Games can help to learn a foreign language doc

Games can help to learn a foreign language The beneficial effects of games on language learning Games have long been used in foreign language teaching but some teachers and students may

Games can help to learn a foreign language

(The beneficial effects of games on language learning)

Games have long been used in foreign language teaching

but some teachers and students may still view them with

suspicion They may think that games are just a waste of

time or just a means of filling in, for example, the last

fifteen or ten minutes of a class period However, a

thorough understanding of the relative merits and uses of

language games will dispel such misconceptions In fact,

the use of games proves to be a good idea because of its

following major contributions to the teaching and learning

of foreign languages

First, games can increase the amount of student practice

and participation As games are often played in pairs or

teams they create favorable conditions for pair work or

group work to take place Since these two forms of student

grouping provide students with more opportunity to use

the language (with students initiating their turns-at-talk

instead of waiting for them to be nominated by the

teacher) it is right to say that games intended for groups of

two or more than two students can increase student

talking time As far as second or foreign language

acquisition is concerned, any increase in student talking

time, big or small, is significant because it will help

develop students’ language competence

Second, games can generate and increase motivation, a

vital factor to students’ success in language learning A

common reason for the use of games in language

teaching is that they are an effective ways to interest

students Indeed, games are capable of involving students

if they are entertaining, intriguing and challenging And

nearly all learners enjoy playing games or want to have

fun while studying regardless of their age or level To play

games students have to rely on themselves and cooperate

among themselves It is the principle of self-reliance,

cooperation and joint learning that awakes and maintains

students’ interest in the lesson As interest is a main

ingredient of motivation it can be concluded that games

contribute much to providing motivation to students And

of course, once students are highly motivated, they will

likely study better

Most importantly, games give meaningful practice in any

of the four skills at any level of ability or in any stage of the

teaching process It is true that a library search will yield a

great number of games that have been designed for

students at different levels from elementary to advanced

More over, these games are intended for the practice of

the four skills, namely reading, speaking, listening and

writing In addition, games can be used at any stage in

language teaching and learning as warm-up activities or

activities aimed at accurate reproduction and controlled or

free practice Some well-known or commonly used books

of games are Communication Games series compiled by

Jill Hadfield for three different levels: elementary,

intermediate and advanced; Reading Games and Writing

Games, both by Charles and Jill Hadfield directed at

intermediate to advanced learners of Eglish; Play Games

with English Henemann series including games, puzzles

and quizzes for beginners and pre-intermediate learners

What is more important, games create meaningful

contexts for language practice Initially, students have to

make sure that they understand the rules of the game

This requires reading or listening comprehension of the

instructions as set out in the book or explained by the

teacher Subsequently, students have to discuss with their

friends to solve the problem presented by the game They

have to use the language they are learning to express

their opinions and to exchange ideas to reach their goal

Most of the time, their communication is based on an

information gap or opinion gap, thus replicating real life

Communication Games are therefore said to provide

meaningful practice as students have to read, listen,

speak and write for a clear purpose

In conclusion, the analysis above shows that language

games make significant contributions to students’ learning

a foreign language The value of language games lies not

only in the great number of games that have been

invented or in the variety of levels they serve but in the

useful and purposeful language practice they provide

That is why teachers should make optimal use of games in

their language teaching to increase students’ work and

motivation and to offer them meaningful practice Provided

that teachers can select or design and organize good

games in terms of language and type of participation, they

will achieve these worthy aims