Teaching Grammar with Games in the ESL
Classroom
You
may remember when you were in school the dreaded grammar lessons of sitting in
a desk writing, correcting and rewriting sentences to learn proper grammar
usage. Well, while some people may still teach grammar in this method,
there is a movement towards teaching grammar with games. Just imagine
your class when you announce that it's time for a grammar lesson and instead of
moans and whining, you get smiles and excitement. It is possible and
believe it or not, teaching grammar with games will still be as effective, if
not more effective, as just teaching them through repetitive writing and
rewriting.
Research
gives excellent reasons to teach grammar with games
Arif
Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of "Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching
Grammar" explain how and why games work for teaching grammar in an ESL
classroom. They say, "Games and problem-solving activities...have a purpose
beyond the production of correct speech, and are examples of the most
preferable communicative activities." They go on to explain that
grammar games help children not only gain knowledge but be able to apply and
use that learning.
Additionally, games have the advantage of allowing the students to "practice
and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively."
They can do this through repeated exposure to the target grammar and because
students are often more motivated to play games than they are to do
deskwork. Plus, during the game, the students are focused on the activity
and end up absorbing the grammar subconsciously.
While games are motivating for the students, probably the best reason,
according to Saricoban and Metin, to use games is that "the use of such
activities both increases the cooperation and competition in the
classroom." Indeed games can be used to add excitement through
competition or to create bonding between the students, and between the students
and teacher.
Aydan Ersoz, author of "Six Games for the ESL/EFL Classroom" also
explains more reasons why games do work for teaching grammar. Learning a
language requires constant effort and that can be tiring, but Ersoz outlines
two good reasons why games should be included in the classroom:
* Games that are amusing and challenging are highly motivating.
* Games allow meaningful use of the language in context.
The
Value of Intrinsic Motivation
The
theory of intrinsic motivation may also give some insight as to why teaching
grammar through games actually works. Intrinsic motivation refers to the
internal factors that encourage us to do something. Most young learners
will not internally decide that they want to learn grammar. They don't
yet understand the concepts of why it's important to know proper grammar, so
these external factors won't affect them much either. Instead, intrinsic
motivation can encourage them to play games. If these games are good then
they will be learning while they are playing.
Joel Bacha, author of "Play and Affect in Language Learning",
explains how this theory works. Exposure to challenges and stimulation
piques the children's natural curiosity and, in turn, promotes learning through
the activity's required skills. This is because activities that get the
students to move around activate their mental capacities and stimulate neural
networks, thus promoting learning and retention. Bacha's article goes on
to point out that some studies are even beginning to show that intrinsic
motivation can promote long-term language retention.
What
kinds of games work best?
When
you are looking for games to use in your classroom, don't just pick something
to be a "time filler" that does not have any linguistic
purpose. These games may entertain the students, but when you don't have
much time with them each day as it is, you want your game to do double duty to
get the most out of the time you spend playing games.
Lin Hong, author of "Using Games in Teaching English to Young
Learners", explains that not all games are going to work to teach the
students language skills. If the game is simply for fun and not linked to
educational goals it may not be the best use of your time. It is possible
to have a fun game that is educationally sound, however. To find out if
the game is educationally sound, think about these questions posed by Hong:
- Which
skills do the games practice?
- What type
of game is it and what is its purpose?
- Does the
difficulty level of the game mesh with the students' ability level?
- Does the
game require maximum involvement by the students?
- Do the
students like it? Do you like it?
Today I read a journal about Teaching grammar with game in the ESL
classroom. Grammar is very important for English teacher. When we teach grammar
we should use many activities for teaching student such as game, song , role play. Fun game that we use to teach grammar can motivate student to
study because it makes good atmosphere for them.
Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of
"Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching Grammar" explain how and why
games work for teaching grammar in an ESL classroom. They say,
"Games and problem-solving activities...have a purpose beyond the
production of correct speech, and are examples of the most preferable
communicative activities." They go on to explain that grammar games
help children not only gain knowledge but be able to apply and use that
learning.
Additionally, games have the advantage of allowing the students to "practice
and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively."
They can do this through repeated exposure to the target grammar and because
students are often more motivated to play games than they are to do
desk work. Plus, during the game, the students are focused on the activity
and end up absorbing the grammar subconsciously.
Indeed games can be used to add excitement through competition or to create
bonding between the students, and between the students and teacher.
