Teach English in PAnzhuAng Nongchang - Tianjin

Games in the classroomWhen teaching individuals of any age one of the most difficult struggles for a teacher is keep the class focused. Sure it can be easy if the subject lends itself to an entertaining media, or it is something that students are heavily interested in. What about the rest of the time? How does a teacher help students bond with each other and overcome shyness or difficulty that they may have within a classroom? Games, these are designed predominantly to entertain people and work as a social function to bond individuals with each other. Why then would one not feel that a system such as this could not be useful in the classroom? As previously mentioned games are a tool to help both entertain and help with social connections, but they do have other purposes that completely lend themselves to helping students and their success. Are games always appropriate, no there is a time and a place and not every game is even appropriate. The predominating factor though when looking at if a game is useful in a classroom is if it has educational merit, or if it is just for fun. Yes a game that is for fun can occasionally have its own merit in the classroom, but this generally is only for a fun day, one that is purely to help students have a moment of relaxation to just enjoy each others company. A smart teacher though will still keep educational aspects even in the fun game. As listed above the educational merit is key to figuring out if a game fits for the classroom, Other factors that need to be considered is how does it fit within the unit or lesson that is being taught, and is it a game that the students will accept. Both portions are key, especially for a ESL class, though this applies to any other classroom that is out there. In an ESL class the students can be of any age grouping or any skill level, some students may find it difficult to adjust to games, while others may find games to be inappropriate for a classroom setting. Though these students may resist at first, if a proper game that helps the student come across their week points and grow from there may change the students tune on the subject. It is always important to have some sort of debriefing at the end. This way the students get a stronger feel for the importance of the game, and also will recognize that the game was not just for entertainment purposes. Once a game is selected for the classroom it is important to set ground rules and guidelines for the students, in doing so you will be able to keep control of the game and the students may recognize what they are supposed to be doing within it, this is especially true in an ESL class where the students may not have a clear understanding of the language. Regardless of the base understanding of the group though, it is important to do some modeling to help the students understand just what the rules of the game are. Another important aspect here is that the game doesn?t need to involve a lot of movement or excitement or cheering, but it does need to be intellectually challenging (Kopecky, Andrew. "Using Games to Motivate Your Adult ESL Students." ESLFocus.com - The WorldWide Guide to english As A Second Language. 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. .) Games can be of your own creation, or you can adjust a previously created game such as Pictionary, Scrabble or Jeopardy. The important thing to remember though as has been previously stressed is that you need to make sure that the experience is educational. By having fun people absorb information in ways that they never could dream of just sitting and listening to another. It is always important though to remember to keep a game focused, if the game is the goal of the class, make sure you have enough time. If the game is not the goal of the class, it is important to make sure that there is enough time to play it, it is important not to cut a game short since that can cause frustration for the students. Most importantly though is to enjoy the game along with the students.