Using Games in English Teaching

Using Games in English Teaching

By

Cathy

发表于

2008-4-23 10:14:00

Introduction:

English, as a second language in China, is a major subject from primary schools

to university. It?s an

essential stage for children in primary schools to acquire

pronunciation and memorize basic vocabularies. Many young learners know nothing

about English when they begin to learn it in schools, English learning takes them to a

broader world and this will mean special to the children both in ways and in mind.

They are interested in the “strange” thing, but they also feel a little fear about it. This

ambivalent feeling may be easy settled if the teacher has various teaching methods.

The priority for English t

eachers is to arouse children?s interest in studying English,

for an interest in a language is known as a key to being motivated to learn. But how?

Young children?s attention can be easy taken, but the attention spans vary, so it is

difficult to keep it throughout the whole class. Then the teacher should have the

ability and enthusiasm to design different activities that children enjoy to attract their

attention. Through lots of research investigations and my own experience in teaching

practice, I propose an approach to language teaching. That is, to use games in English

teaching classroom. Modern pedagogy takes games as one of the important teaching

means which can pass on knowledge, develop skills and ability in languages teaching,

games have been paid more and more attention to. In this thesis, I want to discuss this

good way to arouse children?s interest in English learning

--- competitive activities or

known as games, the activities can make people keep balance in heart and health.

Ⅰ

. The theoretical background in using games in English teaching

1.1

Psychological background

According to psychology research, young children, say up to the age of seven,

find it difficult or impossible to see language as an abstract system, independent of

communication or enjoyable sound sequences such as songs and rhymes. They find it

difficult or impossible to think in terms of learning goals, although they respond to

more immediate objectives such as drawing a picture or making a kite. They also find

it difficult or impossible to work at one task for a long time. Their attention span is

usually short, and they need frequent changes of activity. A survey (Zhao Chengfu,

2002:202) shows that in a well organized atmosphere, children?s attention last for

different time: around age 5 to 7, they can pay attention for 10 to 15 minutes; age

between 7 and 10 can pay attention for about 20 minutes; age between 10 and 12 last

for about 25 minutes; and the time of attention of those older than 12 may reach to 30

minutes.

A famous psychologist Piaget (1967) protested that movement produces

“thought”. Movement is the beginning of learning. Cognitive frame is built up step by

step whose joint is the movement but not the consciousness. Moreover, some

psychologists claim that children should learn through play. Play is an activity

performed for its own sake, highly motivated, often involving fantasy and

characterized by intense involvement and concentration. In play, children explore and

learn about their world. Play is so

metimes called the child?s work because it is such a

significant mode of learning. The essence of play is that it grows from within the child

or group of children who engage in it. It is a creative expression of their thoughts and

dealings, based in their own life experiences. Play is the most important mode

children have for clarifying and integrating all their experiences, both in and out of

school.

What?s more, children are most moldable in primary schools, during which time

they are active and good at imitating but cannot concentrate their attention for long

period. Thus, teachers, in view of young learners? psychological and physiological

features, should try to regulate their affection, arouse their interest, and intensify their

motivation, fostering not only their linguistic competence but also social and cultural

awareness. Besides, fun-based, activity-oriented and student-centered approach

should be adopted so as to ensure that children learn foreign languages in a relaxed

atmosphere.

1.2

Linguistic background

Stephen Krashen?s input hypothesis and affective filter hypothesis claim that the

process of second language acquisition is influenced by affective factors either

positively or negatively. The input hypothesis claims, “We acquire by understand

ing

language that contains structure a bit beyond our current level of competence (i.e.

“i+1”).” n (1982:21) writes:

… a necessary (but not sufficient ) condition to move from stage ?i? to stage

?i+1? is that the acquired understand input that contains ?i+1?, where

?understand? means that the acquirer is focused on the meaning and not he

form of the message.

Thus, acquisition takes place when the learner understands language containing

?i+1?. Moreover, the affective filter hypothesis claims, “The

effect of affect is

?outside? the language acquisition device proper.” “It implies that our pedagogical

goals should not only include supplying comprehensive input but also creating a

situation that encourages a low filter. The effective teacher is one who can provider

input and help make it comprehensible in a low anxiety situation.” Krashen concludes

that comprehensible input and the strength of the filter are the true causes of second

language acquisition. That is to say, before the acquisition competence, no one can

avoid the affective factors? influence. The affective factors include motivation,

attitude, ego, and anxiety. Here, I would like to focus a great deal attention on

motivation, which I think is the most essential factor.

Motivation is a basic

ingredient of the child?s learning. Children are born with an

intrinsic motivation to learn and to understand the world round them, an aspect of

development which Robert Whit (1959) refers to as competence motivation. A child?s

motivation for learning can increase or diminish over time, depending, in part, on

other peoples? reactions to her efforts. However, motivation is not only one of the

most important components of learning but also one of the most difficult to measure.

Psychologists define motivation as an internal process that activities, guides and

maintains behavior over time. (Baron, 1992; Schunk, 1990) In plain language,

motivation is what gets you going, keeps you going, and determines where you?re

trying to go. An English teacher should try to use external stimuli to facilitate

students? inner motivation transformed into their inner desire. If a student has positive

attitude towards English, he will has a strong motivation to grasp this language, and

this will help him to be markedly successful.

Ⅱ

. The exploration of using games in English class

Through the theories above we can easily know that children are active in

playing games. Playing games is their nature. American psychologist and educational

reformer John Dewey holds the notion that teaching material must be highly coherent

with psychology. If the teaching material accords with children?s psychology, they

would be attracted by the interesting activities and accordingly learn and master the

teaching material on their own initiative. Classro

om games just answer for children?s

cognitive traits. At the games, the children get the pleasure and the satisfaction so that

they are willing to learn English. Meanwhile, the using of games is helpful to create

the relaxing atmosphere for language acquis

ition; it is effective in children?s English

teaching.

As Sarah Phillips (1993:16) in

Young Learners

claims that if the activity is

interesting, it is easier to be remembered, and so is the language. Meanwhile, the

children gain the satisfaction which can arouse their motivation of learning.

Therefore, to create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for language teaching is

helpful. There is a survey ( Tang Lei, 2004: 21) of 77 pupils about their attitude to the

English teaching. 96.01% pupils respond that they like to play games in English class;

88.31% pupils think they can focus a great attention to the games; 93.51% pupils like

the cooperative games. Moreover, the survey shows that competitive activities share

more commends than the others.

An advantage of using games in English classroom is that they 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. 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. (Lewis, 1999) Playing games in learning may develop the

sense of communication in English of the students. And the combination of the games

may help them with a strong communicative ability.

Game is not only the most effective means to arouse the students? interest of

learning; it also can make them all fully concentrate on what they are doing.

Therefore, students will get deep impression of what they have learned and gain

permanent memory of the content. Because of this, teachers can get the best effect of

outcome. Teaching games are various. Teachers can use some new games every time.

Then the students will be of an expected and new sense in class. And they will often

be enthusiastic and never feel tires. While playing games, students can make a good

use of their comprehension, their ability of analyses, judgment, imagination and

logical deduction. At the same time, it requires that they have a quick mind, flexibility

and creativity. Therefore, games can not only help students master the language

points, but also be good for developing their intelligence and all kinds of skills.

Students greatly welcome games. They can create a cheerful and light- hearted

environment and arouse students? interest in learning English. Games are considered

one of the most effective ways to improve efficiency in language learning. Games in

class appear to be of considerable aid in involving the students in actively trying to

utilize or challenge the concepts they are being taught. They are “sloppy” and hardly

controlled. They are also a source for insight, for suggesting other types of

experiments and for sweetening the intuition.

Games make complicated grammatical points come out in simple forms. So it is

quite acceptable for students. Take my teaching practice for example, when talking

about the relation between a noun and an adjective, I gave the students a noun such as

“book”, let one of the groups to tell some adjectives which can modify the noun in

turns. Meanwhile, if any student repeats or uses a wrong modifier, the whole group

will fail. If this group can not continue giving a new word in three seconds, then, have

another group do it. The group which is composed of four or eight student or even

more that has got the most adjectives will be winners. After playing the game, the

students know how many adjectives can modify the noun and what they are. Later,

they get deep impression on the noun and the adjectives. This game not only helps

students review the words, but also helps them memorize the new ones. And it

stimulates the students? enthusiasm as well.

Games are also collective activities, and then the relationship between teachers

and students will become more harmonious while playing. Because most of the games

are played in groups, when doing them they develop the collective spirit of the

students. Now, to take certain games during teaching seems more and more important

in order to arouse the students? interest in learning for getting better results in

teaching.

The great educator Confucius said, “Teaching students in accordance with their

aptitude,” He believed that learning should be a process of exploring and

un

derstanding of one?s own gift, so it is very important for the students to learn

English by themselves, game is a good way to achieve this goal.

The role of the teacher in playing game is to guide. I think that to guide well

equals to learn well. As long a

s the students like the teacher?s new teaching method,

they can take an active part in learning something. What is more, Confucius was also

skillful in arousing the students? interest and eagerness in learning. He thought that

only by making students interested in what they were learning, only when they were

eager to learn, could they learn the knowledge well.

Ⅲ

. Some typical kinds of games in English teaching