TEFL Holladay Utah

The use of games in the classroom is an important component of teaching english as a Second Language. Games can make the students more interested and engaged, thus making them more active learners. The right choice of games will ease and expedite a student's learning of the new language. Games can be used to teach almost any type of material in an english as a Second Language class. Games can be formatted to fit with almost any lesson, whether the goal of the lesson involves vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, writing, speaking, or listening. For example, if the teacher wanted to have students practice their speaking skills while learning new vocabulary, the students could play the Picnic Game. In this game, each student adds on to a list of things the class will bring to a picnic. To ensure that the students use the new vocabulary words and understand their meaning, the teacher could bring in pictures or objects to use as prompts. Students can use games to develop their writing and grammar skills, as well. Jeopardy can easily be formatted to meet this objective by developing questions that have the students write down the answer using the new grammar. For example, after teaching a few tenses, the teacher could have each team or students write a sentence using a certain tense. The team that writes it correctly first gets the point. In these ways, the teacher can use games in the classroom to make the lesson more enjoyable, as well as make the students more interested in the material. There are several games that a teacher could choose from to fit the age and skill level of the class. Although some games suited for first graders may not interest adult learners, and vice versa, most classroom games can be tailored to fit the interests and needs of the class. For example, Pictionary is a game that most students, despite their age, would enjoy, and it can also be tailored to any language level. The teacher can give beginning students simple words, like “dog” or “house,” or middle to advanced students more difficult words, like “government” or “peace.” There are several games similar to this one that a teacher can tailor to his or her students. As long as the game suits the lesson objective and fits the needs and interests of the students, the class will engage with the game and generally be more interested in the lesson. However, there are a few important things to remember when using games in the classroom. First, the teacher must identify the learning objective for the lesson. Are the students learning grammar or vocabulary, and is the focus of the lesson on writing, speaking, or listening? Once the teacher has established these objectives, a game can be chosen that will suit the needs and interests of the class. After the game has been chosen, it is necessary to model the game for the class, especially if this is their first time playing it. This will allow the students to learn the rules of the game and how to play it. Additionally, if the game requires pairs or groups, the teacher should decide how he or she wants to split up the students. Should the students choose their own groups, or should the groups be teacher selected? Also, when deciding on the groups, it is important to make the groups fair (i.e., similar in language ability). Once the game has started, the teacher should continue to guide and assist the students in the game. As it is being used in the classroom, it is still a learning activity, and it is the teacher's responsibility to ensure the students' understanding. By following these steps, the teacher can ensure a successful lesson using the game. Thus, using games in the classroom can be extremely effective in helping students learn. No matter what the age of the learner, the majority of students will become more engaged and interested in the lesson when a game is used.