Page 33 - ELG1802 Feb Issue 454

RESOURCES . that some will finish faster than others
REVIEWS & RESOURCES
Personal Creations www.personalcreations.com very little to be getting on with while the
and this can lead to some students having

others finish. Set time limits so students
have an idea of what pace they should be
working at. For instance, for a phrasal verb
board game, 10 minutes could be assigned
for playing and five minutes for errors and
reviewing what happened. Lack of clear
time limits can lead to confusion or wasting
time.
Try the following to keep your game
Raise on track:

n If there’s an interactive board, use a
timer and put it on the screen. I like to
use https://tinyurl.com/y77chffu. If one
group finishes early, ask them to help
the others so they’re still involved in the
your process.
n Use your judgement when time runs
out. It’s okay to extend the time limit
sometimes, but not every time. Show that
limits are limits and the students should
adjust to working within them
game to maximising the use of games in class and
All of these tips will help you on your way

keeping the students focused on learning.
n Declan Carey is an English teacher
based in Prague, teaching pre-intermediate to

declangeorgecarey.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @
Games can be fun, advanced level adult learners. He blogs at https://
but make sure pupils learn from them DeclanGCarey

students became confused and made it up Games to try:
Teacher Declan Carey explains why classroom games can be an effective method as they went along, leading to the purpose Taboo: Suitable for all levels. This classic game involves giving students
being missed.
of language teaching, but avoid the pitfalls that can lead to a pedagogical flop Games usually come with simple pre- cards with ‘taboo’ words (i.e. words they can’t say). Students have to
defined rules, like one move per player per describe the word or phrase using other words they know. I often use it
turn, and if someone uses the language at the beginning or end of a lesson as a review or revision task. Good practice for
s a teacher, I want my lessons to stuck in. Consider the following question: clearly communicated and elicited from incorrectly, they can’t move forward. Easy drawing out passive vocabulary or checking understanding. Individual or groups.
be as interesting, entertaining and How much learning actually takes place the students in the lesson to keep the focus enough. But what happens when someone
useful as possible, and games are a when using games in a lesson – how much on language learning rather than the game leaves the room to take a business call? Kahoot: Suitable for all levels. The music is annoying and teenagers will ask you
Agreat way of achieving this. value are they actually getting out of it? itself. Does this person forfeit their turn? Settling to play it every lesson, but undeniably it is a useful learning tool for all
Games play a leading role in my lessons My first tip is to really make clear the these issues at the start ensures a smoother ages. Kahoot is an application that links smartphones to a computer.
as they can be used at all stages to achieve benefit and purpose of any game used in the Try the following: process for all participants. It’s really easy to use and comes with many pre-made games and
a range of goals, as well as injecting a dose classroom. activities for teachers, but you can also design your own. Works best
Declan Carey is an English teacher based Before starting the game, ask the
of enjoyment into the challenge of learning n Think about: with groups. https://kahoot.com/
a foreign language. They are excellent Games can transform a in Prague, teaching pre-intermediate to students what vocabulary, phrases and
tools for practising grammar, vocabulary, advanced level adult learners.grammar they need to complete it and n Involving the students in the rule Gamblers and horses: Suitable for all levels. One group of students
pronunciation and everything else in difficult grammar task into how they can improve or practice this deciding process – that way, decisions are are the horses and there are two or more groups of gamblers. Horses
He blogs at https://declangeorgecarey.
between. a fun afternoon of learning wordpress.com/during the activity. made collectively rather than just by the see a list of sentences with errors and have a few minutes to find as
My students are accustomed to playing n teacher. many as possible. Gamblers have the results and must bet fictional
Twitter: @DeclanGCareyMake sure you monitor and correct
games on a daily basis, often as a warm-up but games come with their during the game to maintain focus (I often n Having a neutral ‘judge’ or ‘decider’ money on how many mistakes the horses find. Great fun and revision practice,
activity to set the tone for the rest of the write mistakes or errors down to avoid role during contentious moments. but be clear with rules and demonstrate before starting.
lesson, or other times as a way of fine- own challenges interrupting play.) To avoid unsettling the group dynamic,
tuning the target language or wrapping up and pitfalls n Afterwards, analyse what worked you could do it yourself. Murder mystery: For intermediate and above. Many students love a good
at the end of the day. and what didn’t work. This is a good n Bringing a written copy of the rules to murder mystery and the competition element involved, and this game is one of
Whether you are teaching serious indication of what your students know or consult before and during play. my favourites for practising past tenses and crime vocabulary. Students play a
business people at international companies This could be a linguistic purpose, such need to work on. This can help to settle disagreements. different character and ask each other questions to discover who committed the
or teenagers in high school, if done right, as to practise and improve the use of the crime. Warning: this has the potential to get very chaotic, so follow my guidance
games can transform a difficult grammar third conditional (‘If I had bought the My next tip is to set clear and consistent regarding rules, time limits and purpose. Also, set up a penalty for first
task into a fun afternoon of learning. bike, I could have cycled to Rome’) or a rules for all players. My final pointer is to set clear time limits language use as it’s easy for students to switch during the questioning
But while fun, games come with their practical purpose, like being able to order in When I was a trainee teacher, I found my for all games, something I believe is a highly stage. Great for groups and many good versions available online. I like
own challenges and pitfalls, and it’s a restaurant. games flopping too frequently because the underestimated yet simple thing to do. the one from One Stop English.
important to consider these before getting Either way, ensure that this purpose is rules weren’t clearly defined at the start and When working with groups, it’s inevitable
32 February 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 33