The use of games in the language classroom - Skemman

[Pages:42]The use of games in the language classroom

Sigr??ur D?gg Sigur?ard?ttir

Lokaverkefni lagt fram til fullna?ar B.Ed.-gr??u ? grunnsk?lakennarafr??i vi? H?sk?la ?slands, Menntav?sindasvi?

Apr?l 2010

Lokaverkefni til B.Ed. ?pr?fs

The use of games in the language classroom

Sigr??ur D?gg Sigur?ard?ttir

180785-2219

H?sk?li ?slands Menntav?sindasvi? Kennaradeild, grunnsk?lakennarafr??i

Apr?l 2010 2

Abstract

This essay focuses on the use of games inside the classroom and it argues that games can be a good teaching method when teaching foreign languages. It looks at why games should be used as a teaching method and how in order to maximize the positive result on language learning. Also this essay explains various game categories and it gives an example of at least one game from each category which can be especially good in language teaching. In addition this essay looks at the four language skill areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking and it gives reasons for why games can be beneficial in the training of each one. Last but not least I created 3 new games that can be utilized inside the language classroom.

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Contents

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6 2. A review of the literature of Games ................................................................................ 7

2.1 Games ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 Games as a teaching method ................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Why games?.............................................................................................................. 7 2.1.3. How to use games .................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Game categories ............................................................................................................ 10 2.2.1 Games for dividing larger groups into smaller groups ...................................... 11 2.2.2 Introduction games ................................................................................................ 11 2.2.3 Group games........................................................................................................... 12 2.2.4 Physical games........................................................................................................ 12 2.2.5 Scavenger hunt games ........................................................................................... 13 2.2.6 Educational games ................................................................................................. 13 2.2.7 Theoretical expression games ............................................................................... 13 2.2.8 Drawing- and coloring games ............................................................................... 13 2.2.9 Educational card games ........................................................................................ 14 2.2.10 Word games .......................................................................................................... 14 2.2.11 Story games........................................................................................................... 14 2.2.12 Question games..................................................................................................... 14

2.3 Games and the four areas ............................................................................................ 15 2.3.1 Writing .................................................................................................................... 15 2.3.2 Listening.................................................................................................................. 15 2.3.3 Speaking.................................................................................................................. 16 2.3.4 Reading ................................................................................................................... 17

3. New games ....................................................................................................................... 18

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3.1 How these games fill a need gap ............................................................................. 18 3.2 A board game / a reading and listening game....................................................... 18 3.3 Writing game / Vocabulary game .......................................................................... 21 3.4 A mini scavenger hunt.................................................................................................. 22 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 28 References ............................................................................................................................... 30 Appendix ................................................................................................................................. 32

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1. INTRODUCTION Almost everybody loves playing whether they are young or old. From early childhood

playing is an enormous part of most childrens lives and it plays a big part of their development as well. Children start playing as early as infancy but as they develop throughout their childhood they keep playing, and as they grow up and mature the nature of their play changes. When children enter middle childhood (6-12) their play starts to change into games which are different from play in the sense that they are more organized and planned, and they usually include a variation of rules and a specific objective (Rixon.1981.p. 3). When playing most games participants are almost forced into communicating with each other in order for the game to work. The need for communication during games, and the informal setting games provide encourages students to be unafraid to talk, which practices their fluency, a valuable communication skill. The national curriculum for foreign languages in Iceland emphasizes the importance of learning languages and especially the importance of communication. Because of this fact it is vitally important for teachers to create a positive learning environment, and to try to spark interest amongst their students both in the foreign language and culture because that is important to a successful language learning process. Games help achieve these goals as they help satisfy the requirement of the national curriculum that language learning should be enjoyable for students (A?aln?msskr? Grunnsk?la. Erlend m?l.2007.p. 6).

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2. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE OF GAMES

2.1 Games

2.1.1 Games as a teaching method Teaching today has changed a lot over the past years. Once it was all about learners being passive and listening in the classroom, but today learners are usually much more active in the classroom, and what better way to be active than by playing games (Steve Sugar.1998.p. 3).

The national curriculum in foreign languages in Iceland talks about the importance of keeping teaching methods diverse in order to light and sustain interest amongst students. Teachers can help sustain diversity in a variety of ways, for example by using activities that require students to be creative in thinking and by emphasizing individual learning and cooperative learning equally. A more specific way that teachers can use in order to keep diversity within the classroom is to not be afraid of using games as a teaching method along with other methods. According to the national curriculum games can be a good teaching method and games, such as role playing games, imitation games, theatrical expression and problem solving activities are especially fitting for all stages of language learning (A?aln?mskr? grunnsk?la. Erlend m?l.2007.p. 12).

Howard Gardner, who theories that humans have eight intelligences, claims that when exploring a certain topic in school it can, and should, be approached in 6 different ways in order to maximize the chances of reaching all students in the classroom. One of these ways is "the personal way", where the ultimate goal is to see if it is possible to approach a specific topic by using, for example, role play, or other interactions (Gardner.2006.p 142). In addition, Armstrong (2000) suggests board games as a teaching strategy that might suit students with interpersonal intelligence because they provide an excellent setting for interaction between students.

2.1.2 Why games? There are a number of reasons that games deserve a place in the language classroom. First of all, they are fun, which is extremely important, because they can help activate students who may have been inactive before, due to lack of interest. Keeping students active is vital because teachers will never be able to actually teach students anything unless they can get them to participate in their own learning process.

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Second, games also play a big part in helping participants build relationships, and to feel equal. Playing games in the classroom can also help create a friendly and positive atmosphere where seat arrangement can differ from game to game, and thus cause diversity from the norm which can be extremely helpful in keeping an exciting learning environment.

Third, the reason most people want to learn a language is to be able to use it in real situations, for example when travelling. Games can be a very good way to practice this skill because they can easily be used to reenact various situations from real life and provide students with practice in their fluency. Also, by using games in the classroom the teacher is giving his students a bigger role, and he himself is stepping out of the frontline which is a positive thing because it allows students to take on more responsibility. Also that allows students to do more on their own, and that can very well result in an increase in their confidence level. (Langran & Purcell.1994. p.12-14).

Fourth, language students need to be exposed to the language in a variety of situations, which is a need games can fulfill. Language students also need to be ready to take on the experience, keeping their minds open and being willing participants Again, games make this possible.

Fifth, language students need to be emotionally involved, meaning they need to feel something while they are exposed to the language. Strong emotions, such as happiness, excitement, amusement and suspense allow students to feel positively about their learning situation and are therefore likely to have a positive effect on language learning.

Sixth, games are good for shy students and students with low confidence, and that applies specifically when playing takes place in smaller groups because then they get a chance to speak in front of fewer audience instead of having to express themselves in front of the whole class. Also it is sometimes easier to open up and forget the shyness when playing a game because the atmosphere is not as serious and more emphasis is put on fluency rather than grammatical correctness. (Langran & Purcell.1994. p.12-14).

Seventh, games can be a good strategy when teaching various subjects because they are very likely to spark interest amongst students. They can be used with students of all ages, and when they are used with other teaching methods they create diversity which is ideal for school work (Ingvar Sigurgeirsson.1999.p. 80). A study that was undertaken in Iceland in 2006 shows clearly the need for diversity in schools. Many participants in that study complained

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