Using language games to motivate students of grade 7 in learning English

Using language games to motivate students of grade 7 in learning English TABLE OF CONTENTS Part Contents page A Introduction 2 3 I The reasons for choosing the topic 2 II The purpose of research 2 III[.]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part A : Introduction

I.The reasons for choosing the topic.

Today Viet Nam has become a member of the Association of South East

Asian Nations, the economic integration and the WTO, so English assumes as a more important part as a mean of international communication than ever As a result, learning English is gaining more and more attention from society, especially the younger generation However, there are also students who learn English for no purpose at all They only learn to cope with the required curriculum at school Due to the lack of clear goals and motivation, students feel that learning English is boring and difficult to get high marks Moreover, English as well as other subjects needs to have accumulated knowledge from previous lessons ,from which students will be able to acquire and comprehend the next lesson If students don’t have accumulated knowledge, they will learn English passively and vapidly

Through the process of direct teaching, I find that in addition to the knowledge and the style of a foreign language teacher, teaching method is also a very important factor to have a good quality English class, having good methods helps teachers give students excitement when learning the lessons.There are now many new teaching methods that have been applied in the teaching of foreign languages at secondary schools These are good methods, easy to use and have contributed to improving the quality of the course As a teacher, you must be very upset when you look at your class your students are lazily and tiredly focused on their lectures It can be from objective reasons such as climate, seasonal weather or it can also be from subjective reasons such

as the lecture isn’t lively , students are tired of learning and like talking or simply hunger is coming So some English games will complement your foreign language teaching and will make it easy to get back into your class again.Students are excited about learning English through the games They help change the atmosphere in the classroom and make the lessons less stressful and easier to understand, sometimes they help the learners remember and acquire deep knowledge.The games are usually skillfully performed at the beginning or

at the end of the lesson to give students excitement and reduce their tiredness All the aboved- mentioned reasons and factors have inspired for me to

conduct a topic titled "Using language games to motivate students of grade 7

in learning English ”

II.The purpose of research.

- Research how to use language games to motivate students in learning English at secondary school

- Help students learn more quickly and retain the learned materials better in a stress-free and comfortable environment and in order to improve the quality of English classes

III The object of research

- The ways of using language games to motivate students in learning English and the students in gade 7 at Yen Truong secondary school

IV.Researching method:

- The method of researching documents, the method of investigation , the method of discussing and exchanging with other teachers, the method of observing and drawing out experiences

B Content

I.Theoretical basis of the topic

As we all know, learning English is a trend of the current technological development However, English is a foreign language, not a mother tongue, so teaching English is a difficult task, and so that students absorb and use English

in real life is a harder task This requires the foreign language teachers to equip themselves with modern and advanced teaching methods which are suitable for the needs of the subject and the learners today We all know that If we want the students to study any subject well, we need to make them love study that subject and the students only love that subject if the teachers create excitements in learning for the students From this point of view, I think that the organization

of the games in each lesson is small, but it is the games which help students to focus on the lesson,create the comfort, reduce the stress of students.Since then, students are more interested in learning and learn better There are many different kinds of games They are widely applicable depending on the form of the lesson Moreover, it is also a positive activity in the new teaching method of English Therefore, every teacher needs to study and apply the games into each lesson in order to create excitement for the students, reduce stress and tiredness for the subject as we have seen in so many students in recent years Language games will contribute to make English become more lively, more attractive and more practical They also make English become a "language" in its true sense This is the foundation for the application of new teaching methods to improve the quality of teaching and learning English

II.The status of the research problem

1 Advantages

- Most parents and students are aware of the importance of teaching and learning foreign languages (especially English)

- Some children are particularly interested in the subject and have good sense of learning

- Due to the development of information technology in teaching, it is easier to innovate the method and excite students

2 Disadvantages

- Some students are not really interested in the subject, nor do they grasp the true purpose of learning English They only learn to cope Some students, especially the weak students who are lack of the sense of learning, lack of patience in learning can’t keep pace with new learning methods They are still confused in applying knowledge in real life

-There are also many foreign language classes in which students feel depressed, tired and difficult to absorb knowledge, even for good students

- Distribution of the program with limited time fund, so teachers have few conditions to expand the lesson as well as conduct the games to create a lively atmosphere

- Through attending the colleagues’lessons, I feel that many lessons are not creative Sometimes they hesitate to collect and innovate their teaching methods, although they still know that their students are tired of learning or they learn ineffectively because their teaching methods are not convincing enough and they don’t create excitement for their students When talking about applying language games, there are different opinions.Some teachers think that language games are time-consuming, useless and not helpful to the lessons Many teachers also organize language games to inspire their students but they don’t know how to organize them successfully Many teachers say they can not manage the class when playing the game because it is very noisy

* The survey result of students about the level of interest in English at the beginning of the school year before applying the topic

The level of interest in English order class Number

of Ss like

very much

afraid

%

III.The solutions to the problem

From that fact, as a person directly teaches English, I have tried to think, to find the ways to improve the quality of the subject Understanding the mind and physiology of the students, I have changed the learning method so that the children can both learn and play in a lesson I often create the soft, comfortable learning atmosphere through language games This is considered as new teaching tips used to replace old tricks that the students are so familiar and boring.In fact, these language games are language contests, always require decisions: How do you act? Say what? How to win? Desiring to solve those questions will make the children more responsive and sensitive because they will mobilize their intellect, try to apply the knowledge the teacher expects to do without coercion - which they have a long-standing concern This create a cheerful and exciting atmosphere And so, all of them are attracted to the lesson naturally This method I have applied in the course of my teaching and obtained very positive results So I boldly presented my practical experience to colleagues

to exchange and learn from one another to improve the quality of the lessons, with the ultimate goal is to make students more passionate with English subject

- When organizing language games I usually pay attention to these some important issues

1 Appropriate situations to use or not to use games in language teaching 1.1 When to use games

There are a number of situations, in which using a game or a fun activity may be of a great help in both developing good conditions for language acquisition itself, as well as helping to improve or create learning environment and overall positive atmosphere in the class

Some of such situations are described hereby

- Vocabulary – it is usually difficult to learn and live the new words,

which the on-going process of studying process requires It is then useful to introduce games as an opportunity to re-use the desired vocabulary During a game, repetition of the target words can be executed repeatedly The students get personally involved, therefore, in addition to avoiding boredom as it often happens when repeating words; it is also more likely the vocabulary will get internalized

- Lack of interest – this is a common situation in teen-age classes, where

the students are often not motivated enough to take the learning process seriously In such cases, it can help to employ games and fun activities, where they need the target language in order to succeed

- Tiredness – it is a matter of fact that students do not always come into

the language class in their best condition They may have just written an exhausting exam, have difficulties at home, or it is simply ‘one of the days’ In such cases, it is very difficult for anyone to perform their best, including language students The teacher should be aware of that Games may be used as a tool to overcome the crisis and yet bring an educational benefit, too

- The students do not co-operate – there may be classes where the

students are not very close to each other, do not feel comfortable when asked to co-operate on an activity A game has a great potential bringing the students together The reason is that such activity is not viewed as extremely serious; the students can relax and find a way to communicate better This skill is then also transferred to other activities too, and, needless to say, other subjects may also benefit from the newly learned communication skill, especially if the students are required to work on projects or otherwise as teams

-Time left – short games or fun activities may serve as time fillers, for

instance at the end of a lesson, when all planned work has been finished This way the time remaining is not ‘wasted’, it is used for the language practice too Regular use of short games at the end of lessons also motivates the students to work harder and have their work finished earlier, in order to save time for an enjoyable activity

1.2 When not to use games

Although it was advised in this paper many times to use games and fun activity as they are of a great help to the whole teaching/learning process, there may be also situations, where a game may not answer its purpose and the teacher’s educational aim Some of such situations are outlined hereby

- Students have not built the bases of vocabulary needed for the particular game – if the students lack the knowledge which the game requires

It then becomes stressful even though the game would otherwise be an enjoyable activity

-Too little time available – a game should be planned carefully time-wise as

well as content-wise It is of help if the teacher dedicates more time to the game than seems to be necessary It creates anxious feeling if the game must be ended before finishing the tasks because the time runs out

- Students are overexcited and misbehaving – they need to calm down, a

kinetic game may not be the right answer

- Students do not co-operate with the teacher during the lesson – in such

case, it is advised to stop using the enjoyable activities, as a restoration of discipline tool: ‘Teachers can make it clear that some of the more enjoyable activities which students like to do will only be used when the class is functioning properly

2 How to organize a game?

-Timing: The teachers need to estimate the time of game before running a

game Lewis and Bedson (1999) suggested that games should last from five to twenty minutes including preparation, presentation, game playing and post playing It is important not to play a game for too long, students will lose their interest It is best to stop a game at its speak

- Level of the games: Level of the games is another factor that the teachers

should take into consideration when using language games in speaking lessons Therefore, the teachers need to pay careful attention to the difficult level of the games Part of the appeal of games lies in the challenge, but if the challenge is too great, some students may become discouraged The teacher should also pay attention to the heterogeneity of the games It means that the games should allow chance for both the bright and not-very- bright students The chosen and adapted games should be relevant to the content of the lesson It should be noted that even the most appropriate games will become meaningless if they are used repeatedly in different speaking lessons Therefore, it is advisable that the teachers should exploit a variety of language games

- Classroom language: When starting a game, the teacher should tell the

students the rules of the games It is not of the key factors that lead to the students’success in playing games However, it is not simply enough to read out the rules of a new game or to hand out a written copy of the rules Each game will need a proper introduction, which means an explanation-not just a

reading-of the rules When giving instructions, a few words in mother tongue are sometimes necessary as it would be quickest way to make everything clear It is

a waste of time to throw students unprepared into an activity that they have not yet fully grasped: things will go wrong very quickly and the teachers will then have to spend more time trying to repair the situation The teachers also need to demonstrate a short part of the game in which they actually make use of the language or the skill that the game is designed to practise, and then gradually gets students joining in as according to many mothodologists, games are best set

up by demonstration rather than by lengthy explaination Moreover, it is advisable that teachers make their demonstration as lively and appealing as possible so that students are motivated to join the game

- Classroom management: Language games would be very enjoyable and

rewarding if they are handed in the right way The way in which games are organized varies a great deal basing on specific purposes and particular game Some games are played in pairs or in groups, some in teams and some with the whole class playing against the teacher

The information of groups and pairs should initially be based on students’ immediate neighbors to avoid noise and disruption Thus, in pair work and group work, students choose the ones next to them, behind them or in front of then as partners It is important that they can maintain face to face contact where sitting comfortably as it makes activities a lot easier

In short, the teacher must decide in advance how to organize the class so that, as Carrier (1985) stated: “the setting up a game can be carried out as quickly and smoothly as possible.”

3 Procedures of games:

Most games in play Game with English have four stages:

- The rules of the Game

The best way of getting over how a game is played and what rules must be followed

is not to explain but to play a trial round introducing the rules at appreciate moments

- Choosing sides

The games in Play Games with English can be played in one of the following four ways:

Individual v individual Here each person in the group plays against each other Small team v small team Here the group is divided up into a number of teams with two or three players in each team

Team A v.Team B here the group is divided into two teams

You v the group Here you (or individual students in turn) play against the rest

of the group

Some games are best played individual v individual In other games you can be more flexible, varying the way the different games are played If the students organize themselves into teams, make sure that not all best students end up in the same team

-Playing the Game

In some of the games in Play Games With English players are eliminated gradually from the game until only one player (the winner) remains It is sometimes best to play these games by giving each player two or three “live” or chances When the last “life” is lost the player is eliminated Try to involve players who are eliminated in helping you run the game so that they have something to do

Correction while the game is being played, correction of mistakes should be as unobtrusive as possible, as otherwise the game will quickly stop being a game and turn into a grammar lesson

- Follow up

The purpose of this stage is to relate the game to the more serious business of learning a language This is especially useful for those students who think that if they have been enjoying themselves speaking English they can not really have been learning anything Mistakes made during the game can be corrected and any important new vocabulary which was introduced can be written up

4 Some sample games are used to create excitement for students in learning English.

Depending on the content and purpose of each lesson, each student's level

we can apply different types of games for each stage of a different lesson From the beginning of a lesson (Warm up), introducing materials, practice, revision, testing, expansion we can apply language games at any step flexibly, naturally and effectively.and each game often lasts from 3 to 7 minutes Now I would like

to introduce some specific games I often apply at the beginning or the end of the lessons in English 7

Example 1: UNIT 2: Personal information

Period 12: B My birthday ( B6,7,8)

Type of games: Lucky number Classroom management: Group work

Material : Projector Time:5 minutes

Stage : Warm up

Procedure:

- Write 10 numbers on the board or prepare on the projector

- Tell the students each number is for a question but four of them are lucky number If students choose a lucky number, they don’t need to answer any question but they get 2 points and they can choose another number If their anser

is correct they will get one point

-Devide the class into 2 teams The teams take turn to choose the numbers and answer the questions and the team getting higher mark is winner 1.What is your name?

2.Lucky number

3.Where do you live?

4.Lucky number

5.Who do you live with?

6.How old are you?

7.What is your telephone number?

8.Lucky number

9.Lucky number

10.How far is it from your house to school?

Example 2 UNIT 16: People and places

Period 100: B Famous people (B 2,4)

Type of games: Who am I? Classroom management: pair work

Material : Time:5-7 minutes

Stage : Warm up

Procedure:

- Teacher will prepare some cards corresponding to the number of

students in the class each card will bear the name of famous people in Vietnam

or in the world such as : Thomas Edison, Hans christian Andersen,Pele, Romario, Michchael Jordan……

-Teacher will stick each of these cards in the back of each student

Students will be placed in a situation where they are attending a party and have

to go around asking the guests at the party information related to themselves, and they will base on the guests’answers to guess who they are

- Once the student knows who he/she is, he/she is allowed to peal the card and stick them back into your chest Then the students continued the conversation at the party until all of the cards are sticked in front of their chests The questions may be

Ex: - Where was I born?

- Where am I from?

- What is my job?

- Am I a soccer player?

- From their friends’answers , students guess who they are

Example 3 UNIT 11: KEEP FIT, STAY HEALTHY

Period 70: B What was wrong with you? ( B4)

Type of games: Guessing games Class management: Group work

Material: Pens, paper Time: 5-7 minutes

Stage : Warm up

Procedure:

Teacher divides students into two groups: A and B and then teacher tells the rule of the game: One member from each group will go and stand in front of the class with their backs facing the board Teacher will write a word/ expression which describes common illness and was learnt from the previous lesson on the board Other students from each group have to explain the word by using their actions, face expressions, and sounds so that their representative can guess the word The student with the quickest and correct answer will get 1 point for their group Students take turn to be the representative After some turns, the group with more points will be the winner

Example 4 UNIT 5 : Keep fit, stay healthy

Period 31 B It’s time for recess

Type of games: Word square Class management: Group work