Effective Language Learning Through Classroom Games

Why Use Games in Language Learning?

First of all, we need to consider what a game is and when to use it. It is any fun activity that gives young learners the opportunity to practice the foreign language in an enjoyable way. Games may be simple and require very little planning, or they may require quite a bit of preparation and the use of special materials.

Advantages of Using Games:

1. They add variety to the range of learning situations.
2. They change the pace of a lesson and help to keep pupils' motivation high.
3. They lighten more formal teaching and can help to renew pupils' energy.
4. They provide hidden practice of specific language patterns, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
5. They can help to improve attention span and concentration.
6. Pupils are encouraged to participate actively.
7. They increase pupil-pupil communication.
8. It helps create a fun atmosphere and reduces the distance between teacher and pupils.
9. They can help reveal areas of weakness and the need for further language practice.
10. They can help to motivate and improve writing skills.

Types of Classroom Games

Language Control: Accuracy-Focused Games

In these games, the aim is usually to score more points than others, and there is often a clear winner. This kind of game may focus on comprehension as well as production. In this case, the child may not necessarily say anything but gets used to hearing or reading words or sentence patterns over and over again. Some of these games are also very good at training pupils' memory. Once the principle of the game is understood, it is better to divide the pupils into groups so that they have fewer items to remember, which is a way of keeping all of the pupils occupied.

Communication: Fluency-Focused Games

This type of game tends to focus on developing fluency and collaboration with others. These games are an important part of communication and activity-based approaches and are usually done in pairs or groups of four. Collaboration is achieved by trying to create a context where the pupils focus on getting a task done together, while of course using key language, rather than simply practicing language items for their own sake. The cooperative task often relies on an information gap.

Why Use Stories in Language Teaching?

Here are some further reasons why teachers use storybooks:

• They are motivating, challenging, and fun, and can help develop positive attitudes.
• Children can become personally involved in a story as they identify with the characters and try to interpret the narrative and illustrations.
• Linking fantasy and imagination with the child's real world.
• Listening to stories in class is a social experience.
• Listening to stories allows the teacher to introduce or revise vocabulary and structures.
• Listening to stories helps children become aware of the rhythm, intonation, and pronunciation of the language.
• Stories can be chosen to link English with other subjects across the curriculum.