Speaking Games

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The use of Games in lesson plans for younger learners of the English Language is something that I think is very important. This is because they are excellent at providing a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in the classroom. This helps in encouraging beginning students to participate. They also provide a challenge for more advanced students and are an excellent review tool (Ibrahim, 2017). Many types of games can be used in the classroom including board games, guessing games, matching games, and communication games. These can be used to teach vocabulary, grammar and speaking skills. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tania H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas "Play is our brain's favorite way of learning" – Diane Ackerman. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danila E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I could not agree more with the quote above as playing games in the classroom has many advantages: The main thing needed for a successful process of learning is, of course, motivation. And playing games certainly increases students' interest and their willingness to participate in the class. However, every teacher must ensure the group's understanding of the game rules and processes before starting the actual game....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences When an English speaker is traveling in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for a friendly conversation with a local to end with the local stating they have a nosebleed and escape from the conversation. In Filipino culture, nosebleeds indicate that the brain is too stressed. Although Filipinos pride themselves in being fluent in English, many are not as confident to speak it when the time requires. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Terence L. This phenomenon of foreign language speaking anxiety is not limited to just the Philippines. Anxiety is one of the vital factors when learning any foreign language. Multiple studies have shown that ESL learners struggle with the language because of the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games are seen as time wasted. According to my, it is a pointless prejudice. Because some people suppose playing games in the classroom can only be as computer games; on the contrary, fun in the school is more instructive for students' self-improvement. Meanwhile, the research has shown that the classroom games affect students positively, such as having more motivation, having a controlled competitive environment, strategy simulator, peer positive, less stress, enhanced memory, class cooperation, and new knowledge. We will see how games are essential in our education. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mihriban O....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas As teachers, one of our biggest goals while teaching English to a class or individual is to keep them engaged and motivated during the lesson while also making them feel comfortable and confident as they learn. There are three critical ways in which playing games in the classroom can help effectively promote speaking English. By playing "warming" games, students can become more comfortable around teachers and students, making them more likely to participate during lessons. They can also keep students motivated and play a significant role during the "Engage" and "Activate" phase of the ESA approach. This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English as a foreign language. Whether you’re teaching adults or children, games will liven up your lesson and ensure that your students will leave the classroom wanting more. 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 you can play with your students. EFL games are used to test vocabulary, practice conversing, learn tenses - the list is endless. Also read: The 5 Best TEFL Games For Adult...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games are a useful tool for teachers of EFL students because they help with motivation, engagement, and graceful failure (Plass 260-261). I will present a successful example of a teacher using games in an adult grammar class from Indonesia. Second, since I plan to teach online EFL students, I will present free digital games online teachers can use in their virtual classrooms. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christopher C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Many professional articles have been written showing the importance of game-based learning theory for EFL students. Games have an element of ‘play’ in them, and so differ...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I think of my earliest childhood memories, I remember that I used to love to play games in the classroom (charades, 7-up/head down-thumb up, categories, bingo, etc.). Going from a boring ‘copy from the board’ type of class to a competitive, fun and activity-filled class gave me the ability to open my mind, so I could find the subject being taught more interesting and made it easier for me to absorb the information. Young learners may not have an interest in studying because they don’t yet have any motivation from learning, so they are only interested in games, songs, and other fun activities. When playing most of the games in the classroom, young learners are compelled to communicate with each other...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Educational games are methodical tools for achieving a learning goal. A successful learning game should combine motivating player’s life and interesting learning content. Games should not just be practical gaps fillers in the learning process but also serve to impart certain knowledge and to consolidate skills through exercises. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Toufik Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Games have a lot of advantages, such as they address sides of students who often lack a predominantly cognitive learning process and the information is taken actively by them, however not intentionally sought but incidentally...  [Read more]

TEFL Lemon began in 2014 as an ESL blog on the WeChat platform in China, quickly becoming the biggest ESL blog on WeChat. TEFL Lemon provided English teachers with ELT articles to read and share, as well as free ESL lesson ideas, ESL games and fun speaking activities which TEFL teachers could use in their classes. English teachers in China could also download free ESL flashcards on a variety of themes. Following their success on the WeChat platform, in 2018, TEFL Lemon decided to build their own website to offer their ESL Flashcard Games for Kids, ESL Warmers, ESL games and speaking activities for teens and adults for free to TEFL teachers around the world. You can visit their website here. Not only do TEFL Lemon offer teachers brilliant ESL games and teaching ideas, but they also have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When it comes to learning ESL, most learners associate it with memorizing spelling rules, doing countless grammar exercises, making abstract speaking topics, and translating sentences from L1 into English. In these, there is little or no listening and speaking practice involved, making English just one of the numerous boring school subjects. However, there is so much more to learning and activating the language if the fun element is involved. This doesn't only include traditional classroom games but also learning both at school and home with the usage of modern technology. Most children born in the 2000s have grown up using iPads and mobile phones, which makes them much more tech-literate even compared to the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Playing games is not only for fun, but we can use it to make students more understand about the topic of the lesson. Games also can build rapport between student-student and teacher-class. How a game is important to make students understand the topic of the lesson? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Umi H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For some students, playing a game is a fun thing. It also can kill boredom and increase the attention of students. Games also can make students more understand the lesson in class. For children who always want to play even in class, they have a short span of attention, playing games are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have been teaching English as an assistant language teacher in Japan for the past 4 years. I have taught all grades from kindergarten through 9th grade, and have worked with many teachers with a variety of teaching styles. In this essay I will look at the use of games in the foreign language classroom, drawing from my experiences to look at several specific games and discuss how they help students learn and use English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tansly S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are many types of games that are used in numerous contexts. Some games can be played with different age groups, modifying the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One of the repeating themes of this TEFL course has been the games a classroom may participate in, and the many variants of games appropriate for the learning of English. Examples are hangman, crossword puzzles, word jumbles, 20 questions, and many more to mention. The games can often serve very specific purposes, which were perhaps not the original intentions for the games, however within the classroom they can perfectly fit into their role. Tongue-twisters are an excellent choice when practising pronunciations on students in the fluency stage of the lesson, as it allows them to make mistakes without the fear of embarrassment from failure (as failure is almost certain for everybody, at least once), and forces...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Learning English as a foreign language can sometimes become overwhelming. When people seek to learn English, their reasons can vary immensely. It could be because they want to travel to an English-speaking country, or it is possible that they are interested in English literature, or maybe it’s their job requirement. In any case, their time in the class is important to them. Besides lots of expectations, there are also many inhibitions to overcome, and little time. Games are the most powerful tool to help release pressure, boost motivation and create a fun, friendly, positive learning environment. We want students to focus and take full advantage of the time they are in the classroom, leaving outside any heavy...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences We must up our game as ESL teachers in the 21st century – both figuratively and literally. I use games to engage students and promote learning in my classroom for a wide range of learning objectives. Below is a short list of icebreaker games that I regularly use in my classroom, and I will discuss the learning target(s) that each game aims to facilitate and deliver as well as the context in which the game is used. Since I work with high school age and adult students, the games are geared for English Language Learners in these age groups. As learning communities become more globalized and data give more information on how people learn, one major challenge I find with gamifying learning in the ESL classroom is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Defining games for kids can open up a broad prospect but in this topic, we are going to specifically talk about the various games that kids can not only enjoy but can incorporate in their learning curriculum. Playing games in the classroom helps kids to feel more relaxed and friendly with the teachers. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sonal L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Learning becomes more of a fun activity for them rather than the same boring schedule which makes them lethargic and least interested in studying. Introducing the various types of games that can be played in the classroom are as follows: The game monopoly...  [Read more]

  In this epidose, we cover the pronunciation of the word operationalize. This word is used as a verb and refers to the action of putting something nto operation. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Getting to know your students and establishing a rapport is one of the most important things you can do. it is important that your students know you and like you so that everything will be smooth sailing. as explained in the text, you can start out the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning” Mr. Rogers This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Marelie L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A game will often be an activity or sport, usually involving skill and it comes with fixed rules. It will have a goal, be organized and have the element of fun. When we play, it is important to know the difference between the two forms of play that we get in the context of education: Free play and guided play. When we talk about free play, (Free Play and Structured Play, 2014) describes it the best by saying “when...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences All humans are raised with an innate love for games. Since we were all children, playing games was our pastime activity. When comes to teaching either young learners or adults, in-class games are the foundation stone of learning. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Pavlina M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching Business English (BE) to clients/adults must be a fun procedure. There are many reasons why a teacher must use games when teaching English in class regardless of students’ age or occupation. To begin with, students can learn with great easiness through the game process. New concepts or language perspectives can...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When we start to learn new things as children, we tend to do that with the help of games. That is why in many classrooms of young learners, we find games to be a highly popular medium amongst educators. It is a way of absorbing and processing a piece of information in a fun and educational way. But when we grow up, we somehow forget the necessity of games in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anna B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When it comes to learning a second language, children immerse themselves in the learning task much easier and quicker. Adults, on the other hand, find it challenging to absorb the task...  [Read more]

  In this video, Linda explains the difference between "then" and "than" two words often confused by native and non-native English speakers alike. "Than" is a conjunction used for comparisons, such as here: "Her car is faster than yours". "Then", on the other hand, is an adverb used to situate actions e.g. "I did my homework, then I had a nap?. As you can see, the usages of the two words is very different and cannot be used interchangeably. Keep their differences in mind and you'll not make any mistakes in the future. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching language to children is a rather delicate and complex process that requires a careful approach and patience from the teacher. To make this process more vivid and interesting for children, it is necessary to remember the existence of such an important and very useful tool as games. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aleksei K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In my opinion, games act like some kind of a magic wand which forms the foundation of trust between the teacher and the child, helps to build a psycho-emotional connection, and greatly diversify the learning process as well. Games, in my opinion, have a very...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A student coming into a classroom every day looking at the board and listening to a teacher talk for hours can become mind-numbing. This can increase the chances of a student daydreaming or potentially even falling asleep. One way of preventing a student from becoming disengaged or having his or her learning hindered is by incorporating games into the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Robyn W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Games can be played with any age group which makes them very flexible, and they can be used in a variety of ways when learning a new language. Just by playing games, a tremendous amount of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I love the use of games for learning. I have utilized board games, card games, and role-playing games in teaching for the past 3 years. I am currently using them to connect with students at the high school, to talk about some important and serious issues, with the pretense of game mechanics. I use games as a warmer for a Bible study I conduct with other students before school. Using the game as the introduction to the lesson we will learn about that morning, to try to get them to relate the game, in a simplified way, to real-world lessons. I have also, since having children, always been on the lookout for short games, that do require long term strategies or hours of gameplay, because my wife or I may be pulled...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Learning foreign languages is a very exciting and very responsible deal. A significant role in teaching foreign languages, in particular, English, belongs to games in the classroom. Games enhance students' mental activity, helps them consolidate material of the lesson, therefore it’s a very important activity. The developing value of the game we can find in itself, because where is a game - there is emotion. Where is emotion, there are attention improvisation and imagination. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ivan S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There can be different usage of the game - it can be entertaining, training aims...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nobody doubts that motivated students learn better and assimilate taught contents more easily than non-motivated ones but keeping students motivated and engaged during class is one of the teachers' biggest challenges. Playing games in class, though, seems to be of great help when it comes to engaging, reinforce materials and retain the attention of students. Another positive point is that games can be used at any moment in the teaching process by any level. The usages are diverse varying from teaching to getting feedback, not to mention that having students playing games reduces drastically Teacher's Talking Time turning classes more student-centered. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kelly...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Using games in the classroom is beneficial for better student learning. Games are helpful when introducing new content, enhancing the learning process, or reviewing learned material. A low-stress atmosphere in the classroom is created easily by adding games. From Gap fill to Fizz Bizz to I Spy they can help the teacher maintain a positive attitude and establish rapport with students. Games create an environment where students want to participate and aren't afraid of correction or failure. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ellen P. Vince Goman RTC, CPCC, BBA, Somatic Counselor said in his book, Let The Fire Burn, "Play is the foundation for academic learning. While the left brain is more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I first made the transition from primary school to university, I knew that my lesson plans were clearly going to have to change. As I began to come up with ideas for my new job, I was disappointed that most of the content I previously used had no place in the university. Games, such as Hangman and Pictionary, worked excellently in capturing the interests of my young students, but I didn’t think these childish games had any place in a university classroom. I found out weeks later how wrong I was when I used Pictionary at the beginning of one of my courses to ‘preview’ the vocabulary we would be covering in class that day. I discovered that day that games can support a lesson if the educator...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are a variety of things a teacher can do in a classroom to successfully increase student participation, help learn new vocabulary, breaking the ice with the students, getting to know one another, and so much more. Looking at an ESA methodology model, the activate stage is the stage that usually involves students using any or all of the language they currently know. This is also the stage where the activities can vary from either doing role-plays, debates, story writing, and communication games. All of the activities that were just mentioned have their benefits when used in a classroom but we will be focusing specifically on communication games. There are so many games that can be played in a classroom such...  [Read more]