IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENT GAMES IN LANGUAGE CLASSES
By Zulaykha Khaytbaeva,
Student at the UzSWLU, English faculty I,
group 2033
Abstract:
When we talk about games, we usually consider them as something done outside
the classroom. But games in the 21
st
century’s classes are an essential part of the
curriculum. Today’s teachers use them in very different ways, as a warm-up activity,
revision of the given topic and many more. It sometimes can be hard for teachers to engage
and interact with each and every student in the class, and in order not to have such types of
problems; teachers prefer to make lessons based on games. Besides that, research shows
that using games in teaching can help to increase students’ participation, foster social and
emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks.
Keywords:
learning objectives, classroom activities, student engagement, game-based
learning.
What is a game? According to Rieber and Noah “Games are a way of knowing the world,
a mediation between experience and understanding” (2008, p. 79). Games in the
academic context are used in a very wide range of forms and they are adaptable for
different academic subjects. Smale explains that games, including digital and more
conventional means such as board, card, pen and paper or dice, have been used
successfully in higher education institutions (2011).
According to the research of Tim Gifford, co-founder of ELTjam, a teacher who uses the
Monopoly in the classroom is not only gamifying the learning environment, but also
involving learners in game-based learning, promoting the learner engagement within
learning objectives, in other words students learn through playing games. Another two
scientists, Lengeling and Malarcher took a deeper look in the benefits of the games in the
classroom, they consider them as:
1.
Affective
, as they encounter a creative and spontaneous use of language; they are
both motivating and fun.
10.
Cognitive,
since they focus on grammar in a communicative manner.
11.
Class dynamics,
as the game is something which is fully student-centered; usually,
whole-class participation is guaranteed and healthy competition is promoted.
12.
Adaptability,
games can be easily adjusted for the level, age and interests of the
students; they require minimum preps, which is so time-saving.
Strategies for including games into beginner level classes in language learning
I believe that games will give students the opportunity to practice their target language
and be more confident in their newly acquired skills by having fun as well. I am basically
going to look at the language areas of vocabulary and grammar structures.
III.
Games for vocabulary.
Unfortunately, students sometimes find it difficult to remember unfamiliar words or use
them in the correct context. In such cases, teachers help them overcome these problems in
other ways.
3.
Trashcan Basketball
This game is both physically and mentally engaging group activity:
We divide the class into 2 or 4 teams, and then each team takes turns answering a
vocabulary question. If they can answer correctly, the team gets 1 point. We give that
team a ball (or a crumpled up piece of paper will do). If the team can make a basket into
the trash can, reward the team an extra point. This is repeated until all vocabulary words
have been tested.
Here’s the video of the TRAIIICAN BASKETBALL in
class.
4.
Pictionary
Pictionary gives a great opportunity to get the whole class involved:
Class is split into 2 teams. One student from each team comes to the board. Assign them
one vocabulary word to draw. The students’ teams should try to guess what vocabulary
word is being drawn, within a certain time limit—whichever team guesses correctly first
gets a point. This is repeated with different members of each team coming to the board
until all the vocabulary words have been drawn, then tally the points, and declare a
winning team!
Here's the video of how PICTIONARY is played in the
class.
IV.
Games for grammar.
1.
“Simon says”
We select a number of verbs for which it is relatively easy to do or imitate the activity
(read, write, sing, swim, fly, kick, jump are a few that come to mind). Them we write each
on a card, ask one student to come to the front of the room, draw a card and proceed to say
(or not say): “Simon says jump!” The added catch here is that, even if the command is
understood and Simon does “say,” students should not perform the activity if the imperative
is not properly formed. If the imperative is properly formed, then all tricked students sit
down, and “Simon” continues until all students have been eliminated. However, if “Simon”
does not form the imperative correctly, then “Simon” sits down and a new “Simon” comes
to the front of the room. It is continued until you run out of cards. This game gives students
a fun way to practice commands and ensures that they will work on learning to form them.
No one wants to be the “Simon” who can’t form the command he or she is trying to give.
2.
Word Scramble
We write a sentence, break down the words into their basic forms, cut the words apart,
give piles of words to each group of students and let them form a sentence out of them.
For a heavily inflected language, such as Russian or German, we give all nouns and
adjectives in their nominative form and all verbs in their infinitive form. This way you
have a more complex game, where students not only have to manage the semantics of the
words you give them but also determine the correct grammatical form(s) as they piece
their sentence back together. You can specify whether the verbs should be in the present,
past or future tense, but even better: Insert an adverb that clues the students in to the
tense. In this way, they have to take dictionary forms and make complete sentences, using
all of their combined knowledge. It is the very essence of thinking critically.
Conclusion
Today, games are used in different ways and purposes, in different learning environments
and fields of subjects. They help the teachers to meet various learning objectives. The
only thing is that the students should not consider the games as something teachers use
because they are tired, to fulfill their free time with something or want to entertain them.
They should be clearly provided with the info about the objective and the main purpose of
the game used in the learning process. This article has shown that the games are a
powerful part of learning process, a great way to engage whole-class participation and
achieving the set goals in a motivating way.
References
1.
Rieber, L.P., & Noah, D. (2008). Games, simulations, and visual metaphors in
education: Antagonism between enjoyment and learning. Educational Media
International, 45(2), 77-92.
2.
Tim Gifford. Pearson., Teaching in the 21
st
century classroom., an anthology.
3.
Smale, M.A. (2011). Learning through quests and conquests: Games in information
literacy instruction. Journal of Library Innovation, 2(2), 36-55. Retrieved from
//www.libraryinnovation. org/article/view/148
4.
https://skyteach.ru/2022/03/04/vocabulary-revision-
l61v3x329331833
5.
Games
from
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator/grammar-games-for-the-
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