CHALLENGES OF PLAYING GAMES AT ENGLISH LESSONS

Ilona Kostikova

(Kharkiv, Ukraine)

As it is known, language learning is a hard but interesting work. As we need meaningfulness in language learning, and authentic use of the language it is useful to follow and create many different techniques and procedures. That through creative procedure we can have an interactive environment which may lead to an improvement in learning a foreign language.

Games and especially English games are one of the techniques and procedures that the teacher may use in teaching a foreign language. Games are used not only as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the end of a lesson, but they can be used at all stages, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen [1]. There are some basic rules for using games.

Games must include everyone. It seems, firstly, this may be the hardest for the facilitator to achieve. When playing games for an extrinsic reward, the slower shier student may withdraw not wanting to be resented by his teammates for “blowing the game.” Smarter students with more outgoing personalities or confidence may be regarded as the hero or the ringer. For example, use “numbered heads together” where everyone in the group is given a number and they have to answer the question, or no one can answer a second time until everyone has answered once.

Secondly, if the game involves physical activity it is imperative to examine safety precautions and student (dis)abilities. It is possible to use games which involve the students leaving their desk and going somewhere else, such as the board, a certain spot in the room, etc. A multitude of things could have happened like tripping or running into something. In those games, the students have to walk. Running disqualifies them. Thirdly, each student brings their own personality to class. Balancing the passive and outgoing students as well as the geniuses and the average students is challenging.

The passive student in each group typically will not participate except for when it is their turn, because someone else is always more willing. Outgoing students tend to be impatient, loud and constantly in motion. Those actions will typically increase the passive nature of some students. For those reasons and many more, the facilitator may want to form teams or establish rules for participation, as previously recommended.

Games can be noisy. It is necessary to be strong enough to make a strong case for using games as a learning tool or come up with a quieter format for your game. And in the opposite, during physical games there may be pushing and other potentially harmful acts. The facilitator of the game must have clear rules and consequences for breaking those rules.

Competition can work positively as a motivator, as discussed previously, or negatively. Winning should never be the focus or goal of the game or the players. In some instances, the competitive edge of a student may take over and cause hurtful things to be said. In this instance, it is necessary to stop the game and address the situation. How we treat each other in class and continue by stating that even though we are playing a game, we are still in class. Furthermore, games are supposed to be fun and by saying those things the fun is being spoiled. It is also important to watch for intimidating or dominating personality traits from some students.

Usually they will yell at others or just use an angry tone. Not only does this ruin the fun of the game, but it also encourages other students to not play the game with this individual or to react similarly. In this instance, a teacher can try two tactics. The first, letting students work it out, did not work too well, because the entire group started to fight amongst themselves. Additionally, the negativity spread to other groups. The second tactic was a bit more involved but seemed to work better. It is necessary to interrupt and discuss with the group the observed actions, unobserved actions, the players’ feelings, game procedures and possible consequences. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. In cases where it does not, a teacher can make a mental note about who is having trouble working together and try to separate them for a few group activities before trying pairing them together again. Ultimately, if the inappropriate behavior persists, then we no longer play games in that class.

Rules must be fair to everyone. The first time a teacher introduces a new game to students, a teacher is always nervous about how it will go. There are many “what ifs?” going through teacher’s head. Often, after explaining the procedures and rules, a student may have a question that addresses something. Therefore, only after trial and error will the set of rules be complete, but a teacher can recommend trying to work out as many of the kinks before using the game in the classroom. If it does not work the first time, it is likely that the students and you may not be interested in trying it a second time.

Similarly, if the same student or group is consistently winning, it is necessary to change the dynamic. The easy answer is to change the group that is working together. A similar solution is to take the winning group and give them the same game to play with new or more challenging material. Since the players and the game have gotten more challenging, their learning experience is heightened.

To conclude the challenges of playing games at English lessons we can say that it is very important in explaining the usefulness and educational value that games can have in a classroom. It is becoming increasingly important and necessary for teachers to understand the game advantage and disadvantages, to justify their classroom procedures to themselves, administrators, parents and their students.

References:

Kostikova I. Language games in teaching English. Теорія та методика навчання та виховання: зб. наук. праць ХНПУ імені Г.С.Сковороди. Харків, 2017. Вип.43. С. 174–184. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1243599