Using games to teach english for children aged 8 11 difficulties and solutions

THESIS IN TESOL USING GAMES TO TEACH English FOR CHILDREN AGED 8-11: DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

M.A THESIS IN TESOL

USING GAMES TO TEACH English

FOR CHILDREN AGED 8-11:

DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Degree of Master of Arts

Submitted by: PHAN THỊ HOÀI THƯ

Supervised by: ĐỖ HUY THỊNH, Ph.D.

Ho Chi Minh City December 2007

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled:

USING GAMES TO TEACH ENGLISH FOR CHILDREN AGED 8-11:

DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS

in terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs

issued by the Higher Degree Committee

Ho Chi Minh City, December 2007

PHAN THỊ HOÀI THƯ

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to:

- Dr Đỗ Huy Thịnh, my thesis supervisor, Director of SEAMEO Vietnam for his invaluable instructions, comments and sympathy

RETRAC Dr Hà Văn Sinh, Senior Teacher at Nha Trang Teacher’s Training College, Director of Phước Tiến Language Center in Nha Trang for his help and advice

- All my friends and colleagues at the Youth Foreign Language School for their help and encouragement

- All my family members for their love, sacrifice and support

ABSTRACT

This thesis aims to (1) examine the importance of games in teaching English

to children aged 8-11 at the Youth Foreign Language School in Ho Chi Minh City, (2) identify popular difficulties that teachers of English for children at this age range often face and (3) investigate various factors that cause the difficulties and then (4) find out specific solutions for these difficulties The study used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods, of which the qualitative was dominant The study involved a sample of 127 children aged 8-11 and their six teachers Five data collection types were used in the study: document review, observation, interviewing, filming and questionnaires The results of the study indicated that games played a very important role in the teaching and learning English at the Youth Foreign Language School However, it also revealed numerous difficulties The difficulties fell into four main categories: physical conditions, class management, maintaining students’ interest and combining effectively games and the target language Various solutions were found out and piloted at the Youth Foreign Language School within three months To solve difficulties concerning physical conditions, the teachers need

to be creative to adapt the games to suit the school context To solve difficulties concerning class management, the teachers should form their own class habits for the children and they need to be gentle and, simultaneously, strict to the children To solve difficulties concerning maintaining students’ interest, the teachers need to be, again, creative and sensible in selecting and conducting games To solve difficulties concerning combining effectively games and the target language, the teachers need to

be flexible and patient In sum, sound solutions require the teachers’ devotion, creativeness, patience and also strictness

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certificate of originality……… i

Acknowledgements……… ……… ii

Abstract……… iii

Table of contents……….……… iv

Abbreviations……….……… vi

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION……….………

1.1 Statement of the problem ……… 1

1.2 Significance of the study ……… 2

1.3 About the researcher ……… 2

1.4 Statement of purpose ……… 3

1.5 Research questions ……… 3

1.6 Research methodology ……… 4

1.7 Limitations and Delimitations ……… 4

1.8 Thesis outline ……… 5

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW……… 6

2.1 What is “game”? ……… 6

2.2 Why games in teaching a language? ……… 7

2.3 The characteristics of children’s mental and physical development and language learning ……… 9

2.4 How to use games in teaching English to children? ……… 15

2.5 An overview on the Total Physical Response (TPR) and the Communicative Approach ……… 16

Chapter 3 AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENT TEACHING

3.1 A description of the physical condition at the YFLS ……… 23

3.2 A description of the “English for Children Programs” (EFC Programs) at the YFLS ……… 23

3.3 A description of Let’s Go series (2nd ed.) ……… 24

3.4 A description of the teaching staff and teaching methodologies at the YFLS……… 26

3.5 Teaching games currently used at the YFLS ……… 26

Chapter 4 METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES 37

4.1 Sample Selecting ……… 37

4.2 Data Collection ……… 37

Chapter 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 40 5.1 The importance of games in a language class……… 40

5.2 Popular difficulties that teachers at the YFLS often face ………… 42

5.3 Children’s expectations from games ……… 46

5.4 Solutions for popular difficulties ……… 51

5.5 The teachers’ judgment on the solutions after three months of piloting 57 Chapter 6 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 69 6.1 A summary of the main findings and implications ……… 69

6.2 Recommendations ……… 71

REFERENCES……… … 74

APPENDIXES……… … 77

Appendix 1……… 77

Appendix 2……….… 79

Appendix 3 ……….……… 82

Appendix 4 ……… 83

Appendix 5 ……… 86

ABBREVIATIONS

SEAMEO South - East Asian Ministers of Education Organization TPR Total Physical Response

TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

YFLS Youth Foreign Language School

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the problem

The economic, political and social changes in Vietnam over the past two decades have brought about a more significant role of English as a foreign language in all aspects of the social life English has become an important means

of getting good career, promotion, scholarship and further study Therefore, parents are more concerned about the learning of English of their children when they are at an early age Since 1995, English has been taught in primary schools as

an optional subject in many cities in Vietnam Since then, not only primary schools but also foreign language centers in the country have paid much more attention on the career of teaching English to children However, most teachers are non-native English speaking ones graduating from universities and colleges nationwide and they are trained to teach English to adults or teenagers, not for children at all Meanwhile, teaching English for children requires special care about their typical mental and physical development which strongly affects their process of acquiring a language and their learning style as well The teaching of English to children, therefore, meets numerous difficulties

As a global language, English gives all possible opportunities for even very young children to use it through video, TV, computers and films What they might not be exposed to is the “street” use, i.e., the language used for daily life purposes around them Therefore, there is an onus on the teacher to provide exposure to the language and to provide opportunities for learning through classroom activities It

is now generally accepted that language teaching not merely can be but should be enjoyable What activities are popularly considered enjoyable in teaching a language? The answer is games “Games are enjoyable and games are used to capture the child’s interest” (Clark, 2002, 192), and this conclusion is supported

by many famous educators, trainers and teachers, especially teachers of languages Accordingly, applying games to teach English for children to reap

better results is undeniable Nevertheless, the application of games in teaching English cannot escape from obstacles Therefore, there is a need to find out effective methods as well as tips to minimize the difficulties and maximize positive affects of games in teaching English to children, particularly in the context of Vietnam

1.2 Significance of the study

The teaching of English to children has been dramatically developing in Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, a big city of the country in recent years

By this way or another, English has been being taught to all grades in primary schools, and most language centers and schools in the city have English classes for children Being aware of the mental and physical development of children, teachers have been trying their best to choose adequate teaching methods Among those, using games can be regarded as the most popular and effective way To achieve higher quality in teaching English to children, more attention, therefore, should be paid to it Besides its strengths, the use of games cannot avoid difficulties Not all teachers can realize and solve all of their shortcomings when using games to teach English to children For that reason, the purpose of the study

is to find out common difficulties and provide teachers with specific solutions Thanks to that, games will be effectively organized (that is, not just for time filling or entertainment) Once difficulties are solved satisfactorily, the real value

of games will be maximized Accordingly, the children’s learning of English will reap better results

1.3 About the researcher

I had a chance to teach English to children at Phuoc Tien Foreign Language Center, one of the most famous centers in Nha Trang in 2001 when I was just a third-year student at the university Teaching English to children does interest me I have learned a lot about this work from my friends, and experienced teachers of the center as well as from my own experience Simultaneously, through small talks with the teachers of the center (most of them are also teachers

of English to children at primary schools) and visiting their classes, I noticed that

there existed several problematic difficulties Using games, a very popular and preferred method to teach English to children, faces numerous problems Many teachers complained: “I use games very often in my classes since they help attract pupils Nevertheless, the children often feel bored when they get familiar with all the games after two or three months, and require new games It is very difficult for me to find out new games to satisfy them in every class.” Others said: “My class becomes a market when playing games I cannot control them” Some confessed that they did want to organize an interesting game activity in class but they could not as it took them so much time to prepare for such a game in such a poor context

In 2004, I moved to Ho Chi Minh City for my further study and have been teaching English to children at the Youth Foreign Language School (YFLS) since then Similar problems and complaints still exist It is obvious that using games to teach English to children generally are meeting obstacles Most teachers use games to teach English to children and they all agree with their fantastic effects The great values of games cannot be denied but the difficulties when applying games in teaching should not be ignored to bring the best Therefore, the road to sound solutions still awaits teachers’ efforts and devotions

1.4 Statement of purpose

Keeping the idea of searching for specific solutions for common difficulties in using games to teach English to children aged 8-11, the purposes of this study are, therefore, (1) to examine the role of games in teaching of English to children aged 8-11, (2) to identify popular difficulties that teachers of English to children have to face, (3) to investigate various factors that cause the difficulties and (4) to find out specific solutions for these difficulties

2 What are popular difficulties that teachers of English to children aged

8-11 often face?

3 What might be the factors that cause such difficulties?

4 What could be solutions for each of these difficulties?

1.6 Research methodology

Due to the nature of the study which is to examine the role of games in teaching English to children, to investigate difficulties as well as various factors that causes the difficulties and to find out specific solutions, the qualitative method was dominant However, to minimize the biases and maximize the validity and reliability of the results, the study used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods

1.7 Delimitations and limitations

Because of the constraints of time, resources as well as the researcher’s capability, the study was carried out in only six classes at the YFLS in Ho Chi Minh City, where the researcher is teaching, working and having good relations with the teachers and the staff Besides, children as the subjects of the study were limited to the age of eight to eleven Children of other ages were not mentioned in the research Additionally, the researcher might lack experience in persuading the teachers about the purposes of filming and visiting their classes Although the teachers involved in the study were very enthusiastic, informative, devoted and helpful informants, they sometimes did not want to confide all of their weaknesses Therefore, what happened in the classes might not be the real things They might be something well-prepared and arranged before showing Hence, there might be still many problematic things hidden

Since the research was narrowed in the scope of the YFLS, a private school

in HCM, a big city in Vietnam, the outcomes should be only applied in the city or areas where similar difficulties exist The findings, therefore, cannot generalize nationwide Additionally, the study focused on common difficulties in using games to teach English to children, the findings may not cover other unpopular

ones Also, the findings are for the teaching English to children aged 8-11 and therefore, they may not be suitable for those of other ages.

1.8 Thesis outline

The study is divided into six chapters

Chapter One introduces the entire area of the study This chapter affirms the importance of games in teaching English for children and an explanation for carrying out the research

Chapter Two presents theoretical background of using games in teaching

a second/ foreign language, characteristics of children’s mental and physical development and their language acquisition

Chapter Three gives a description of English teaching and learning at the Youth Foreign Language School, which focuses on English for children programs

Chapter Four is the methodology employed in the research

Chapter Five reports the results and the main findings of the study

Chapter Six ends the study with a conclusion of the use of games in teaching English for children, difficulties and solutions This chapter puts forward some pedagogical implications for using games in particular and in teaching English for children in general It also points out some limitations and delimitations of the study and closes the study with some suggestions for further research

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

The pedagogical values of games in language teaching and learning at all levels have been well documented and there have been many studies on their values to the teaching of English to children as well

2.1 What is “game”?

There are various definitions of games A game, in a general meaning, is a structured or semi-structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool The term "game" is also used to describe simulation of various activities: for the purposes of training, analysis or prediction, etc Games are generally distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression

of ideas However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games may also be considered work

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interactivity Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational or psychological role

In language teaching, games are defined as “play activities that become institutionalized” (Garvie, 1979, p 101) More particularly, according to Hadfield

(1999), a game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun And he

categorized games into two main types: competitive games, in which players or teams race to be the first to reach the goal, and co-operative games, in which

players or teams work together towards a common goal While Lee (1991) defined games as ones have a definite beginning and end and being governed by rules He also pointed that there was no clear-cut line of division in language teaching between games and non-games

Meanwhile Greenhall (1984) narrowed down the definition of games in teaching languages that “Game is an element of competition between individual students or teams in a language activity” (p 17) It seems that most of the authors agreed that in a so-call game, whatever it is, there should be rules and competition between individuals or teams And thanks to these features, games have their own values in teaching languages

2.2 Why games in teaching a language?

“Any activities we bring into the classroom will, inevitably, carry a hidden agenda or an additional benefit other than its linguistic content” (Greenwood,

1997, p 1) According to Greenwood (1997), games bring to the language class both linguistic contents and fun Beside the language, games also develop co-operation and competition Some depend on memory or concentration; others are designed to develop good learning strategies, and to a certain extent, they provide

an opportunity to have a good laugh What all kinds of games have in common is

an element of fun, play or challenge which is very valuable in teaching a language

Cameron (2001) pointed out that interactive use of games, songs, rhymes, and stories can bring the students both language content and practice Moreover,

“Games offer a context in which language is used meaningfully and as a mean to

an end, and act as a diagnostic tool for the teacher, highlighting areas of difficulty” (Hadfield, 1999, p.10) He also added that games are immensely enjoyable for both teachers and students, anyway Ur and Wright (1999) agreed that a game, as an amusing item, help language learners leave the class with a smile, i.e., a feeling of satisfaction

Lee (1991) noticed that when attention is sharply focused, and the learners’ energy stretched to the full in a game, it is hard to see any difference between

“work” and “play”- there is a pleasant, informal, and often relaxing atmosphere, favorable to language learning According to Lee, most language games distract the learners’ attention from the study of the linguistic forms The learners will stop thinking about the language and instead, they use it receptively or

productively as a means of considering something else, as those with an advanced command of the language This can be inferred that playing games help sweep away the stress while learning And as a result, the learners will find an easy and relaxing feeling to learn, not an exacting one With such a relaxing and comfortable mood, learners will acquire knowledge more easily

Hadfield (2000) also highly appreciated the role of games in teaching a

language thanks to its fun As for him, games of any kind are usually fun Students who are having fun are usually motivated Fun is a vital ingredient in the fight against the “homework syndrome”, which is usually considered a burden to many students

Lewis (1999) approved the roles of games in teaching a language not only

for the fun it brings to the learners, but also for the language He showed out that apart from their motivational value as an enjoyable form of activity, games provide a context in which the language is embedded The games create its own world: for the duration of the game, it replaces the external reality

Lee (1991) also argued that repetition is basic to language learning, but not the repetition of mechanical drills However, it seems to be the repetition of successful and interesting communication having the most encouraging, language advancing, and motivating effects And he realized that this very kind of repetition

is found in many language games And they can, to a certain extent, sustain

language learners’ motivations This can be inferred that games play a fairly

important role in teaching and learning a language

Games have great values in the career of educating and training children in general and in teaching a language in particular However, games (as English class activities) should not be considered simply entertainment but serve as a fun

way to present, practice or review materials (Reetz et al, 2000) Dunn (1985)

reported that children liked games very much and they could communicate through playing games Phillips (1993) also agreed that games involving coloring, cutting, sticking, telling simple stories, etc had an obvious communicative value Games help reduce anxiety and increase young learners’ personal involvement

(Klein, 1993) Ha Van Sinh (2004) asserted that games helped not only reduce children’s anxiety but also assist them in quickly memorizing and using the language If a game is enjoyable, it will be memorable (Phillips, 1993) Furthermore, games combining actions and movements help sustain children’s interest and motivation during the process of learning a foreign language (Ha Van Sinh, 2004)

In sum, for the great values in both fun and language they bring to a language class, games are very much favored in teaching and learning English, especially for children for learners of this type have special features in their

mental and physical development

2.3 The characteristics of children’s mental and physical development and language learning

The effect of age on language acquisition has been extensively documented Aiming to reap the best results, logically, there is a must to consider the children’s mental and physical development in teaching English to children

Scott and Ytreberg (1993) noticed that there were big mental and physical differences among children of different years of age and even in each individual of the same age But in general, most researchers and educators agreed that children in general had a very short attention and concentration span (Dunn, 1985; Lee, 1991; Scott & Ytreberg, 1993; Vale, 1985) Scott and Ytreberg also noticed that the length of time a child could concentrate also varied from child to child (some could only manage to concentrate for about five minutes, others for a longer period up to fourteen or fifteen minutes) Besides, their own understanding came through hands and eyes and ears, and the physical world was dominant (Scott & Ytreberg) They had a great ability

of mimicking and were often unselfconscious and willing to enjoy the activities that the teacher had prepared for them (Phillips, 1993) Conversely, Piper

(1993) argued that children would not do and join in the activities that they were not interested in Children “want to move, wriggle and touch everything” and therefore, class activities need to give children an opportunity to move around such as rhythms (jumping and dancing), games and other physical activities (Dunn, p.14) Many authors agreed that young children loved to play and learned best when they enjoyed themselves (Dunn; Garvie, 1979; Scott & Ytreberg) They seemed to be absorbed in playing games which were appropriate for their stage of development (Dunn)

Nunan (1999) quoted from Ellis (1985) that it was necessary to distinguish between the effect of age on the route of acquisition (whether the same target language items were acquired in the same order for different learners), the rate (how rapidly the learners acquire the language, and ultimate attainment (how proficient they end up being) More particularly, Cameron (1991) reminded teachers of foreign languages that a person’s learning a second/ foreign language

in terms of developed skills and abilities at the earliest stages is different from learning in the first language “By the age of five, individual differences in language domains will be established and so, some children will find it easier to learn vocabulary than others, or children with more developed conversational skills may transfer these to the new language more easily than others From the same language lesson, it is likely that different children will learn different things, depending partly on what they find easier to learn” (Cameron, 1991, p 13)

For my study is limited to the children aging from 8 to 11, I would like to

go into more details about the mental and physical development of children of this age range Children from eight to eleven years of age possess some common

characteristics Children of five are little children and children of ten are relatively

mature children with an adult side and a childish side (Scott and Ytreberg, 1993) According to these two educators, at the age from 8 to 10 or 11, children have some general characteristics as below:

Their basic concepts are formed They have very decisive views of the world

They can tell the difference between facts and fictions

They ask questions all the time

They rely on the spoken words as well as the physical world

to convey and understand meaning

They are able to make some decisions about their own learning

They have definite views about what they like and don't like doing

They have a developed sense of fairness about what happens

in the classroom and begin to question the teacher's decisions

They are able to work with others and learn from others

About their language development

According to Rae (2007), children are better mimics He quoted from Ortiz (2001, p 1) “such brain science supports the notion that children who are trying to learn a language as a second language are better off if they continue developing their primary language.” Thus, it takes children one to two years to communicate easily in the second language These are what children have in common How about children of the age from eight to eleven?

Rae (2007) believed that children from eight to eleven had a language with all the basic elements in place They are competent users of their mother tongue and in this connection they are aware of the main rules of syntax in their own language By the age of ten or eleven children can:

understand abstracts understand symbols (beginning with words) generalize and systematize

This refers to children's general language development There is still a lot

in children’s learning a foreign language we do not know Anyway, it is agreed

upon that there are many similarities between learning one's mother tongue and learning a second/ foreign language in spite of the differences in age and time availability Much seems to depend on which mother tongue the pupils speak and

on social and emotional factors in the child's background What is clear here is that most children from eight to ten or eleven years old are seen to have some sort

of language awareness and readiness which they bring with them into the foreign language classroom This is confirmed by Ha Van Sinh in his research on Vietnamese children’s learning English in primary schools in 2006 His study found that Grade 3 children (8 or 9 years of age) acquired a foreign language much faster than those who were in Grades 1 and 2 (6-7 years of age) when they were put in the same group And he reasoned that the faster acquisition of English exhibited by Grade 3 children might have resulted from advanced development of the first language system or their advanced cognitive abilities in general, and consequently the children in Grades 1 and 2 could not keep up with their Grade 3 peers Grade 3 pupils’ first language is well-developed and they are more ready to learn a language They are quicker learners than students in Grades 1 and 2 And this can be explained by the children’s mutual development of their first and second languages, whereby second language development is promoted by the positive transfer of language concepts and literary skills from the high level of the first language system developed during the early primary school years (Colliers & Thomas, 1999)

The ages from five to ten see dramatic changes in children, but we cannot say exactly when this happens because it is different for all individuals The magic age seems to be around seven or eight At around seven or eight, things seem to fall into place for most children and they begin to make sense of the adult world

as we see it, Scott and Ytreberg (1993) To illustrate this point, Scott and Ytreberg took an example of young children’s telling jokes Five-year-old children laughed because everybody else did, but they did not always understand the joke If they were asked to re-tell the joke it would be nonsense Seven-year-old children thought jokes were funny and they learned them off by heart This means that they often get the punch line wrong or have to be prompted Ten-year-

old children remembered jokes and could work out the punch line from the situation The system of language and the understanding of it seem to fall into place for many children in the same way

Mastering the characteristics of children’s mental and physical development can benefit teachers in teaching a language to children In research, the children’s age ranges from 8 to 11

Basing on the characteristics of children’s mental and physical development mentioned above, teachers of languages can find out numerous valuable ways to introduce a language to children in general, and to apply games

in teaching languages to them in particular

From the characteristics mentioned above, Scott and Ytreberg (1993, p 6) showed out several notable suggestions for teachers of languages:

5-Words are not enough

• Teachers should not rely on the spoken words only Most activities for the younger learners should include movements and involve the senses Teachers will need to have plenty of objects and pictures to work with, and to make full use of the school and the surroundings

• Teachers should demonstrate what they want the children to do The balance will change as the children get older, but appealing to the senses will always help the pupils to learn

Let the children play with the language

• Let the pupils talk to themselves Make up rhymes, sing songs, tell stories, etc

• Play with the language - let them talk nonsense, experiment with words and sounds Playing with the language in this way is very common in first language development and is a very natural stage in the first stages of foreign language learning too

Language as language

It takes time to be aware of language as something separate from the events that take place Most children from eight to eleven year olds already have this awareness in their own language The spoken word is often accompanied by other clues to meaning such as facial expressions and movements As a matter of fact,

we should make full use of these clues When pupils start to read, the language becomes something permanent and there are fewer other clues to meaning Pupils can take a book home, they can read it again and again and then they can stop, think about the language and work it out The same is true for writing So reading and writing are extremely important for the child's growing awareness of language and for their own growth in the language, although both are very demanding and take time and patience to learn

Create a variety in the classroom

Since concentration and attention spans are short, variety becomes a must - variety in activities, variety in pace, variety of organization and variety in voice Older pupils can concentrate for longer periods and teachers should allow them to

do so, but still need lots of variety

Form routines

Children benefit from knowing the rules and being familiar with the situation They need to have systems, have routines, organize and plan their lessons Moreover, they should use familiar situations, familiar activities or repeat stories and rhymes

Cooperation, not competition

• Avoid rewards and prizes Other forms of encouragement are much more effective

• Make room for shared experiences - they are an invaluable source of language work and create an atmosphere of involvement and togetherness Most

of us enjoy the feeling of belonging and this is particularly true of young children

Group the children together whenever possible This does not mean that

children around them and sitting with others encourages cooperation Genuine cooperative pair-work and group-work is usually the result of a long process Some pupils work best alone

Scott and Ystreberg advised teachers to build up cooperation and avoid competition However, many game designers and educators seem to disagree with this viewpoint They believed that games with competition motivated the children

a lot (Hadfield, 1990; Lewis, 1999; Piper, 1993) “Children are curiously paradoxical They can be both committed to co-operation and at the same time, fiercely competitive,” Gordon, 1999, p 14

2.4 How to use games in teaching English to children?

The use of games in teaching English to children also needs careful consideration; otherwise, they mean nonsense but “time-fillers” only (Dunn, 1985,

p 63) He also showed that games were most useful only when being integrated with teaching, learning and consolidating the use of language items Moreover, the instructions for games should be short and easy to understand since children would lose patience and motivation if it took long time to acquire the rules of the games (Ha Van Sinh, 2004) The length, the challenge and the appropriate time to

use games also worry many authors Reetz et al (2000) suggested that a game or

any activity should not last more than seven minutes whilst Ha Van Sinh (2004) argued that large classes (30 pupils each or more) required quite longer time and that five to seven-minute activities seemed to “de-motivate the children and

provide inadequate practice” (p.4) Reetz et al (2000) advised to use games to end

a class since young learners would leave with a sense of accomplishment, wanting

to learn more And it is advisable to stop playing when one third of the class begin

to lose interest (Dunn, 1985) According to Ha Van Sinh (2004), teachers needed

to be creative as well as possess good management skills if they wish to successfully conduct a game in a large and resource-poor class (in the case of Nhatrang City, Vietnam); otherwise, the class would be chaotic and out of control Lewis and Hill (1992), in the contrary, advised teachers not to be afraid of noise nor silence

In sum, the researchers have mentioned common difficulties and general solutions Yet, the special cases of Nhatrang City as well as the YFLS need more specific solutions found out aiming to help the teachers overcome problematic situations in using games to teach English to children

2.5 An overview on the Total Physical Response (TPR) and the Communicative Approach

Total Physical Response (TPR) and the Communicative Approach

considered the key methods in the teaching English to children at the YFLS

Thus, there should be an overview on them

a Total Physical Response (TPR)

What are the goals of teachers who use TPR?

Teachers who use TPR believe in the importance of having their students enjoy their experience in learning to communicate in a foreign language In fact, TPR was developed in order to reduce the stress that people often suffer when studying foreign languages and thereby encourage students to persist in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency The way to do this, Asher believes,

is to base foreign languages learning upon the way children learn their native language

What are the role of the teacher and the role of the students in TPR?

Initially, the teacher is the director of all student behaviors The students are imitators of her nonverbal model At some point (usually after ten to twenty hours of instruction), some students will be “ready to speak” At that point there will be a role reversal with individual students directing the teacher and the other students

What are the characteristics of the teaching and learning process in TPR?

The first phase of a lesson is modeling The instructor issues commands to

a few students, then performs the actions with them In the second phase, these same students demonstrate what they can understand from the commands by performing them alone The observers also have an opportunity to demonstrate

their understanding Then the teacher recombines elements of the commands to have the students develop flexibility in understanding unfamiliar utterances These commands, which are performed by the students, are often humorous

After learning to respond to some oral commands, the students learn to read and write them When the students are ready to speak, they become the ones who issue the commands Until the students begin speaking, the activities expand

to include skits and games

What are the nature of student-teacher interaction and the nature of student-student interaction in TPR?

The teacher interacts with the whole group of students and with individual students Initially the interaction is characterized by the teacher speaking and the students responding nonverbally Later on, the students become more verbal and the teacher responds nonverbally The students perform the actions together They can learn by watching at each other At some point, however, Asher believes observers must demonstrate their understanding of the commands in order to retain them As the students begin to speak, they issue commands to one another

as well as to the teacher

How are the feelings of the students dealt with in TPR?

One of the main reasons TPR was developed was to reduce the stress that people often feel when studying foreign languages One of the primary ways to accomplish is to allow learners to speak only when they are ready Forcing them

to speak before then will only create anxiety Also, when the students do begin to speak, perfection should not be expected

Another way to relieve anxiety is to make language learning as enjoyable

as possible The use of zany commands and humorous skits are two ways of showing that language learning can be fun

Finally, it is important that there should not be too much modeling and the teacher should not be too rushed either Feelings of success and low anxiety facilitate learning

What areas of language and language skills are emphasized in TPR?

Vocabulary and grammatical structures are emphasized over other language areas These are embedded within imperatives The imperatives are single words and multi-word chunks One reason for the use of imperatives is their frequency of occurrence in the speech of young children when they acquire their native language Understanding the spoken words should precede their production Spoken language is emphasized over written language Students often

do not learn to read the commands they have already learned to perform until after ten hours of instruction

What is the role of the students' native language in TPR?

TPR is usually introduced in the student's native language After the introduction, rarely would the native language be used The meaning is made clear through body movements

How is evaluation accomplished in TPR?

Teachers will know immediately whether or not students understand by observing their students' actions Formal evaluations can be conducted simply by commanding individual students to perform a series of actions As students become more advanced, their performance of skits they have created can become the basis for evaluation

How does the teacher respond to student errors in TPR?

It is expected that students will make errors when they first begin speaking Teachers should be tolerant of them and only correct major errors, even these should be corrected unobtrusively As students get more advanced, teachers can

'fine tune', i.e correct more minor errors

How important are games in TPR?

A variety of activities is preferred for maintaining the students’ interest Among the activities, games are used frequently in TPR Most games used in TPR are those with movement The students find them enjoyable, and if they are properly designed, they give students valuable practice

b Communicative Approach

After a long period of observing and studying, most language researchers and language teachers realized that being able to communicate required more than linguistic competence It required communicative competence Language learners should know when and how to say what to whom Such observations contributed

to a shift in the field in the late 1970s and early 1980s, from a linguistic

structure-centered approach to a Communicative Approach (Widdowson, 1990)

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) aims broadly to apply the theoretical perspective of the Communicative Approach by making communicative competence the goal of language teaching and by acknowledging the inter-dependence of language and communication

What are the goals of teachers who use CLT?

The goal is to enable students to communicate in the target language To do this, the students need the knowledge of the linguistic forms, meanings, and functions They need to know that many different forms can be used to perform a function and also that a single form can often serve a variety of functions They must be able to choose from among these the most appropriate forms and they must be given the social context and the roles of the interlocutors They must also

be able to manage the process of negotiating meaning with their interlocutors Communication is a process and only the knowledge of the forms of language is insufficient

What are the characteristics of the teaching and learning process in CLT?

The most obvious characteristic of CLT is that almost everything is conducted with a communicative intent Students use the language through communicative activities such as games, role plays and problem-solving tasks Activities that are truly communicative have three features in common: informa-tion gap, choice, and feedback

An information gap exists when one person in an exchange knows something that the other person does not In communication, the speaker has a choice of what he will say and how he will say it If the exercise is tightly

controlled so that students can only say something in one way, the speaker has no choice and the exchange, therefore, is not communicative In a chain drill, for example, if a student must reply to his neighbor's question in the same way as his neighbor replied to someone else's question, then he has no choice of form and content, and real communication does not occur

True communication is purposeful A speaker can thus evaluate his purpose achieved or not based upon the information he receives from his listeners If the listener does not have an opportunity to provide the speaker with such feedback, then the exchange is not really communicative Forming questions through a transformation drill may be a worthwhile activity, but it is not in keeping with CLT since a speaker will receive no response from a listener, so is unable to assess whether his question has been understood or not

Another characteristic of CLT is the use of authentic materials It is considered desirable to give students an opportunity to develop strategies for understanding language as it is actually used

Finally, activities in CLT are often carried out by students in small groups Small numbers of students interacting are favored in order to maximize the time allotted to each student for communicating

What are the nature of student-teacher interaction and the nature of student-student interaction in CLT?

The teacher may present some parts of the lesson, such as when working with linguistic accuracy At other times, he is the facilitator of the activities, but

he does not always himself interact with the students Sometimes he is a communicator, but more often he establishes situations that prompt communication between and among the students

co-Students interact a great deal with one another They do this in various configurations: pairs, triads, small groups and whole group

How are the feelings of the students dealt with in CLT?

One of the basic assumptions of CLT is that by learning to communicate, students will be more motivated to study a foreign language since they will feel they are learning to do something useful with the language Also, in CLT, teachers give students an opportunity to express their individuality by having them share their ideas and opinions on a regular basis Finally, students’ security is enhanced

by many opportunities for cooperative interactions with their fellow students and the teacher

What are the role of the teacher and the role of the students in CLT?

The teacher facilitates communication in the classroom In this role, one of his major responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication During the activities, the teacher acts as an adviser, answering the students' questions and monitoring their performance The teacher might take notes of the students’ errors to be worked on at a later time during more accuracy-based activities At other times he might be a “co-communicator” engaging in the communicative activity along with students Furthermore, since the teacher’s role

is less dominant in this student-centered method, the students are seen as more responsible for their own learning

What areas of language and language skills are emphasized?

Language functions might be emphasized over forms A variety of forms are introduced for each function Only the simpler forms would be presented at first, but as students get more proficient in the target language, the functions and more complex forms are re-introduced Students work with language at the supra-sentential or discourse level They learn about cohesion and coherence Also, students work on all four skills from the beginning

What is the role of the students' native language in CLT?

Judicious use of the students’ native language is permitted in CLT However, whenever possible, the target language should be used not only during communicative activities, but also for explaining the activities to the students or assigning homework The students learn from these classroom management

exchanges too It is the teacher’s responsibility to help the students realize that the target language is a vehicle for communication, not just an object to be studied

How is evaluation accomplished in CLT?

Not only the students’ accuracy but also their fluency is evaluated A teacher can informally evaluate his students’ performance in his role as an advisor

or co-communicator For more formal evaluation, a teacher is likely to use an integrative test which has a real communication function In order to assess the students’ writing skills, for instance, the teacher might ask them to write a letter to

a friend

How does the teacher respond to student errors in CLT?

Errors of forms are tolerated during fluency-based activities and are seen as

a natural outcome of communication skills development Students can have limited linguistic knowledge but still be successful communicators Teachers are advised to note the errors and ignore them during fluency activities and return to them later in an accuracy-based activity

How important are games in CLT?

Games are used frequently in CLT The students find them enjoyable, and

if they are properly designed, they give students valuable communicative practice

(Larsen-Freeman, 2000)

Of course, what is authentic and natural to native speakers of the target

language is not so to learners in the classroom What is important is that these materials are used in a way that is real for learners (Larsen-Freeman, 2000, p

133)

CHAPTER 3

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENT TEACHING AND LEARNING AT THE YFLS

Being found in 1976, the YFLS, an affiliation of the Youth Culture House

of Ho Chi Minh City, has experienced more than 30 years of struggling to survive

up to now As an affiliation of The Youth Culture House, the main aim of the school is, therefore, to teach English to the youth around the city and the students from other provinces Since 2000, in the booming of children’s learning English, the school started to enhance the teaching of English to children to serve the huge needs of learning English of young learners in the city As a semi-governmental organization, the school has faced to so many difficulties in both physical conditions and administration However, with great efforts, the school has achieved considerable results in the teaching English to children during the past seven years The school is now exerting itself in all fields to survive and to be able

to compete with so many high-qualified language centers in the city

3.1 A description of the physical condition at the YFLS

The school is equipped with 27 air-conditioned rooms Every room is equipped with a cassette player, a white board, fixed tables and chairs There are

no special rooms for children Children have to study in the rooms with boards, chairs and tables designed for adults The rooms are not equipped with modern facilities for teaching such as language labs, computer labs and projectors like other famous centers in the city (SEAMEO, VUS, ILA, etc.) There is only a movable set of DVD and TV for the children seeing films or extra-activities As a result, the teaching and learning at the school cannot avoid limitations

3.2 A description of the “English for Children Programs” (EFC Programs) at the YFLS

EFC programs at the school are especially designed for children from age 4

to 14 and they are generally classified into three levels Children aged 4 and 5 are put in the Pre-starters Class The coursebooks for this age range are the series of

“Tiny Talk” (1st edition) Children aged 6-11 are put in the Starters, Movers and Flyers Classes up to their available English proficiency The coursebooks for this age range are the seven-level series of “Let’s Go” (2nd edition) However, the first level (Starter Level) is not used since children who have finished “Tiny Talk” will

go direct into Let’s Go 1 And the school is gradually changing to Let’s Go 3rdEdition and plans to finish this change next year Children aged 12-14 are put in the Teens Class (English for Teenagers) The coursebooks for this age range are the series of “Open Doors” (1st edition)

At the school, children’s English proficiency is categorized into five different levels: Pre-starters, Starters, Movers, Flyers (basing on the Examination System of Cambridge University for Young Learners of English from 7 to 12 years of age) and Teens Each level will last in eight months, equivalent to a hundred and sixty 45-minute classes Each level is divided into four sub-levels The children have to pass the final tests after each sub-level The programs are always adjusted and re-designed basing on the updated information to reap the best results in teaching and learning at the school

3.3 A description of Let’s Go series (2 nd ed.)

There has been a trend of applying Let’s Go Series (2nd ed.) into the teaching English for children in Vietnam in the past few years thanks to their outstanding strengths in the comparison with other textbooks at the time The Youth Foreign Language School decided to choose this series to be the main course-books Therefore, there should be an overview on this series

Let's Go Second Edition is a seven-level course designed for children

learning English for the first time The themes and situations throughout the books

are universal to children everywhere Let's Go emphasizes communication within

a carefully controlled grammatical syllabus Beginning with the first lesson, students are provided with a variety of activities, focusing on interactive communication that gradually increases in difficulty Students are regularly presented with new vocabulary and structures so that they have adequate language

to communicate with at each new level

Experiences that are familiar to children are featured throughout the course

in dialogues, songs, and exercises This enables students to quickly begin speaking in English about situations they can easily relate to The activities and exercises in each lesson are highly student-centered Students are encouraged to communicate with one another, first in groups and then, when they have developed sufficient confidence and familiarity with the language in pairs Pairwork is considered crucial since it is here that students are communicating in the situation most closely resembling life outside the classroom

The lessons in Let's Go incorporate techniques from several methods that

have been repeatedly proven successful in teaching English to children These include:

¾ Ritsuko Nakata's MAT (Model, Action, Talk) Method, which emphasizes the use of actions and brief, intensive drills that enable students

to learn a maximum of English skills in a minimum amount of time This MAT is for Starter level only

¾ James Asher's Total Physical Response (TPR), which is based in part on the belief that linking physical action with language will aid retention

¾ The Functional Approach, which emphasizes the proper context in which to use certain expressions

¾ The Communicative Approach, which is based on the belief that language used in the classroom should be used to communicate thoughts and feelings that are meaningful to the students

¾ The Audio-Lingual Approach, which focuses on the sounds and syntax of the language

¾ The Grammatical/Structural approaches, which examine the grammar of the language

(Let’s Go Second Edition-Teacher’s Book, 2000)

Among these six approaches, the James Asher's Total Physical Response (TPR) and the Communicative Approach are the two leading approaches in the

teaching English for children at the YFLS Furthermore, these two approaches could be considered the most preferred and popular in teaching English to children in Vietnam at the present Teachers of English for children expect to conduct games more successfully in their class if they master the principles of these methods, which benefit them a lot in TESOL methodology

3.4 A description of the teaching staff and teaching methodologies at the YFLS

All teachers at the YFLS are Vietnamese ones graduating from colleges or universities of English nationwide These teachers are recruited basing on their English proficiency, teaching capacity and personalities (judged by degrees and person-to-person interviews) There are no native English-speaking teachers at the school for various reasons Though every effort has been made by the Vietnamese teachers to reap the best results, the lack of native English-speaking teachers is a disadvantage for both teachers and learners This is one of the biggest shortcomings of the school

Together with the update teaching methodologies, the school orients the lessons highly interactive and stimulating by providing students with various classroom-activities to practice and develop their language skills, to increase language fluency and confidence of using the language in the class and outside the class Teachers are orientated to the methods in the Let’s Go series Among these, the James Asher’s Total Physical Response and the Communicative Approach are highly appreciated (as mentioned in the previous part) Also, basing on the mental and physical characteristics of children (who like playing a lot), games are highly encouraged for not only its fun but also its great values in teaching and learning a language as mentioned so far Games recommended in the Let’s Go series are carefully considered in the particular context of the school

3.5 Teaching games currently used at the YFLS

Most games currently conducted at the school are the ones recommended

in Let’s Go Series and some Vietnamese traditional ones familiar to the children

creative and flexible They are bold to adapt the game rules to make the games more effective and interesting to the children However, some teachers seem to be rather rigid They do not want to adapt the games to suit their children They just apply exactly what recommended in the teacher’s books For the games that are unfeasible in the real context of the school, these teachers just slip This solution seems to de-motivate the students Therefore, the school always encourages the teachers to be creative and feel free to adapt the games when applying the games

in their daily teaching to benefit the students

Followings are some games recommended in Let’s Go Series which are popularly used at the school

a Games for Drilling Vocabulary

Bingo

This game encourages vocabulary memorization and listening comprehension Give each student a nine-square grid, with three rows of three squares each The students select nine picture cards (based on the lesson vocabulary) and arrange them at random on the grid Students can also write the vocabulary words in the grid The caller (either the teacher or a student) picks a card from a duplicate set

of cards and calls out the word or phrase indicated on the card If the students have that card on their grids, they turn the card over or cover it with a piece of paper The first student to cover three squares across, down, or diagonally wins the game

Variation:

Instead of using a grid, students can simply arrange their word or picture cards in columns and rows

Concentration

This activity helps build memory skills Separate the students into pairs or groups

of three or four Give two sets of picture cards to each group and place them facedown in random order on the desk One at a time, students turn over two cards and try to find two identical cards As each student looks at the cards, he or she

says the word or phrase that is shown If the cards match, the student keeps them and gets a point

Guess the Word

This activity reviews vocabulary and at the same time encourages students to make guesses Divide the class into groups of three to five students each Student

1 thinks of a word and writes one letter from the word on a piece of paper The other students try to guess the word If no one has guessed correctly after the round, Student 1 adds another letter to the word The student who guesses Student 1’s word thinks of the next word

Hidden Words

This game requires word or picture cards, as well as number cards The number cards should be large enough to cover the word or picture cards Place the word or picture cards along the chalk rail Cover each card with a number card Divide the class into two teams Student 1 from Team A calls out a number Reveal the word

or picture card that is under that number card Give the student a count of three to say the word If the student says the word correctly, give the team a point If the student cannot remember the word, cover the word up again and allow Student 1 from Team B to call out a number Play alternates back and forth between teams until all the words have been said

As an alternative to using cards, you can write the words on the board Cut out several pieces of paper, each piece large enough to cover a word Write numbers

on the pieces of paper and tape them over the words The game continues as described above

Missing Words

Select one or several sentences from the reading passage Write the sentence(s) on the board, omitting one or several words Have students think of a word to fill each space As a variation, have students think of as many different words as possible that could fill each space

Rhythm

Form a circle with the students Have everyone count off by tens (T is 10, Student

1 is 20, Student 3 is 30, etc Establish a one-two rhythm: two slaps to the thighs; two claps twice; snap thumb and finger of right hand once; snap thumb and finger

of left hand once Repeat until all can keep the rhythm Begin by calling out your own number (10) on the right snap, then another student's number (30) on the left snap That student (30) responds by calling another number on the next round

Scramble

This activity encourages vocabulary memorization and listening comprehension

It is also a good choice when the students need a chance to be active Students sit

in a circle (or several circles for large classes) There are two ways to play the game One way is to assign a different word to each student Call out two words at random Those two students stand and exchange seats To cue all students to

change seats, call out Scramble! The first time you call Scramble!, remove one

chair from the circle Now one student will have to remain standing in the center

of the circle When two students exchange seats, they will have to race with the student in the center to get a seat Another way you can play this game is to assign several students the same word Call out only one word instead of two All students assigned that word must switch places

As an option, especially for the second variation, give each student a word or picture card with the assigned object written or drawn on it The first time a student is left in the center of the circle, take away this student’s object card After that, any student going into the center will always give his or her object card to the student he or she is replacing

group to slap the correct card and produce the word or phrase shown on the card takes it The student in each group holding the most cards is the winner This can also be played with a caller in each group In this case, each group would need two sets of cards

b Games for Drilling Vocabulary and Structures

Back-to-Back/Screens Activity

This activity creates a situation where students must depend on each other to complete an assignment, thus I encouraging communication To begin, pair off students Partners sit back-to-back, or with a screen between them so that they cannot see each others papers An open file folder or notebook standing on its bottom edge works well as a screen

In one variation, provide all students with blank grids (or partially filled-in grids, depending on the activity) Student 1 completes his or her grid in response to the teacher’s instructions Student 2 tries to reproduce Student 1's grid by asking Student l questions, or in some cases by listening to Student l's description and asking questions for reinforcement whenever necessary When finished, partners compare grids for accuracy, and then reverse roles

The second variation involves drawing Provide students with blank pieces of paper (or partial drawings, depending on the activity) Student 1 draws a simple picture in response to your instructions Student 1 then tells Student 2 what to draw in order to reproduce Student 1's picture as closely as possible When finished, partners compare pictures for accuracy, and then reverse roles

Board Race

There are many variations to this activity, some of which involve having students compete to demonstrate their recall of new vocabulary, and others in which students compete to demonstrate their ability to use new-structures while recalling new vocabulary One variation is to divide the class into teams Place a row of word or picture cards along the chalk or marker rail Say one of the words; one

student from each team races to the board to touch the correct card The student then uses the new word in a sentence, using the newly learned structure

Another variation that works well with smaller classes is to have the class form a line near the board The first two students in line come up to the chalk rail Give each student a pointer (e.g., a ruler or a marker) Call out one of the words Students race to touch the card and repeat the word The winning student remains

at the chalk rail to challenge the next player The losing student passes the pointer

to the next student in line Repeat the activity until all students have had a chance

to compete at least once

Team Games

Vocabulary identification and question-and-answer practice can be done in teams Many students enjoy the excitement of team competition, and the possibilities for activities are endless For example: Divide the class into two or more teams Have one student from each team come up to the front of the room Ask a question; the first student to respond correctly wins a point for his or her team Alternately, two students face each other One student asks a question from the lesson and the other student answers If the students do this correctly, both teams earn a point

Tic-Tac-Toe

This activity uses the competition of a Tic-Tac-Toe game to encourage student participation Divide the class into teams Draw a nine-square grid on the board Each square should be numbered Ask a student from Team A a question If the student answers correctly, the team can place an "X" or an "0" on the grid in the location of their choice, which they can indicate by stating the number Alternate asking questions to both teams The first team to earn three "X"s or "0"s in a row

on the grid wins

Walk and Talk

Place different (non-identical) pairs of Student and Teacher Cards around the

room Have students walk around in pairs At the signal Stop!, partners must stop

at a pair of cards and exchange questions and answers, using the cards as cues

Student 1: (pointing to the first card) What's this? Student 2: It's a (pencil) Partners then switch roles Student 2: (pointing to the other card) What's this? Student l: It's a (pen)

c Games for Drilling Conversations

Back-to-Back Telephones

If possible, use toy telephones or old phones Pair off students, and give each student a phone Have partners sit back-to-back and pretend they are talking on the phone When facing away from each other, and when others are also speaking, students must speak very clearly and concentrate on what their partners are saying Have partners practice their dialogue twice, so that each student can practice both parts Circulate and help as necessary

Conversation Lines

Have the students stand in parallel lines facing each other so that each student has

a partner in the opposite line Partners practice the question-and-answer pattern:

Student 1: What's your name?

Student 2: My name is (Kate) What's your name?

Student 1: My name is (John)

Then have the two lines move one space (left or right) in opposite directions Have the student with no partner at the end of the line come to the front of the line

so that every student has a new partner Repeat the dialogue Listen to the pairs at the front of the lines and help them as necessary

Dialogue Musical Chairs

Place chairs back-to-back in two rows or at random around the room Have one chair less than the number of students in the class Play the recording of a song or instrumental music As the music plays, students move around the room to greet each other and practice dialogue When the music stops, the students sit down The student without a chair to sit on is out of the game Continue the game until there is one student left For variety, remove two chairs at a time The two

students who remain standing must say a dialogue together or ask each other a question

Step Away Lines

This activity encourages children to speak loudly Have students stand in two rows facing each other, so that each student has a partner in the opposite line Have each pair say a dialogue Each time a pair completes the dialogue, both partners take a giant step back and repeat the dialogue Every time they do so, they will naturally need to speak louder in order to be heard by each other

d Games for Drilling Commands

Command Chain

Have students form circles of 8-10 each Give and perform a command to begin

the chain Teacher: Touch the ruler One student in each circle repeats the command, does the action, and adds another command Student l: Touch the ruler

Point to the chair Continue, with each student adding a new command after

repeating and doing the previous commands

Charades

There are several ways to do this activity, which involves using gestures to express meaning In its basic form, begin by placing word or picture cards facedown in a pile One student takes a card from the top of the pile without showing it to the rest of the class After looking at the card, the student acts out the word using gestures The class must guess the action Instead of using word or picture cards, you can simply whisper the word or phrase to the student A variation of this activity is one in which students must guess what the acting student is doing by asking questions using the newly learned structure

I'm Thinking of a Student

This activity encourages recall of vocabulary Describe what one student is wearing, but don't identify the student If students are wearing uniforms, first have them draw a picture of themselves in different clothing and display the pictures on