I’ve always loved playing games. My family plays board games whenever we get together. I enjoy games with my children frequently and (not surprising) I have played various gamesas tools for teaching in my class. I’ve never had students to ask “Why are we playing games?” Instead, they generally are asked, “Can we play this again soon?”Some individuals might ask, “Why play games in a class?” I believe it is essential to communicate the importance of playing games for myself as well as my students, colleagues as well as parents. Through the years I’ve created an individual list of five most important reasons why I believe that games are a great teaching tool.
*(By “game,” I’m referring to playing games to learn or active engagement, as well as having enjoyment).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .- Students learn through engaging in games. By playing a game, players may be able to comprehend an idea or concept that is new or take on a new perspective, or try out different possibilities or options. In my early Spanish lessons, I usually played a card game during the beginning of the school year. Students were divided into groups of about 4-5. Each participant read the instructions for the card game. Then it was played total silence. Following the initial round, one player from the team (typically”winner”) “winner”) moved to an additional group. We usually played up to four or three rounds.
What my students didn’t initially realized was that every group was given an entirely different set of rules. If a student was transferred to an entirely different group, he often was confused and not sure why others had different rules (students generally claim that “they were playing wrong”). We took this as an opportunity to talk about the experiences that comes with moving into a different country. After having moved between Spain in Venezuela and then to the United States, I shared my personal experiences of acquiring new rules of the culture and, at times, feeling as if other people seemed to be “playing wrong.”
We then repeated the match, however I let all students to speak. Through discussion, they gave their rules and guidelines to “newcomers,” and the game went more easily (and students reported feeling more content). At least one person was able to say, “I get it. You’re trying to tell us why we should learn a different language. We can then all be able to explain the rules to one another.”
- Games offer a framework to engage in practice. As a world languages teacher, I am aware that students require lots of repetition to learn important concepts and vocabulary. However, for exercise to be worthwhile it is essential that students are engaged (and let’s face it that a lot of workbook pages and textbook exercises aren’t necessarily very entertaining!). Through engaging games like the charades, $25,000 pyramid and many more my students readily employ the structures and vocabulary and are constantly gaining valuable practice.
- Through playing games, children can develop a wide range of capabilities. There are numerous skills students can learn through game playing, including creative thinking, critical thinking collaboration, teamwork, and excellent sportsmanship. For instance, with my Spanish students it is important to practice circumlocution, which is an crucial ability. Through word-guessing games, I’ve seen my students’ abilities to use circumlocution grow significantly. I am awestruck by my students’ imaginations in game time (we played with Play-doh, acting, drawing and other activities as part of our game).
In my first year as an instructor I had a student tell me that he enjoyed the game of verbs the class was playing (a variant on “Yahtzee”). I assured him that I was happy that he enjoyed the game, but it wasn’t an invention of mine, but an adaptation of a game one he enjoyed at home. Then, he admitted that he’d not played any games at home, and it was only me who played an game with him. Sometimes, I’m amazed that my students can’t consider the best way they can play “Guess Who?” Then I remember that this teenager was never a player with an adult prior to the time when he joined my class! I view the game as an opportunity for me to teach an array of skills in daily life that do not necessarily appear in my curriculum’s structure and scope. - When playing games, children create a variety connections to the material and form positive memories of their learning. My most memorable memories of the classroom are related to game times. I’ll not forget seeing Miguel bounce around the classroom to assist his classmates in guessing his term “Mono” (monkey). The students will not forget the experience too (and they all had “mono” right on their assessment). The fun, silly or interesting moments tend to stand out in students’ memories, and they latch on to the vocabulary/structures we are studying. An emotional connection that is positive will help students to learn. Additionally, many games offer various experiences; for instance, some students recall vocabulary words after playing them out, while others may recall having to read the clues, and others remember hearing their classmates calling out answers. Games can offer a range of experiences for children.
- Games draw attention of students and keep them engaged. Since students love playing games, it’s an excellent way to keep their attention and immerse students in Spanish. This is especially beneficial in a variety of ways. For example, following the fire drill, students can struggle to settle down and getting back to the class. Games allow students to quickly engage in and then return to the subject that we have been studying. After hours of state-mandated standard tests, I notice that my students often exhausted from sitting for long periods and are full of energy. an active game that has lots of movement could be what they require.
