forget
that they are being watched. They often become so involved in the game that they
stop feeling anxious about their mistakes.’
At the same time overuse of games may take
away the time the students can use to be working individually, having the
matter explained properly or simply working with the language seriously. It can
also create the overall class atmosphere in such a way that it is not a real
learning, making it more difficult to concentrate on studying for serious
purposes, like exams. The last consequence of overuse of games in language
teaching to be mentioned here is the fact that the students might get bored
with all the play. The reason is that students, especially students of higher secondary
schools or adults, usually do not like to be treated like little children. The
teacher must place challenge before them too, they need to have the feeling of
having accomplished something more difficult than a good game result. Having
said the above, experience, however, confirms that abandoning games in the
classes of the older group age would deprive the teaching-learning process of
enjoyment, which enriches and motivates the students. To be complete, it is
also necessary to mention the teachers’ need to enjoy their work, enjoy the
classes and activities realized. ‘The moment we enter the classroom, we must act as
people who are looking forward to whatever is coming.’ (Paterson, 1996, p.13)
(translated by the author). To
fulfil that, games are of great help to keep the teaching work still enjoyable.
Simply put, the
teacher must carefully consider how much and when it is appropriate to use
games in the language teaching in order to be beneficial to the students and
the whole teaching process.
According to Bönsch
(quoted in Maňák & Švec, 2003, p.126):
When utilizing game-like activities in the teaching
process, it is necessary to realize that, despite many shared features, between
the games and studying there is also a certain variance, as whereas play does
not pursue strictly defined objectives, tuition is essentially target-orientated.
While overcoming this tension, the didactic play must avoid two extremes:
pursuance of the teaching aims must not superimpose the essence of play itself to
such an extent that the pupil does not perceive the activity as a game; on the
other hand, inexpedience and latitude of the game must not reach a degree when
the actual aim of the teaching slips out. Listening games
These types of
games concentrate on one of the crucial and most difficult parts of language
learning. Listening is usually viewed as a passive part of the lesson. In fact,
it is quite the contrary. Listening requires being very attentive and active,
should it bring the desired result. In schools, listening is often carried out
in a boring and uninteresting way, using only the exercises offered by the
book. To make students enjoy listening, the teacher needs to bring it closer to
them. A good way is choosing a topic they would like to listen about or a song
they like. We can use many activities using listening not as an aim of lesson,
which makes it always more stressful, but as a means to accomplish a different
task, be it completing the lyrics of a song, getting correct instructions for
playing a computer game or obtaining information about interesting people or
places. In a similar way, listening games can be used in order to maintain the
students’ attention and interest. To ensure the effort put into the listening
is exploited in full, the teacher can partner the listening game with
consequent post-activities.
There are hereby
enclosed two examples of games aimed at improving listening skills.
Make a story
This game is best
suited to small groups. While sitting in a small circle, participants are asked
to construct a story by each participant adding one line at a time (e.g. As he
got off his horse, he saw a big rabbit). This continues with each additional
participant adding another line until everyone has contributed at least two
lines.
There are many
variations to this game but it highlights the value of listening to others.
Blockbusters
Draw
the grid on the chalkboard (as shown on the picture above). The best way to do
this quickly is to draw the five columns of horizontal lines first, and then
the vertical zigzags. Then write a different letter of the alphabet in each
hexagon.
Divide
your class into two teams and nominate a student to choose a letter. From a
previously prepared word list, choose a word whose first letter matches the
student's choice, and explain this word to your class. The first team to guess
the word correctly claims the hexagon and chooses to continue either vertically
or horizontally. (Mark the hexagon with a squiggle of colored chalk
corresponding to the team's color). One team must go horizontally and the other team
must go vertically. To win the game, a team must connect all the way from top
to bottom, or from side to side. The ensuing conflict as teams vie for a
winning route is what makes the game so fun and exciting.
Customized
lists of words can be used; textbook words from present and previous years,
words that students have written and passed to the teacher, incidental words
that have come up during class and topical or useful words that may be fun to
use. If an end-of-term test is drawing near, the present textbook words can be
used, because this is most useful for review. This list also includes a
reference to the unit from which the word was taken, as occasionally students may
to scan their textbooks for the answer. This is good reading practice, it helps
students remember and relate to the word, and it helps the teacher get a feel
of where more review might be needed.
2.2 Speaking games
Used as a
follow-up to the previous listening, it is an excellent way to re-enforce
vocabulary and expressions heard earlier. However, speaking games can be used
at any time. The teacher must, nevertheless, make sure that a form of game is
maintained. That means, the main focus is not put on the grammar (at the same
time, it is an opportunity for the teacher to gather information about what
parts of grammar the students have not acquired so far), the main aim is to
make speaking and expressing ideas orally enjoyable and stress free. Once
students get familiar with the principle of speaking games, it facilitates for
ability to speak also in other parts of the lesson. As with the listening games,
also in speaking ones, the teacher should concentrate on topics which are close
to the students, their environment or interests. For instance, it serves its
purpose well if the teacher avoids making students describe what they had for
breakfast or describing a person without putting it into a game-like context.
Taboo
Taboo
is a word game, in which one player gets the other(s) guess a certain word
using verbal explanation; there may also be a list of other words which the
“explainer” must not mention. For example, “ladder” might be the word to
describe, but without saying “climb, rungs, or fire truck” or any forms of
those words. Having such a list of words makes the game more difficult,
therefore such a restriction would be used in more advanced classes.
Much
like with crossword puzzles, students get practice explaining words in
different ways, and the taboo words make it more challenging and interesting.
It is also easy to incorporate an element of competition, though it may be wise
to do some kind of trial run to see how your students do; I’ve found that even
relatively easy words often defy time limits, even with more advanced students.
And it can of course be de-motivating for students to keep missing the time
limit. A method of two teams working at once can be used, seeing how many words
they can get through in a set time period, rather than, say, one minute for one
person to explain.
Find someone who
(from
http://edition.tefl.net/ideas/games/speaking-games-false-beginners/)
This is a well known language learning game where students mingle and ask each other questions to find for which person the fact they have on their worksheet is true. This activity is good for waking students up by getting them out of their chairs and is also good practice for “Nice to meet you” and introductions. It can be done with real information, or, if the students know everything about each other already, the teacher will need to give each person a role-play card with some personal information about their “new” self, plus one worksheet with the information they should be searching for. The ‘Find Someone Who’ worksheets can be the same for each student or different for each person. They then stand up and go round the class asking questions until they find out that this person is Chilean, this person is 79 years old, this person is a seven year old film star etc, then sit down when they think they have found all the information. As can be seen from these examples, it is possible to add a little humour by the choice of role-play sentences. More speaking can be added to the game by students passing on all the information they have found out so far to the person they are speaking to.
Shouting dictations
(from http://edition.tefl.net/ideas/games/speaking-games-false-beginners/)
Any pair work
dictations can be livened up by sitting each person and their partner far away
from each other so that they have to speak loudly to make themselves heard
above their classmates (who will also be speaking loudly).
When used in
schools, the game might be amended in such a way that only one couple would
speak at a time, for the sake of the neighbouring classrooms. The reason for
using this game is that being far away and having to speak loud helps the
speaking skills. Many students tend to speak very quietly as they are shy,
feeling their English is not enough or they are not sure about the right
expression or pronunciation. They have no choice but to speak loud enough
during this game and therefore it helps them build the confidence. It is also beneficial
that it is not the teacher telling them to speak up, it is their colleague
student they need to communicate with.
Also all games
based on role-plays are very useful for practising speaking as they are very
efficient at making the students use the target language actively.
Kinetic games
Kinetic games are
very popular amongst all age groups. They provide for refreshment in the class
and teaching-learning process, especially at times when students are getting
tired and find it difficult to concentrate. Certainly the kinetic games need
always be joined with another activity too, be it reading, listening or
speaking.
Jumping onto sheets of paper
This game can
serve as practice opportunity of various pieces of vocabulary. In its simplest
form the students may jump on coloured sheets of paper according to the colour
the teacher shouts out. It may however practice more advanced parts of language
– spelling of letters with letters written on the sheets,
words if pictures are used, or even phrases if pictures of situations when the
phrases are used are printed on the sheets.
Pictures on the walls
The teacher places
pictures on the walls; each picture has also a letter on it. The class is
broken into small groups, each of which receives a sheet of paper with brief
descriptions of pictures which bear letters needed for completion of a word
they need to practice. To make the activity straightforward, the descriptions
are in the same order as the letters in the target word. However, they may also
be in random order to create more of a challenge for the students. In such
case, though, they should receive more information about the target word, to be
able to complete it.
Each group
completes a different word so their actions do not interfere. Nevertheless,
they use the same pictures if they are looking for the same letter.
The game may be
adapted by using the whole words instead of letters, in which case the aim is to
complete a sentence or a phrase. Another rule which may make the activity more
difficult might be, that each team has its assigned base with a sheet of paper
and they may not take it with them, they have to remember all they need.
For children, also
real items with a letter stuck on it may be used, making it more ‘hands on’ and
fun. It may help if they are in boxes so they are not seen from afar.
This game is not
only kinetic, it practices reading at a large degree, vocabulary and
communicative skills.
Experiential games
Experiential games
are very interesting in a sense that they may not be games as such. The real
aim is not to win or complete a language task but to experience the process and
learn from it. The main thing to learn might be various things and the language
is used only as a tool. What the participants learn may be qualities far
overreaching the language skills or any other knowledge. They may influence
peoples’ attitudes and teach them understanding; not only understanding of the
phenomenon around but also themselves.
However, while
target language is used, the students are driven into being able to communicate
effectively, recycle vocabulary and work on their fluency.
Experiential games
have also great effect on the way the students are able to re-use both
vocabulary and grammar. It is more natural, easier and effortless to remember
the language learned through experience.
Experiential
approach can be adopted with any of the game types described above; in other
words, any skill can be deployed using experiential games.
Some of the
experiential games are suggested below.
Role-play discussion
The teacher
chooses a topic (students can also participate in the decision process, it
draws their interest about the topic prior to discussing it), which is
interesting enough for the students to discuss. He/she divides the class into
groups. It is usually two groups but may be more if more than two strong
opinions on the subject are possible. It is desirable not to reflect on the
students’ real opinions on the subject. The teacher then assigns each group
they focus conception on the subject. The groups need to be given time before
the discussion itself to prepare their arguments. It may help if each group has
a dictionary at their disposal. During the discussion itself, the numbers of
the groups take turns and try to explain and reason their view.
The aim of this
activity is not to make students argue; on the contrary, apart from using the
target language actively, they need to adopt techniques of expressing their
view with confidence and yet without getting into quarrel and accepting other
peoples’ opinions. What is more, by standing for a different opinion than is
their own, they learn to understand others rather than judge and deprecate
them.
Memory training
Simple but enjoyable is this game of memorizing what is
placed on a tray. As can be read in Experiential Learning Instance 6: ‚Another
succesful example has to do with how I learned to memorize effectively in
school. My teacher used to bring in a tray full of assorted things to class.
She then gave us a few seconds to gaze at the tray. We then listed out all
those things that we remembered seeing on it. With the teacher's help I
realized that I could remember the names of most of the objects on the tray
when I grouped them together meaningfully.‘ At the first sight this does not
seem to be much experiential, yet the teacher by helping the students to find a
useful strategy to succeed made it part of their important experience, rather
than sticking to a simple vocabulary practice.
Games in different kinds of classes
It is advisable to
distinguish between classes we cater for when using games. Each and every class
is very specific and the teacher needs to take its characteristics into
consideration when preparing and realizing a game, in the same way the whole
teaching process is (or should be) tailored to a specific group of learners.
However, it is impossible to reflect on all existing classes; therefore we will
take a closer look at using games in different types of classes, based on several
criteria – language level, age group and class size.
Using games in language teaching in classes according to language level
Beginners
In classes of
beginners, it is often difficult to maintain the students’ attention for too
long, especially in cases when they are to learn their first foreign language
and they are not used to trying to operate in other than their own mother
tongue. It is very difficult for beginners to remember all the new words and
expressions they need to acquire in order to proceed further. It is therefore
most useful to incorporate games and other fun activities in the
teaching-learning process. This not only helps the students to relax from the
‘serious’ learning, it also helps them to reinforce the new vocabulary.
Probably the most specific outcome of using games in the class of beginner
learners is building of their good relationship with the new language. It is
crucial that the students do not learn to hate the language as is the case
frequently in many schools. Once they learn to feel easy and happy about the
foreign language being around them and being used, it becomes much easier later
to build on this relationship and make further progress without having to
overcome an aversion.
Intermediate students
Intermediate students
have already gathered vast amount of knowledge and skills regarding the target
language. They have already built the relationship; they are usually aware of
and realize the fact that the language is a real thing spoken by real people,
rather than mere lists of words and set of rules. They are able to use the
language actively and therefore the ground is set for more complicated games if
desired. This can also be a springboard for games, using knowledge and skills
practiced in different subjects, for instance mathematics, geography or
biology. Games for these students are not an essential part of a lesson,
nevertheless, it brings the refreshment and enjoyment to the teaching-learning
process, and it is an occasion to use the target language in an active manner.
It is very important that the students use the language without prior careful
thinking about a correct way to express themselves. An instinctive and
immediate reactions and use of language reinforces the language abilities
further and helps the students to adopt it as one of their basic skills.
Advanced students
Advanced students
with their almost absolute knowledge of the target language and ability to use
it without thinking it through are a difficult group of students. The teacher
does not focus on the basics any longer and builds rather a fine understanding
of the language and the given culture. Games at this stage are not used very
often, yet they still play an important role as a means of making the students
live with the language and use it for not only educational purposes but mainly
for interaction and serving as an instrument for experiential aims.
Conclusion
Using games in the
process of teaching languages is not restricted for any language level classes.
It is a great tool for all levels, though it may serve different purposes and
may be used in different ways. As seen in above paragraphs, games will always
help students of all levels to feel comfortable and therefore more confident in
the process of acquiring a new language. Language learning is a difficult task
and requires adopting various skills. Games are a priceless support which a
teacher may take an opportunity to use in order to help the students to
succeed.
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