Teach English in Muhuguan Zhen - Shangluo Shi

Games are one of the most important components in EFL classrooms. They include activities which have goals and rules at the same time fun. Hadfield (1990; Quoted in Deesri, 2002) describes games as “an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun.” Foreign language learning games can be considered as a framework to provide a meaningful context for language acquisition. Constantinescu (2012) claims that learners can improve their understanding of written and spoken English via games. Games help learners learn words and structures in a context using correct pronunciation and spelling. Games can be used to warm up the class before your lesson begins, during the lesson to give students a break when you’re tackling a tough subject, or at the end of class when you have a few minutes left to kill. There are literally hundreds, probably thousands, of games that teacher can play with her students. EFL games are used to test vocabulary, practice conversing, learn tenses - the list is endless. Having the list of classic ESL games up your sleeve before stepping into the classroom will ensure your lessons run smoothly, and, should things get a little out of control, you’ll be able to pull back the attention of the class in no time. Games play a vital role in the language learning classrooms despite the fact that most of the teachers are not aware of it as a learning strategy. However; it has lots of benefits to the learning process of the learners. Firstly; games prevent the lesson to be ordinary and boring. Conversely, they create a successful and positive classroom environment where students and their learning are central. Games are always fun for the learners, so they attract their interest unlike the ordinary lessons. The learners both learn the language and have fun in the classroom with the help of the games. Even shy and reluctant children react positively to them (Mei & Yu-Jing, 2000). This increases the motivation of the children because they play as an alternative solution which encourages students to keep their interest on the lesson and continue working. By this way, they reduce the stress of learning another language (Mei & Yu-jing, 2000). In EFL classrooms, games provide many advantages for promoting learning the target language. One of the advantages associated with games is that students’ anxiety towards language learning decreases as games are employed. In language classes, learners assume that they have to be successful in the target language that they do not know. In addition to these learners fell much anxiety because of being criticized and punished by their teacher when they make a mistake. At this point games come to the stage since they reduce anxiety, increase positive feelings and improve self- confidence because there is no fear of punishment and criticism for learners when they are practicing the target language freely (Crookal, 1990). At the end I would like to make a conclusion by building some bullet points of ESL games advantages: • Games are a great way to practice new vocabulary. They provide students a great context in which to use their target vocabulary. Instead of going home and memorizing word lists, they actually get to use them, which, in turn, helps them remember more. • Games help students get rid of inhibitions when it comes to actually speaking the language, which is a problem for many students. They find it hard to communicate even though they know a language well enough. Games help them be more creative and spontaneous when using the language, helping them overcome shyness. • Games help students enhance their communication skills in general. Communication is at the core of games. Many people think that adult students especially should have much less trouble communicating when compared to children, but that isn’t really the case. In facts, in many cases adults are even more nervous to children when it comes to communication and trying new things. In a friendly competitive environment, they become less afraid to ask questions or re-frame their own thoughts. As a result, games help them better convey their thoughts and intentions to their teammates. • Games help keep up the levels of energy and motivation. Learning isn’t all about learning new grammar and vocabulary, then trying to quietly decipher the meaning of a new text. Playing a game is a nice break from that routine. The competition boosts energy levels and sort of pushes students to make a cognitive effort in the spirit of winning without them realizing it. • Although games are a great tool in improving oral communication skills, there may also be some disadvantages to this method of learning. • The first thing to remember is that games should be fun, controlled fun, to be exact. The instructor should be monitoring the progress of the game carefully in order to ensure that the students are indeed getting all the benefits intended by the game. Otherwise, it can become simply horseplay - too noisy and out of control. • Another thing to consider is that some students may not like games at all and prefer other activities instead. It’s the instructor’s job to take into account the student preferences and choose games that will benefit all participants.