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摘 要：This paper proposes that playing games is an important part of language lessons. Playing games add depth and detail to intended, possible and actual learning outcomes so that teaching and learning are co-constructive processes rather than a one-way flow.
关键词：Motivating; Reluctant; Language learners; Playing games
中图分类号：H31 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1009-0118（2012）-01-0-02
1. Introduction
At one time or another, most teachers have undoubtedly puzzled over how to motivate reluctant students. For a variety of reasons, many students come to class with little, if any, motivation to learn. For example, students may believe they are forced to study extraneous material. Some may view English classes as a necessary evil on the path to graduation and consequently lack an intrinsic desire to work hard; they show no interest in learning English. These student attitudes are consistent with the research on learning and higher education that has shown that, for students to be optimally motivated to learn, they must see schooling and education as relevant to their personal interests and goals.
What strategies for engaging unmotivated students can teachers use in such situations? What can be done to help reluctant learners “come alive”? The French poet Antoine de Saint-Exup€閞y said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to gather wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work; but rather, teach them to yearn for the endless immensity of the sea.” Saint-Exup€閞y’s words suggest that the key to motivate students is not busy work and mundane tasks. Students who lack encouragement to move beyond these kinds of assignments can never “yearn for the sea”, and they will have no idea of the “smell of salt air and feel of sea spray.”
This article looks at how games can be carried out effectively in language teaching. I first focus on what is a game, and why we should use games in the language classroom from the scholars’ views. Finally, as games are so effective, I discuss how we can integrate games in the language classroom.
2. What is a game?
Hadfield (1999) offers two taxonomies of language games. First, she divides language games into two types: linguistic games and communicative games. Linguistic games focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym. In contrast, 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.
The second taxonomy that Hadfield uses to classify language games has many more categories, such as sorting, ordering, or arranging games, information gap games, guessing games, search games, and role play games. As with the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type. In this paper, games mainly refer to the second taxonomy.
3. Why use games in the classroom?
Firstly, games add interest to what students might not find very interesting. Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort (Thiagarajan, 1999; Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 2005), as learning a language involves long-term effort. Secondly, games provide a context for meaningful communication. Even if the game involves discrete language items, such as a spelling game, meaningful communication takes place as students seek to understand how to play the game and as they communicate about the game: before, during, and after the game (Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 2005). This meaningful communication provides the basis for comprehensible input (Krashen, 1985), and comprehensible output, speaking and writing so that others can understand (Swain, 1993). Thirdly, the emotions aroused when playing games add variety to the sometimes dry, serious process of language instruction ((Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Ersoz, 2000; Lee, 1995). The variety and intensity that games offer may lower anxiety (Richard-Amato, 1988 ) and encourage shy learners to take part (Uberman, 1998), especially when games are played in small groups.
Fourthly, games can involve all the basic language skills, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and a number of skills are often involved in the same game (Lee, 1995). Fifthly, games are student-centered in that students are active in playing the games, and games can often be organized such that students have the leading roles, with teachers as facilitators. Many games can be played in small groups, thereby providing a venue for students to develop their skills in working with others, such as the skill of disagreeing politely and the skill of asking for help. Meanwhile, the team aspect of many games can encourage cooperation and build team spirit (Ersoz, 2000). As many games can be played outside of class, they provide a means for students to use the language outside of class time (Ellis, 2005). Also, games can connect to a variety of intelligences (Gardner, 1999), e.g., games played with others involve interpersonal intelligence; games involving drawing connect with visual/spatial intelligence and games often have a hands-on element, such as cards, spinners, or pieces, which connect with bodily/kinesthetic intelligence.
4. How can we integrate games in the language classroom?
We all have realized that using games in the language classroom can be much more beneficial to students. However, it will be a more concerned issue on how we can incorporate the game into the language teaching so as to fit in the specific language context. There are quite a variety of language games for teachers to choose from so that we could make full use of them in a particular class. Here, we shall provide some examples on using the games in the language classroom.
If we would like to strengthen students’ language proficiency, it will be better for us to choose some game which are required much more higher language level so as to motivate students at the very beginning. If we could select the game to fit in the specific context, that would be much better. Here is a game called mine the feeling and emotion, which is quite a popular game in the language classroom. The detail is as follows:
Activity: Mime the feeling and emotion
How would you act:
1.if you’re scared
2.if you’re pleased
3.if you’re angry
4.if you’re shy
5.if you see someone you love so much
6.if you see a ghost
7.if you see someone you hate so much
8.if you see an auto crash
9.if you see your house on fire
10.if you see someone kicking your dog
11.if you win the first prize of lottery
12.if you lost your diamond ring
13.if you feel blue
14.if you feel a snake
15.if you hear a sudden thundercrack
16.if you hear a noisy plane
17.if you smell a dead rat
18.if you lift a very young baby
19.if you taste bitter medicine
20.if you slipped on banana skin
(Wadee,1995)
As with other learning games, teachers have to pay close and careful attention to the difficulty level of games, because the part of the appeal of games lies in the challenge, but if the challenge is too great, some students may become discouraged. Therefore, when selecting the games, we shall be careful about the appropriateness and the proper level as well.
5. Conclusion
Games are integral part of the methodology. Students use games to apply the newly acquired vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structure. The aim of games is to reduce inhibition and anxiety in learning and acquisition of the foreign language especially for mature learners. Through games and plays, learning becomes child- like, and anxiety which may prevent learning, could be reduced. Learners become more receptive, and learning is fun under the playful and non-stressful environment.
Meanwhile, learning through games could encourage the operation of certain psychological and intellectual factors which could facilitate communication heightened self-esteem, motivation and spontaneity, reinforcing learning, improving intonation and building confidence.
Games can be used as an innovative method in language teaching. However, it should not be used in isolation but should be used in an integrated approach. Games can make a lesson enjoyable and provide opportunities for natural and authentic communication, and help learners to internalize the target language. Games engage the students in action. Students learn to be more intuitive and spontaneous and they are more willing to communicate and work together as a team. Furthermore, games work effectively to increase the students' sense of trust in the teacher and in each other. These increase student motivation to try and do well and the students' willingness to become risk takers, which is fundamental for language learning.
参考文献：
[1]Bakhtin,M M.The dialogical imagination: four essays.University of
Texas Press:Austin,TX.1981.
[2]Bakhtin,M M.Speech genre and other late essays.University of Texas Press:Austin,TX.1986.
[3]Bransford,J.D.Brown,A.L,&Cocking,R.R.(Eds.).How people learn:Brain,mind, experience,and school.Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,2000.
[4]Cook,G.Language play,language learning.New York:Oxford University Press, 2000.
[5]Ellis,R.Principles of instructed language learning.Asian EFL Journal,2005,7(3):9-24.
[6]Ersoz,A.Six games for EFL/ESL classroom.The Internet TESL Journal,2000,6(6).
[7]Gardner,H.Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York,NY:Basic Books,1999.
[8]Hadfield,J.Intermediate vocabulary games.Harlow,Essex:Longman,1999.
[9]Krashen,S.D.The input hypothesis:Issues and implications.New York:Longman, 1985.
[10]Lee,S.K.Creative games for the language class.Forum,1995,33(1):35.
[11]Swain,M.The output hypothesis:Just speaking and writing aren’t enough.The Canadian Modern Language Review,1993:50,158-164.
[12]Thiagarajan,S.Teamwork and teamplay:Games and activities for building and training teams.San Francisco:Jossey-Bass,1999.
[13]Uberman,A.The use of games for vocabulary presentation and revision.Forum, 1998,36(1),20-27.
[14]Wadee Kheourai.Language learning through drama. Bangkok:P.N.Printing Company limited,1995.
[15]Wright, A.Betteridge,D&Buckby,M.Games for language learning(3rded.). New York:Cambridge University Press,2005.
关键词：Motivating; Reluctant; Language learners; Playing games
中图分类号：H31 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1009-0118（2012）-01-0-02
1. Introduction
At one time or another, most teachers have undoubtedly puzzled over how to motivate reluctant students. For a variety of reasons, many students come to class with little, if any, motivation to learn. For example, students may believe they are forced to study extraneous material. Some may view English classes as a necessary evil on the path to graduation and consequently lack an intrinsic desire to work hard; they show no interest in learning English. These student attitudes are consistent with the research on learning and higher education that has shown that, for students to be optimally motivated to learn, they must see schooling and education as relevant to their personal interests and goals.
What strategies for engaging unmotivated students can teachers use in such situations? What can be done to help reluctant learners “come alive”? The French poet Antoine de Saint-Exup€閞y said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to gather wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work; but rather, teach them to yearn for the endless immensity of the sea.” Saint-Exup€閞y’s words suggest that the key to motivate students is not busy work and mundane tasks. Students who lack encouragement to move beyond these kinds of assignments can never “yearn for the sea”, and they will have no idea of the “smell of salt air and feel of sea spray.”
This article looks at how games can be carried out effectively in language teaching. I first focus on what is a game, and why we should use games in the language classroom from the scholars’ views. Finally, as games are so effective, I discuss how we can integrate games in the language classroom.
2. What is a game?
Hadfield (1999) offers two taxonomies of language games. First, she divides language games into two types: linguistic games and communicative games. Linguistic games focus on accuracy, such as supplying the correct antonym. In contrast, 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.
The second taxonomy that Hadfield uses to classify language games has many more categories, such as sorting, ordering, or arranging games, information gap games, guessing games, search games, and role play games. As with the classification of games as linguistic games or communicative games, some games will contain elements of more than one type. In this paper, games mainly refer to the second taxonomy.
3. Why use games in the classroom?
Firstly, games add interest to what students might not find very interesting. Sustaining interest can mean sustaining effort (Thiagarajan, 1999; Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 2005), as learning a language involves long-term effort. Secondly, games provide a context for meaningful communication. Even if the game involves discrete language items, such as a spelling game, meaningful communication takes place as students seek to understand how to play the game and as they communicate about the game: before, during, and after the game (Wright, Betteridge, & Buckby, 2005). This meaningful communication provides the basis for comprehensible input (Krashen, 1985), and comprehensible output, speaking and writing so that others can understand (Swain, 1993). Thirdly, the emotions aroused when playing games add variety to the sometimes dry, serious process of language instruction ((Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Ersoz, 2000; Lee, 1995). The variety and intensity that games offer may lower anxiety (Richard-Amato, 1988 ) and encourage shy learners to take part (Uberman, 1998), especially when games are played in small groups.
Fourthly, games can involve all the basic language skills, i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and a number of skills are often involved in the same game (Lee, 1995). Fifthly, games are student-centered in that students are active in playing the games, and games can often be organized such that students have the leading roles, with teachers as facilitators. Many games can be played in small groups, thereby providing a venue for students to develop their skills in working with others, such as the skill of disagreeing politely and the skill of asking for help. Meanwhile, the team aspect of many games can encourage cooperation and build team spirit (Ersoz, 2000). As many games can be played outside of class, they provide a means for students to use the language outside of class time (Ellis, 2005). Also, games can connect to a variety of intelligences (Gardner, 1999), e.g., games played with others involve interpersonal intelligence; games involving drawing connect with visual/spatial intelligence and games often have a hands-on element, such as cards, spinners, or pieces, which connect with bodily/kinesthetic intelligence.
4. How can we integrate games in the language classroom?
We all have realized that using games in the language classroom can be much more beneficial to students. However, it will be a more concerned issue on how we can incorporate the game into the language teaching so as to fit in the specific language context. There are quite a variety of language games for teachers to choose from so that we could make full use of them in a particular class. Here, we shall provide some examples on using the games in the language classroom.
If we would like to strengthen students’ language proficiency, it will be better for us to choose some game which are required much more higher language level so as to motivate students at the very beginning. If we could select the game to fit in the specific context, that would be much better. Here is a game called mine the feeling and emotion, which is quite a popular game in the language classroom. The detail is as follows:
Activity: Mime the feeling and emotion
How would you act:
1.if you’re scared
2.if you’re pleased
3.if you’re angry
4.if you’re shy
5.if you see someone you love so much
6.if you see a ghost
7.if you see someone you hate so much
8.if you see an auto crash
9.if you see your house on fire
10.if you see someone kicking your dog
11.if you win the first prize of lottery
12.if you lost your diamond ring
13.if you feel blue
14.if you feel a snake
15.if you hear a sudden thundercrack
16.if you hear a noisy plane
17.if you smell a dead rat
18.if you lift a very young baby
19.if you taste bitter medicine
20.if you slipped on banana skin
(Wadee,1995)
As with other learning games, teachers have to pay close and careful attention to the difficulty level of games, because the part of the appeal of games lies in the challenge, but if the challenge is too great, some students may become discouraged. Therefore, when selecting the games, we shall be careful about the appropriateness and the proper level as well.
5. Conclusion
Games are integral part of the methodology. Students use games to apply the newly acquired vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structure. The aim of games is to reduce inhibition and anxiety in learning and acquisition of the foreign language especially for mature learners. Through games and plays, learning becomes child- like, and anxiety which may prevent learning, could be reduced. Learners become more receptive, and learning is fun under the playful and non-stressful environment.
Meanwhile, learning through games could encourage the operation of certain psychological and intellectual factors which could facilitate communication heightened self-esteem, motivation and spontaneity, reinforcing learning, improving intonation and building confidence.
Games can be used as an innovative method in language teaching. However, it should not be used in isolation but should be used in an integrated approach. Games can make a lesson enjoyable and provide opportunities for natural and authentic communication, and help learners to internalize the target language. Games engage the students in action. Students learn to be more intuitive and spontaneous and they are more willing to communicate and work together as a team. Furthermore, games work effectively to increase the students' sense of trust in the teacher and in each other. These increase student motivation to try and do well and the students' willingness to become risk takers, which is fundamental for language learning.
参考文献：
[1]Bakhtin,M M.The dialogical imagination: four essays.University of
Texas Press:Austin,TX.1981.
[2]Bakhtin,M M.Speech genre and other late essays.University of Texas Press:Austin,TX.1986.
[3]Bransford,J.D.Brown,A.L,&Cocking,R.R.(Eds.).How people learn:Brain,mind, experience,and school.Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,2000.
[4]Cook,G.Language play,language learning.New York:Oxford University Press, 2000.
[5]Ellis,R.Principles of instructed language learning.Asian EFL Journal,2005,7(3):9-24.
[6]Ersoz,A.Six games for EFL/ESL classroom.The Internet TESL Journal,2000,6(6).
[7]Gardner,H.Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York,NY:Basic Books,1999.
[8]Hadfield,J.Intermediate vocabulary games.Harlow,Essex:Longman,1999.
[9]Krashen,S.D.The input hypothesis:Issues and implications.New York:Longman, 1985.
[10]Lee,S.K.Creative games for the language class.Forum,1995,33(1):35.
[11]Swain,M.The output hypothesis:Just speaking and writing aren’t enough.The Canadian Modern Language Review,1993:50,158-164.
[12]Thiagarajan,S.Teamwork and teamplay:Games and activities for building and training teams.San Francisco:Jossey-Bass,1999.
[13]Uberman,A.The use of games for vocabulary presentation and revision.Forum, 1998,36(1),20-27.
[14]Wadee Kheourai.Language learning through drama. Bangkok:P.N.Printing Company limited,1995.
[15]Wright, A.Betteridge,D&Buckby,M.Games for language learning(3rded.). New York:Cambridge University Press,2005.