Excerpts from articles outlining the advantages of using games in teaching English. Communicative language teaching (CLT), or the communicative approach, is an approach to language teaching that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the. ESL teaching materials, resources for Children, Materials for Kids,preschool, k12, primary school,English for kids, teaching tips, games and ideas for teachers. Fun ESL classroom games and activities for teaching English to children. It's more fun teaching vocabulary through games! Why Use Games for Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language? From 'Games for Language Learning'by Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby. ![]() ![]() Amazon.com: ESL Games: 176 English Language Games for Children: Make your teaching easy and fun (9781475255584): Shelley Ann Vernon: Books. Schemes of work, lesson plans, primary teaching resources, differentiated worksheets and interactive PowerPoints to download, adapt and teach to help support the busy. Cambridge University Press, 1. 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!' (from Introduction, p. ![]() If you are looking to pursue a meaningful career as an educator, consider choosing from a variety of courses in these online masters in education. From 'Six Games for the EFL/ESL Classroom'by Aydan Ersoz. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VI, No. 6, June 2. 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.' From 'Creative Games for the Language Class'by Lee Su Kim'Forum' Vol. No 1, January - March 1. Page 3. 5.'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. They are motivating and challenging. Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning. Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading. They encourage students to interact and communicate. They create a meaningful context for language use.' From 'The Use of Games For Vocabulary Presentation and Revision'by Agnieszka Uberman'Forum' Vol. No 1, January - March 1. Page 2. 0. Using Games. Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games are not just time- filling activities but have a great educational value. W. R. Lee holds that most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms (1. He also says that games should be treated as central not peripheral to the foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed by Richard- Amato, who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value, particularly in foreign language teaching. There are many advantages of using games. Games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely" (Richard- Amato 1. They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Hansen 1. They also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language which are not always possible during a typical lesson. Furthermore, to quote Richard- Amato, they, "add diversion to the regular classroom activities," break the ice, "[but also] they are used to introduce new ideas" (1. In the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better (Wierus and Wierus 1. S. M. Silvers says many teachers are enthusiastic about using games as "a teaching device," yet they often perceive games as mere time- fillers, "a break from the monotony of drilling" or frivolous activities. He also claims that many teachers often overlook the fact that in a relaxed atmosphere, real learning takes place, and students use the language they have been exposed to and have practised earlier (1. Further support comes from Zdybiewska, who believes games to be a good way of practising language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the language for in real life in the future (1. Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming.'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" (1. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon suggests that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen.''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.'From 'Learning Vocabulary Through Games'by Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Khuat Thi Thu Nga'Asian EFL Journal' - December 2. 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.' From 'Using Games in an EFL Class for Children'by Yin Yong Mei and Jang Yu- jing. Daejin University ELT Research Paper. Fall, 2. 00. 0. 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. Lewis, 1. 99. 9)* 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. Lewis, 1. 99. 9)* The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It brings the target language to life. Lewis, 1. 99. 9)* The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children. Lewis, 1. 99. 9)* 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 (Tyson, 2. 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. From 'Index Cards: A Natural Resource for Teachers'by M. Martha Lengeling and Casey Malarcher'Forum' Vol. No 4, October - December 1. Page 4. 2.'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 Games. Affective: - lowers affective filter- encourages creative and spontaneous use of language- promotes communicative competence- motivates- fun. Cognitive: - reinforces- reviews and extends- focuses on grammar communicatively. Communicative language teaching - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Communicative language teaching (CLT), or the communicative approach, is an approach to language teaching that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of study. Background[edit]Societal influences[edit]Communicative language teaching rose to prominence in the 1. Europe and the United States. First, there was an increased demand for language learning, particularly in Europe. The advent of the European Common Market led to. European migration, and consequently there was a large population of people who needed to learn a foreign language for work or for personal reasons. At the same time, children were increasingly able to learn foreign languages in school. The number of secondary schools offering languages rose worldwide in the 1. In Britain, the introduction of comprehensive schools meant that almost all children had the opportunity to study foreign languages. This increased demand put pressure on educators to change their teaching methods. Traditional methods such as grammar translation assumed that students were aiming for mastery of the target language, and that students were willing to study for years before expecting to use the language in real life. However, these assumptions were challenged by adult learners who were busy with work, and by schoolchildren who were less academically able. Educators realized that to motivate these students an approach with a more immediate payoff was necessary. The trend of progressivism in education provided further pressure for educators to change their methods. Progressivism holds that active learning is more effective than passive learning, and as this idea gained traction in schools there was a general shift towards using techniques where students were more actively involved, such as group work. Foreign- language education was no exception to this trend, and teachers sought to find new methods that could better embody this shift in thinking. In the beginning time of language teaching, it was thought that language teaching is a cognitive matter. The idea then shifted from cognitive to socio- cognitive, which emphasizes that language can be learnt throughout the social process. However, in today's process of language teaching, incorporation of ICT has become mandatory in teaching any language. Academic influences[edit]The development of communicative language teaching was also helped by new academic ideas. In Britain, applied linguists began to doubt the efficacy of situational language teaching, the dominant method in that country at the time. This was partly in response to Chomsky’s insights into the nature of language. Chomsky had shown that the structural theories of language prevalent at the time could not explain the creativity and variety evident in real communication. In addition, British applied linguists such as Christopher Candlin and Henry Widdowson began to see that a focus on structure was also not helping language students. They saw a need for students to develop communicative skill and functional competence in addition to mastering language structures. In the United States, the linguist and anthropologist Dell Hymes developed the concept of communicative competence. This was a reaction to Chomsky’s concept of the linguistic competence of an ideal native speaker. Communicative competence redefined what it meant to “know” a language; in addition to speakers having mastery over the structural elements of language, according to communicative competence they must also be able to use those structural elements appropriately in different social situations. This is neatly summed up by Hymes’s statement, “There are rules of use without which the rules of grammar would be useless. Hymes did not make a concrete formulation of communicative competence, but subsequent authors have tied the concept to language teaching, notably Michael Canale. Communicative syllabi[edit]An influential development in the history of communicative language teaching was the work of the Council of Europe in creating new language syllabi. Education was a high priority for the Council of Europe, and they set out to provide syllabi that would meet the needs of European immigrants. Among the studies used by the council when designing the course was one by the British linguist, D. A. Wilkins, that defined language using “notions” and “functions”, rather than more traditional categories of grammar and vocabulary. Notional categories include concepts such as time, location, frequency, and quantity, and functional categories include communicative acts such as offers, complaints, denials, and requests. These syllabi were widely used. Communicative language- learning materials were also developed in Germany. There was a new emphasis on personal freedom in German education at the time, an attitude exemplified in the philosophy of Jürgen Habermas. To meet this goal, educators developed materials that allowed learners to choose freely what they wanted to communicate. These materials concentrated on the various different social meanings a given item of grammar could have, and were structured in such a way that learners could choose how to progress through the course themselves. The materials were used in teacher training courses and workshops to encourage teachers to change to using a communicative syllabus. Two similar projects were also undertaken by Candlin at Lancaster University, and by Holec at the University of Nancy. Meanwhile, at the University of Illinois, there was a study that investigated the effects of the explicit teaching of learning strategies to language learners. The study encouraged learners to take risks while communicating, and to use constructs other than rote memorized patterns. At the study’s conclusion, students who were taught communicatively fared no worse on grammar tests than students who had been taught with traditional methods; and they performed significantly better in tests of communicative ability. This was the case even for beginners. As a result of this study, supplemental communicative activities were created for the French CRÉDIF course Voix et Visages de la France. These materials focused on classroom autonomy; and learners were taught various phrases they could use to negotiate meaning, such as “What’s the word for …? I don’t understand”. Outline[edit]CLT is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method with a clearly defined set of classroom practices. As such, it is most often defined as a list of general principles or features. One of the most recognized of these lists is David Nunan’s (1. CLT: An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language. The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation. The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also on the learning process itself. An enhancement of the learner’s own personal experiences as important contributing elements to classroom learning. An attempt to link classroom language learning with language activities outside the classroom. These five features are claimed by practitioners of CLT to show that they are very interested in the needs and desires of their learners as well as the connection between the language as it is taught in their class and as it used outside the classroom. Under this broad umbrella definition, any teaching practice that helps students develop their communicative competence in an authentic context is deemed an acceptable and beneficial form of instruction. Thus, in the classroom CLT often takes the form of pair and group work requiring negotiation and cooperation between learners, fluency- based activities that encourage learners to develop their confidence, role- plays in which students practise and develop language functions, as well as judicious use of grammar- and pronunciation- focused activities. In the mid 1. 99. Dogma 9. 5 manifesto influenced language teaching through the Dogme language teaching movement, who proposed that published materials can stifle the communicative approach. As such, the aim of the Dogme approach to language teaching is to focus on real conversations about real subjects so that communication is the engine of learning. This communication may lead to explanation, and that in turn will lead to further communication.[6]Classroom activities[edit]Classroom activities used in communicative language teaching include the following: Role- play. Interviewsinformation gap. Games. Language exchanges. Surveys. Pair- work. Learning by teaching. However, not all courses that utilize the Communicative Language approach will restrict their activities solely to these. Some courses will have the students take occasional grammar quizzes, or prepare at home using non- communicative drills, for instance. William Glasser's "control theory" exemplifies his attempts to empower students and give them voice by focusing on their basic, human needs: Unless students are given power, they may exert what little power they have to thwart learning and achievement through inappropriate behavior and mediocrity. Thus, it is important for teachers to give students voice, especially in the current educational climate, which is dominated by standardization and testing (Simmons and Page, 2. Critiques of CLT[edit]One of the most famous attacks on communicative language teaching was offered by Michael Swan in the English Language Teaching Journal in 1. Henry Widdowson responded in defense of CLT, also in the ELT Journal (1. More recently other writers (e. Bax[9]) have critiqued CLT for paying insufficient attention to the context in which teaching and learning take place, though CLT has also been defended against this charge (e. Harmer 2. 00. 3[1. Often, the communicative approach is deemed a success if the teacher understands the student.
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