Teach English in Sangbi Zhen - Linfen Shi

One of the best things I learned from my TEFL course is that no matter the age group or level of proficiency, every class likes playing games. Not only do the students have fun, but so can the teacher! This helps the class time go by faster while the students are still learning something. They are just learning in a more entertaining environment which allows them to be expressive and active. Games can be a great stress relief as well, as the student’s minds aren’t constantly focused on the difficulty of learning and understanding a new language. Instead, they can relax a little while still taking in new information and learning about a second or foreign language. Educational games are not only a great way to help with the language barrier, but it helps keep the students’ attention. With just a teacher talking time-oriented class, or a class that focuses primarily on independent studying, games help keep students’ attention and willingness to learn English high. Students can easily tune out a teacher who predominantly lectures and not learn anything; the same thing can also occur with worksheets. With games, things are constantly in motion, helping to keep the activity level and participation high no matter the age range. Whereas certain activities like role playing, songs, or creative storytelling can only be used with certain age levels, games can be used with a variety of ages, from young learners all the way to adults. They are also good for mixed-level classes of students who have varying intelligence and skills. Games don’t just have to be used with large classes or groups. Many games can be made for just two people, which is beneficial when a teacher only has one student and is doing one-on-one teaching. Games also provide ample talk time among students, as many game activities call for groups or teams. This allows students to not only physically practice their English, but gives them a chance to make new friends with their classmates. While songs and chanting are only effective and appropriate for young learners, games can be modified for all age ranges and learning levels. Games are also often times universal, so students can easily follow along with directions. There are many lessons that can easily utilize games. Games go great with lesson plans that revolve around spelling and new vocabulary. For example, Hangman, Scattergories, Word Linking,Scrabble, and the Alphabet Game already revolve around grammar and spelling of the English language. There are plenty of existing games that can adapted to lesson plans and learning such as Monopoly, Battleships, I Spy, or Tongue Twisters, or Telephone. Some games that are great for pronunciation, reading, and listening include introduction prompts, sentence prompts, role play storytelling, the “I’m Going on Vacation”/ “My Marvelous Machine” game, the box game, anagrams, or the information search game. Since the majority of these games require teams, partners, or groups, they are a great way to get the whole class participating, having fun, and getting to know each other better. A major benefit of a group-based game is that it allows for shyer students to want to participate and speak up as the attention wouldn't fully be on them if they were getting called on to answer a question in a normal teaching-talking dominated classroom. Games can also help the teacher note which students are grasping the language versus which students are struggling more. These activities are also great at helping to identity student personalities.