Games and Game-Like Activities

Games and Game-like activities

1. Introduction

What is a game?

Games are task based: English is a tool for the children to reach a goal which is not directly language related.

What differentiates games from other activities in the EFL classroom is the presence of a visible set of rules which guide the children’s actions, and an element of strategy. Games can be competitive, but children can also employ their language skills strategically in co-operative games, in which a group works together to achieve certain goals.

The key to a successful language game is that these rules are clear and the ultimate goal is well defined.

2. Advantages and disadvantages

· The advantages of using games can be summarized as follows:

v The most important reason for using games is that they are very FUN.

v Playing games is a vital and natural part of growing up and learning. Children experiment, discover and interact with their environment

v Games add variety to the range of learning situations

v Another important reason is the fact of being relaxed after that class, sometimes classes are hard for them and if you use games at the end, it can be also a way of motivating them, because if they know it, maybe during the class they are going to do their utmost for learning, just because they know that at the end of the class they are going to play games, and at the same time games are also one of the best techniques for stimulate and motivating them.

v Games can be used to change the pace of a lesson and so maintain motivation.

v Games can be used to punctuate long formal teaching units and renew students’ energy before returning to more formal learning.

v Games can give “hidden” practice of specific language points without students being aware of this.

v Games encourage student participation and can remove the inhibitions of those who feel intimidated by formal classroom situations.

v Games can change the role of the teacher from that of formal instructor to that of manager or organizer of activities that students enjoy participating in.

v Games can increase student-student communication, and so reduce the domination of the classroom by the teacher.

v Games can act as a testing mechanism, in the sense that they will expose areas of weakness and the need for remedial work.

· The disadvantages of using games are:

v Children will tend to speak in their mother tongue during the lesson

v Games can become a meaningless habit.

v Children may simply finish quicker than others.

v The class sometimes is not the best place for using games.

v The noise can be another problem, because if they have to speak orally it can be noisier than classes in which children are doing written exercises.

v The different levels of the student can be a problem too.

v And sometimes if the weaker students are mixed with more able students, the weaker students can feel bad in comparison with the others.

v And there are also some students that may not feel like participating in the class and can disturb the others.

3. Who are games for?

Enjoyment of games is not restricted by age. Some individuals, regardless of age, may be less fond of games than others. But so much depends on the appropriateness of the games and the role of the player. It is generally accepted that young learners and adults are very willing to play games. Early teenagers tend to be more self-conscious and one must take into account their reticence when selecting games for them. Games which can be played in pairs or groups may be particularly useful in this case.

We have already acknowledged that teenage learners might be reluctant to play games. We should also argue that many people are so anxious to learn English in order to pass examinations or to improve their employment prospects that they look on games as unnecessary. If you have such committed learners you must justify the use of each game in terms of the density and meaningfulness of practice it provides.

4. When and how can games be used?

· When games can be used:

1. They can be used to open or close a lesson in a stimulating way.

2. To punctuate a lesson.

3. To relieve tension after a test or concentrated practice session.

It is important that they are used positively, to give students enjoyment and useful practice, as well as being used as palliatives in situations where students’ interest or motivation is flagging, and also the elements of surprise and variety should be careful maintained.

· How to use games:

How you use a language game will ultimately depend on the ‘personality’ of the group.

You have to take into account the following:

v If it is a class of adults or one of children.

v The differences between the students with respect to race, culture, etc

v The class level: elementary, intermediate or advanced

v The time and materials available for the game.

v The size: if the group is large it is going to be more difficult.

v The time of day the English lesson is held, and what happens before and after it.

v It is very important to end a game, while the students are having fun, so that they do not lose interest and wander off.

And also, it is very important to distinguish between:

‘Rousers’ activities: activities that involve an element of competition. They wake up the class and get the adrenalin going.

‘Settlers’ activities: games that calm a class down.

The difference between them is not always clear. It depends on how you decide to play the game.

5. Methodology

· Preparation

Having decided which game to use and when to use it, the teacher must prepare the game thoroughly. Games may be good fun but they need to be carefully prepared and organized. Before a game is used with a class the teacher must be sure that the necessary facilities (e.g. overhead projector) are available.

If visuals or cards are to be made, these must be clear and legible and attractively presented so that students feel the teacher has put some effort into the work. Sloppy writing or scrappy pieces of card will not motivate the student to take the teacher’s intentions seriously. In some cases addition material will be required for students (e.g. magazines, rulers, pens, papers...), and spare sets should be available for those students without any. The teacher must then work out how the game is to progress, what students will need to do, and how they will be instructed in what to do.

· Procedure

The teacher must ensure that very clear instructions are given before and during the game so that students, who in any case have language difficulties, do not become confused. It may therefore sometimes be appropriate to give instructions in the mother tongue. Wherever possible, the teacher should give a demonstration of what is to be done as an expansion of the verbal instructions. Any key language and/or instructions could be clarified by writing them on the blackboard.

6. Types of games

Classifying games into categories can be difficult, because categories often overlap. Hadfield (1999) explains two ways of classifying language games:

- Linguistic games focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym.

- Communicative games focus on successful exchange of information and ideas, such as two people identifying the differences between their two pictures which are similar to one another but not exactly alike. Correct language usage, though still important, is secondary to achieving the communicative goal.

The second taxonomy that Hadfield uses to classify language games has many more categories. As with the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type.

v Movement games: children are physically active. Movement games are generally ‘rousers’ and need to be closely monitored.

v Card games: Children collect, give away, exchange, sort, and count cards. The cards can have a meaning or value in a game, or simply serve as symbols for objects or actions. For example, students have a set of cards with different products on them, and they sort the cards into products found at a grocery store and products found at a department store

v Board games: involve moving markers along a path. Board games can be made by the children as a fun craft activity.

v Dice games: can have numbers, colours, letters of the alphabet- virtually anything you like. Dice need not be six-sided either. Little children might only roll one dice, while older children can play games with three or four dice at the same time.

v Drawing games: span a gap between the key functions of the brain. Drawing requires creativity and sensitivity towards the world and the children must be able to understand instructions and describe their art. Drawing games are particularly helpful with shy children who are reluctant to talk.

v Guessing games: The aim is to guess the answer to a question of some kind.

v Role-play games are guided drama activities. The language input can be quite rigidly prescribed or very open depending on the language level, curiosity, and confidence of your class. Role plays stimulate a child’s imagination and are tests of true communication.

v Singing and chanting games: Singing and chanting games often involve movement, but we decided to list them separately since music plays such an important role in early childhood learning.

v Search games: involve the whole class. In these games everyone in the class has one piece of information. Players must obtain all or a large amount of the information available to fill in a questionnaire or to solve a problem.

v Matching games: involve matching corresponding pairs of cards or pictures, and may be played as a whole class activity, where everyone must circulate until they find a partner with a corresponding card or picture; or as a pair work or small group activity, where players must choose pictures or cards from a selection to match those chosen by their partner from the same selection.

v Matching-up games: Each player in a group has a list of opinions, preferences, wants or possibilities. Through discussion and compromise the group must reach an agreement.

v Exchanging games: Players have certain articles, cards or ideas which they wish to exchange for others. The aim of the game is to make an exchange which is satisfactory to both sides.

v Exchanging and collecting games: Players have certain articles or cards which they are willing to exchange for others in order to complete a set.

v Combining activities: They those in which the players must act on certain information in order to arrange themselves in group such as families or people spending holidays together.

v Arranging activities: These are games where the players must acquire information and act on it in order to arrange items in a specific order. Items to be arranged can be picture cards, events in a narrative, or even the players themselves!

v Puzzle-solving activities: They occur when participants in the game share or pool information in order to solve a problem or a mystery.

v Simulations: This has to do with the imitation in the classroom of a total situation, where the classroom becomes the street, a hotel or an office. These games practice interaction between the individual and services (cinemas, theatres...)

v Team games: require cooperative team work.

v Word games: involve spelling and writing.

7. Bibliografia

ü www.buzzle.com/articles/teaching-english-games-helps-children-learn.html

ü www.buzzle.com/articles/teaching-grammar-wtih-fun-learning- games.html

ü www.englishrescue.com/content/boardgames/index.php

ü www.esl-games.net/teachers

ü www.gecities.com/Athens/Delphi/1979/games.html#art

ü GRANGER, C. 1993. Play Games with English: teacher’s resource book. Oxford: Heinemann.

ü HADFIELD, J. 1997. Advanced Communication Games. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

ü HADFIELD, J. 2001. Beginner’s Communication Games. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

ü HADFIELD, J. 2001 Elementary Communication Games. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

ü HADFIELD, J. 1997. Reading games: a collection of reading games and activities for intermediate to advanced students of English. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

ü HADFIELD, J. 1997. Writing games: a collection of writing games and creative activities for low intermediate to advanced students of English. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

ü http://itelsj.org/Techniques/Saricoban-Songs

ü LEWIS, G. & BEDSON, G. 2002. Games for Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

ü http://maxpages.com/teachenglish/Games-in-Language-Teaching

ü RETTER, C. 1990. Bonanza: 77 English Language Games for young learners. Essex: Longman.

ü RINVOLUCRI, M. 1997. Grammar Games: Cognitive, Affective and drama activities for EFL Students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

ü http://searchwarp.com/swa88596.htm

ü www.teflgames .com/ why.html

ü UNKNOWN. 1997. Top class: 50 Short Games and Activities for Teachers. London: Penguin Books.

ü Watcyn-Jones, p. 1993. Vocabulary Games and Activities for Teachers. London: Penguin Books.

ü WRIGHT, A. 1995. Games for Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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