Games for Language Learning’
‘Language learning is hard work … Effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.”Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their own point of view or give information.”The need for meaningfulness in language learning has been accepted for some years. A useful interpretation of ‘meaningfulness’ is that the learners respond to the content in a definite way. If they are amused, angered, intrigued or surprised the content is clearly meaningful to them. Thus the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better remembered.If it is accepted that games can provide intense and meaningful practice of language, then they must be regarded as central to a teacher’s repertoire. They are thus not for use solely on wet days and at the end of term!’
‘Six Games for the EFL/ESL Classroom’
‘Language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practise language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.”Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many types of communication.’
‘Creative Games for the Language Class’
‘There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature, and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time. One of the best ways of doing this is through games.”There are many advantages of using games in the classroom:
1. Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
2. They are motivating and challenging.
3. Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning.
4. Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading.
5. They encourage students to interact and communicate.
6. They create a meaningful context for language use.
When to Use Games’
Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the end of a lesson. Yet, as Lee observes, a game “should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. ‘Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recall material in a pleasant, entertaining way. All authors referred to in this article agree that even if games resulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention to and implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promote communicative competence, and generate fluency.’
‘Learning Vocabulary Through Games’
‘Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students’ use of English in a flexible, communicative way.”Therefore, the role of games in teaching and learning vocabulary cannot be denied. However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary games, it is essential that suitable games are chosen. Whenever a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that should be taken into account.”In conclusion, learning vocabulary through games is one effective and interesting way that can be applied in any classrooms. The results of this research suggest that games are used not only for mere fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners’ communicative competence.’
‘Using Games in an EFL Class for Children’ 
Why Use Games in Class Time?
* Games are fun and children like to play them. Through games children experiment, discover, and interact with their environment.
* Games add variation to a lesson and increase motivation by providing a plausible incentive to use the target language. For many children between four and twelve years old, especially the youngest, language learning will not be the key motivational factor. Games can provide this stimulus.
* The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It brings the target language to life.
* The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children.
* Through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying; thus without stress, they can learn a lot.
* Even shy students can participate positively.How to Choose Games
* A game must be more than just fun.
* A game should involve “friendly” competition.
* A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.
* A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself.
* A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language material.
‘Index Cards: A Natural Resource for Teachers’
‘In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the ESL classroom, teachers often turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics.
‘General Benefits of GamesAffective:
- lowers affective filter
- encourages creative and spontaneous use of language
- promotes communicative competence
- motivates
- funCognitive:
- reinforces
- reviews and extends
- focuses on grammar communicatively
Class Dynamics:
- student centered
- teacher acts only as facilitator
- builds class cohesion
- fosters whole class participation
- promotes healthy competition
Adaptability:
- easily adjusted for age, level, and interests
- utilizes all four skills
- requires minimum preparation after development
Kinds of the favourites games
Human Bingo. How to get seminar participants or students to introduce themselves in a fun way and to recognize each other’s strengths. Great ice-breaker, particularly when participants have never met before.
The balloon game. A great way to demonstrate different thinking styles. Wonderful for management or business seminars. Each participants inflates four colored balloons to match his or her best strengths
– then finds three other people so they make a well
-balanced team.
.How to count to ten in Japanese. A practical demonstration to show how all can learn much faster when they “see it, hear it and DO it.”.
The hat trick. One Australian restaurant lines its walls with party hats, and guests wear any they like to create an hilarious atmosphere. Dryden and Vos get students or members of their audience to wear “brain hats” to act out all the different parts of the brain (a reptile hat for the “reptilian brain”, a dog hat for the “mammalian” or emotional brain, a two-sided cortex hat to demonstrate both sides of the brain, a Chinese “pigtail” hat to demonstrate the cerebellum or little brain at the lower back of the skull).
Six thinking hats. One of Edward de Bono’s suggestions for teaching creative thinking. Students or seminar participants choose from six different colored hats – and each color views a problem in a different way.
