Why should games be

used in the EFL

Classroom?

Pedro Adolfo Cabrejo

1
Ruiz.
 ”It takes time to be funny.
It takes time to extract
joy from life.”

Susan Sarandon and

Elizabeth Town (2005)

2
 “…Take time to play.
It is the source of
perpetual youth.”

Ecclesiastes (3:1-8) Bible

3
 “Take time to laugh;
it is the music
of the soul.”
Anonymous
4
 Games are used not only for
mere fun, but more
importantly for the useful
practice and review of
language lessons.
5
What can teachers do to
have learners ready to
learn?
6
 o Arise curiosity.

o Bring challenging warm-up activities

 attract SS’ attention,

 sustain motivation and so

 engage them in the lesson.

o Exploit realia, and visual aids.

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 Choose activities that meet SS’
interest and expectations.

 Provide rich and meaningful input,

and make it comprehensible to SS.

 Foster both the building-up and

recycling processes.

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 What do games do?

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 They…

_ _ G __ _
1.

_ _ A __ _ _ _ _
2.

M __ _ _ _ _ _
3.

_ _ _ E __ _ _ _
4.

S __ _ _ _ _ _
5.

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 E NG AG E
1.

C HA L L E NG E
2.

MO T I V A T E
3.

ENT E R T AI N
4.

S UR P R I S E
5.

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 How are games
conceived?
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 Games help TS create contexts in which
the language is useful and meaningful.
 They provide intense practice of
language.
 They must be regarded as central to a
teacher’s repertoire.

(Wright and Buckby, 1984)

13
 As games have a pedagogical value,
they can lower anxiety and make
the acquisition of input more likely.
Besides, they can give students
more opportunities to express their
opinions and feelings.
Amato (1988)
14
“The majority of the games describe the
learners’ experience of communicating with
the help of the foreign language […] It is
through experience of communication in the
language they are learning that language
learners best learn how to communicate in
it”. (Lee, 1986 p. 2)
15
 Games should be regarded as an
integral part of the language syllabus,
not as an amusing activity for
Friday afternoon or for the end of
the term. [...] They constitute a
bridge between the classroom &
the real world.

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(Hadfield, 1996)
 Games should not be regarded as
a marginal/ peripheral activity,
filling in odd moments, but rather
as central to the foreign language
teaching programme.
Lee (1979)
17
 “Good games are fun, intrinsically
motivating, and offer just the
right amount of challenge.”

(Lepper & Malone, 1987;Malone, 1980;

Malone, 1983;Malone & Lepper, 1987;
Malouf, 1988).
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 “Play is a very serious matter....It
is an expression of our creativity;
and creativity is at the very root of
our ability to learn, to cope, and to
become whatever we may be.”

(Rogers & Sharapan, 1994, p.1)

19
 “English games can transform
classes. Communication games are
designed to allow everyone plenty
of opportunity to practise
speaking, without neglecting
spelling, reading and writing.”

Shelley Ann Vernon (2006-2008)

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 Advantages of using games
in the EFLC

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  create a meaningful context for
language use.

o encourage students to interact and

communicate.

o provide language practice in the four

linguistic skills.

o help students make and sustain the

effort involved in learning a language.

o constitute a welcome break from the

usual routine of the language class.
22
 Games privilege
dynamic, motivating,
challenging and enjoyable
activities that give SS
the opportunity to
learn with laughter.

23
Which characteristics should
games have?

24
have a pretty clear learning purpose and

be easily modelled before having SS actually

play it.

be set up by demonstration, not by long

explanations. (Hadfield, 1996)

have a pedagogical value, particularly in

foreign language teaching. (Amato, 1998)

be easily adjusted up or down, so a more

complex game may stimulate communication
challenge for lower level students (Wright,
1997)

be an objective rather than an end in

itself.
 amuse, challenge, intrigue, surprise
and even provoke learners to make
content meaningful, more vividly
experienced, and better retained
and retrieved whenever needed.

employ a wide range of learning

strategies such as predicting,
persuading, guessing, information
gap, matching, searching,
exchanging, collecting, classifying,
combining, and problem solving,
among others.
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 What sort of games
should we take to the
EFLC?

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 A game may fit into more
than one group/category

 Games are classified into numerous, often

overlapping, categories.

 A sampling includes: adventure games, simulation

games, competition games, cooperation games,
programming games, puzzle games, and business
management games
(Dempsey et al., 1993; Jacobs & Dempsey,
1993).
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Communication games

These activities encourage,

entertain, teach and promote
fluency. They are highly motivating
and entertaining, and they can give
shy students more opportunity to
express their opinions and feelings.
( Hansen, 1994)
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 Guessing games

They are true communicative

situations and as such are very
important for foreign language
learning.

(Klippel F, 2002)
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 Grammar games

The mere mention of a grammar lesson

can set students' eyes rolling.
Grammar games or fun activities can
turn those blank looks into smiles.

(Kim, Brown, 2004)

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 Let your imagination go to
explore your creativity and
experience while designing
challenging and enjoyable
games.

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  word squares, criss-cross words, grab bag,
hot seat /on the spot, crossword puzzles,
lotteries, bingos, stops, noughts & crosses,
flash cards, hexagon games /honey combs,
mutual/dual dictations, wall dictations,
unscramble words and sentences, missing
letters, alphabet letters, find someone
who, concentrate yourself, taboo, flower
games, riddles, hidden words, word search,
etc.
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 Which are the benefits
of games?

34
 Martha Lengeling and Casey
Malarcher (1997), identify
cognitive, affective, class
dynamics, and adaptability
benefits of using communicative
games in the EFLC.

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 Cognitive benefits

o To diagnose aspects of difficulty and take

immediate remedial action.

o To reassure and expand while focusing on

grammar communicatively.

o To foster effective communication so that

students challenge their own views of the
world.

o To improve Higher Order Skills.

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Relying upon Piaget's learning theory:

Game formats provide opportunities for both play

and imitation, functions which serve as important
accommodation and assimilation strategies that
Piaget (1951) considered essential to the
equilibration process.

Successful play can require extensive critical

thinking and problem-solving skills (Rieber, in
press).
37
  Affective benefits

o To motivate learners to keep/sustain their

interests.

o To encourage creative and spontaneous use

of language.

o To lower anxiety and have fun while

learning.

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 Class dynamics benefits

o To favour student-centred activities.

o To provide practice.

o To foster whole-class participation.

o To facilitate interaction.

o To build class cohesion.

o To promotes healthy competition.

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Adaptability

 Are easily adjusted for age, level, and

interests.
 Utilize all four skills.
 Require minimum preparation after development.

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Are games suitable to all
ages and genders?

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 o Enjoyment of games is not restricted
to age or gender.

o Some people may be less keen on/

fond of games than others.

o Everything depends on the

appropriateness of the game and the
role of the player (Hadfield, 1996).

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• Assessing games as cognitive tools
implies regarding the profiles of the
learners, including academic ability and
personality type.

(Bredemeier & Greenblat, 1981; Dempsey et al.,

1993; Gardner, 1983; Jacobs & Dempsey, 1993;
Seginer, 1980).

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 “El educador es también artista:
Él rehace el mundo,
él re-dibuja el mundo,
re-pinta el mundo,
re-canta el mundo,


re-danza el mundo”
Paulo Freire
44
“Los espacios de juego rechazan el
acatamiento y rechazan los ambientes de
temor, inseguridad y tensión que se
manifiestan cuando no hay canales para la
creatividad y autonomía de los alumnos”.

(Leticia Peña Lobos, 2008)

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“Abramos la puerta a la risa, a la alegría,
porque vivimos procesos excesivamente
serios desde donde estas expresiones se
escapan, para construir las nuevas formas
de quehacer pedagógico”.

(Leticia Peña Lobos, 2008)

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 n k
y
a
o
h
u
T
!

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 The wonders of warm-up
activities

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 
They are excellent prior
knowledge- activating tools.

 They prepare, facilitate

and sustain the effort of
learning.

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 Warm up activities must :

o go at the beginning of the class.

o be short and related to the topic.

o be interesting and enjoyable to encourage

students to use English.

o help students think.

o prepare students to be centred and focus

50
on their attention.
 Warm up activities mustn’t:

o be useful to continue the class.

o just be an ice or nice breaker nor a

long lasting activity.

o be the explanation of the topic.

o conform the whole body of the class.

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 References
Andrew Wright and David Betteridge and Michael Buckby Games for
Language Learning (2006)

Lee Su Kim From 'Creative Games for the Language Class‘ 'Forum' Vol. 33
No 1, January - March 1995, Page 35.

Jan G. Hogle. Considering Games as Cognitive Tools: In Search of

Effective "Edutainment” University of Georgia
Department of Instructional Technology , August 1996

Martha Lengeling and Casey Malarcher From 'Index Cards: A Natural

Resource for Teachers‘. 'Forum' Vol. 35 No 4, October - December 1997
Page 42.

W.R. Lee (1986, p 2)

http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/4-12.htm
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52 Boletín # 35
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