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Using Games

in English
Language
Teaching
Using games effectively
Choosing the right game
Organization of the class
Scoring
Learner’s participation
Teacher’s role
•Find out what games children like-
some like to jump around, some like to
sit quietly.
•Choose appropriate activities (type of
classroom, shy/ talkative students etc.).
•Get the children involved.
•Don’t teach, the more we teach, the
less children learn.
Factors to be taken into account:

1.The size of the class


2.Whether it is a class of adults or one of
children
3.The class level- elementary, pre-
intermediate, intermediate, advanced
4.The structures being studied at the
moment
5.The physical space you have to work
with
6. The noise factor- will you disturb
the classes around?
7. The students’ interests, in and out
of class
8. The equipment and materials
available
9. The time available for the game
•The children can work with the
learners sitting next to them, so that
they do not have to move chairs from
one side of the classroom to another.
•New groups can be formed by asking
children to stand up and call out ‘make
groups of threes/fours’ etc.
•Groups can also be formed by asking
the children to get together with
others wearing something of the same
colour or those who have birthdays in
•If teams or groups are to be named the
names should be suitable- choose
names of animals (e.g. Lions and
Tigers), flowers, colours or cardinal
points etc.
•If there is to be any sort of competition
or contest between teams, they should
be evenly matched.
•Classrooms should be equipped with
light and easily moved tables.
•It is an advantage for learners to
have plenty of space and to be able to
move easily about the room.
•Various arrangements of furniture
are desirable for various activities.
Sometimes the furniture gets in the
way and it is necessary to push it
back against the walls.
•Pair activity can give a still greater
amount of communicative practice,
though there is less opportunity for
•It is better to give points for success than
to take them away for failure.
•Images of things which climb or expand
are useful as means of visually representing
the score. E.g. Points can be marked on
ladders as they are won.
•Human or animal shapes (e.g. Stick
figures) interest children more than mere
dots or abstract symbols, and with coloured
chalk each can be different.
•For scoring you can sketch one symbol
for each point along a horizontal line:
simple trees, fish, fruit, tents, ducks,
faces (the expressions getting more
cheerful as the line lengthens) .
•There are a lot of visual possibilities of
this sort: adding wagons to a train,
stars to a sky, branches to a tree,
bricks to a wall etc.
•Scores can also be registered non-
visually: stones or peas can be dropped
What ways are there of ensuring that the
shyer or less advanced learners also take
part actively?

•A few minutes’ silent preparation and


perhaps even to make a note or two will
help an oral game to go more quickly.
•Put reminder words or phrases on the
board, e.g. Question beginnings (Do,
When, Where, etc.) and vocabulary the
class knows.
•Let one of the learners, or several in
•If you are asking for ‘hands up’, take
care not to call upon the same people
over and over again to respond.
•Consider whether the game- possibly
after that class as a whole has played
it- can also be played in groups or pairs.
•Mutual help within the class, or within
the team or group, should be
encouraged.
•A game should be planned ahead.
•Some games require the use of additional
equipment or materials (flash cards,
objects, stopwatch, pencil, paper, etc.).
•The teacher should understand the game
and how it is to be played before explaining
the rules to the class.
•It might be wise to have two or three
students give a short demonstration first,
before the entire class participates.
•Changing rules in mid-game is bad
strategy.
•No game has to be played exactly as
presented; the teacher should always feel
free to adapt it to the class.
•Sometimes the teacher can whisper
suggestions to those who do not know
what to say or she can sit near those who
most require help.
•The teacher always remains in charge

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