Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Yaocun Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Jining Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Keeping the attention of students and making them excited to participate is often noted as being one of the biggest challenges of teaching, especially with young students. It’s the teacher’s job to keep their students motivated and engaged, one of the ways to do that in the classroom is with games. Adult students are generally more inclined to be pre-motivated for learning, not being forced into school the same way children and younger people are, however that’s not true for all of course, as some people are required by their company to take a class, and while some may have motivation initially that can wane as classes go on. Young learners in particular are more reluctant to sit stationary in a classroom for hours. Games provide a relief and a break from the fastidious nature of school, while encouraging communication and engagement. A light and fun atmosphere can help the teacher develop a rapport with their students, and an opportunity for students who are unfamiliar with each other to be open and talkative. This helps create an environment that’s friendly, and students are less likely to be reluctant to participate during lessons. Games can also require group or pair work that encourages participation, this is especially useful when faced with reluctant students who can be paired up with stronger students. Games allow for all skills to be used, receptive and productive, and often at the same time. Requiring communication through speaking and listening, at times writing, and reading instructions and the material. They can be used in any of the ESA phases. For example, to start a class with a game to engage the students in the subject for the lesson. Though more difficult to implement in the study phase as it’s the time for accuracy rather than fluency, it’s possible to make things like gap-fill activities more engaging, by pairing students up and making the material interesting the activity can feel more like a game. The activate phase is the best time to implement games, after the vocabulary is established, such as role-playing games, charades, and Pictionary, to name a few. The students are more comfortable with the subject and the new vocabulary by this phase, and are able to be creative with the material. There are many types of games that can be played, and popular games can be reused for different lessons and situations. Role-playing games can allow for different and new vocabulary to be used with already established vocabulary, for example terms related to medicine, such as ‘doctor’ or ‘hospital’, being implemented with other basic words and phrases, “I’d like to make an appointment to see the doctor please.” Other situations and subjects can be done similarly, though care must be taken that it doesn’t become too repetitive or uninteresting. Though the argument can be made that games are a distraction in the classroom and can create situations where the teacher loses control of the students or the time going by, it’s the teacher’s responsibility to maintain discipline and pay attention to time. Carefully selecting games that aren’t too long or complicated and planning lessons ahead of time can help, choosing a game where most of the time allocated for it is spent explaining instructions or a game that requires running around may not be the best choice, especially for a big class. Games wouldn’t be utilized if they didn’t serve some educational purpose, and the goals of English learners is more than often fluency in the language, being able to understand and respond to real life situations. The type of free-flowing communication that occurs during games is ideal for an ESL class. It’s important for students to have fun every now and then, school should not be synonymous with mundane wearisome work and repetitive drills, that type of learning is ultimately ineffective and creates a stale and uninviting environment for engagement and participation. Games not only provide a fun way to learn and a healthy break from studying, it helps create an atmosphere where students are less reluctant and a rapport between teachers and students is more easily developed.
