Teaching and Learning English Vocabulary through Games - Essay Example

Teaching and Learning English Vocabulary through Games English as a global language has a primary position in the day-to-day life of the global citizens and the teaching and learning of English language has acquired a prominent part in the education system of every nation. Teaching and learning of English language involves many aspects in the four skills of the language like listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Among them, vocabulary gains great significance as it links all these four skills together. Proficient communication in English requires the acquirement of a vast number of words and phrases without which the communication becomes incomplete. Language teaching, in the modern scenario, is challenging and the teaching fails when the new and effective techniques of vocabulary leaning remain unidentified and underutilized. Teachers and students may often identify the need for vocabulary learning, but fail to employ the techniques that would make the learning really effective, interesting, and easy. "The need for meaningfulness in language learning has been accepted for some years. A useful interpretation of 'meaningfulness' is that the learners respond to the content in a definite way. If they are amused, angered, intrigued or surprised the content is clearly meaningful to them. Thus the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better remembered. If it is accepted that games can provide intense and meaningful practice of language, then they must be regarded as central to a teacher's repertoire. They are thus not for use solely on wet days and at the end of term!" (Wright et al, 1984). Therefore, the significance of language games in the learning of vocabulary is remarkable. There are various reasons to consider the use of games as effective and advantageous tool for learning and teaching vocabulary which is one of the inevitable aspects of English language learning. "First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students' use of English in a flexible, communicative way." (Huyen & Nga, 2003). Treated from the affective aspect of the learning process, a vocabulary game lessens the affective filter and encourages, in the learner, the creative and spontaneous use of language. More importantly, the use of such vocabulary games promotes communicative competence of the learner and motivates him/her in the learning process. By motivating the learner for the continuous use of the language in communication, the vocabulary games help him/her in developing, apart from the learning of vocabulary, language competency as a whole. To judge the vocabulary learning games by the standards of Cognitive Theory of Learning, they reinforce learning activity, thereby, ensuring and affirming the learning to be meaningful and complete. This technique of vocabulary learning reviews and extends the vocabulary competence of the learner and, therefore, finds it very useful tool of language teaching. The modern theories of learning and teaching, affirm the teaching activity to be centered on the student and teaching and learning of English vocabulary through games can be considered the one of the best example of student centered teaching. Like the student centered methods of teaching, in this method vocabulary teaching, the teacher is just the facilitator and the real performer is the leaner. This makes the learner more active in the learning process and he/she learns more effectively. The learning of English vocabulary through games also facilitates the learning procedure to be easy and effective, as the learners are made active by the practice or there is greater possibility for class cohesion. This is crucial when the wider aspect of language learning process is considered as the class dynamics plays an important role in language learning activities. Another remarkable advantage of games in the vocabulary learning is its adaptability and it is easily adjusted to any age group, and suits groups of varying interests. The language involves, as we already saw, four major skills and this method of vocabulary learning involves all the four of them. (Lengeling & Malarcher, 1997, P. 42). When considering various charges against the method of vocabulary learning through language games, including the charges that they are just time-filling activities and just for fun, the following research finding by Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Khuat Thi Thu Nga are found worth considering. According to them, "games contribute to vocabulary learning if they give students a chance to learn, practice and to review the English language in a pleasant atmosphere... students are demanding a new way of teaching vocabulary, and they themselves are in search of a new way of learning this subject as well." (Huyen & Nga, 2003). The methodology manuals as well as the recognized textbooks and research materials, all through the age, have argued that the scope of games in vocabulary teaching is beyond just the time filling activities and entertaining methods of language teaching. There are so many advantages, those discussed and non-discussed in this paper, of using the vocabulary games in language teaching. They promote, entertain, instruct, and encourage fluency and assist students in finding beauty in a foreign language like English beyond the problems that on occasion appear devastating. "Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second, games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third, vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students' use of English in a flexible, communicative way." (Games for Learning and Teaching English as a Second Language, 2007). There are various other reasons why these vocabulary learning games may be preferred to other vocabulary learning techniques. "Games also lend themselves well to revision exercises helping learners recall material in a pleasant, entertaining way. All authors referred to in this article agree that even if games resulted only in noise and entertained students, they are still worth paying attention to and implementing in the classroom since they motivate learners, promote communicative competence, and generate fluency." (Uberman, 1998, P. 20). Therefore, the role of games in teaching and learning vocabulary cannot be denied at any consideration. "However, in order to achieve the most from vocabulary games, it is essential that suitable games are chosen. Whenever a game is to be conducted, the number of students, proficiency level, cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings are factors that should be taken into account." (Huyen & Nga, 2003). One of the major considerations in the selection of games for vocabulary teaching is their appropriateness. "Teachers should be very careful about choosing games if they want to make them profitable for the learning process. If games are to bring desired results, they must correspond to either the student's level, or age, or to the material that is to be introduced or practiced structural games that practice or reinforce a certain grammatical aspect of language have to relate to students' abilities and prior knowledge. Games become difficult when the task or the topic is unsuitable or outside the student's experience." (Uberman, 1998). The length and time of the game also need to be considered in the selection of games. Only such a proper and judicious selection of games will help the learner. There are various other considerations in the proper implementation and practice of games for the purpose of English vocabulary learning. Some of the general and important aspects of these may be identified in the following: Quote: Games should be regarded as supplementary activities. The whole syllabus should not be based on games only -- even for young learners. When choosing a game, the teacher should be careful to find an appropriate one for the class in terms of language and type of participation. Once the game has begun, the teacher should not interrupt to correct mistakes in language use. The teacher should not compel an individual to participate. Some learners may not want to participate due to personal reasons. Forcing students to participate usually does not have successful results. A game which looks wonderful on the paper may not work in the actual classroom setting. If it is tiring or boring, it should be stopped. Give clear instructions. Unless the learners know what he is expected to do and how to do it, the aim cannot be achieved, and the game cannot be played. (Ersz). Unquote: It is, therefore, very significant that the teacher gives utmost priority to the effectiveness of the games he/she adopts in the teaching of English vocabulary and the language teaching involves such careful selection and gradation of the procedures. One of the universally accepted English vocabulary games is that of "Just a Minute" which was a radio game show broadcasted over the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It was later admitted and recognized as the standard game for the teaching of English vocabulary universally. The main steps in the game are as follows: 1. Divide your students into groups. Get each group to give themselves a name. 2. The objective of each group is to get as many points as possible. 3. The task is to speak on a topic for a minute. The referee (the teacher) will provide the topics. 4. The competition-members of the other groups-should try to "wrestle" the topic away from the person who is speaking on it. There are three ways to do this: i. Hesitation: When a student pauses for too long a break, it is considered a hesitation. ii. Repetition: When a student keeps repeating a particular word or phrase, it is considered repetition. iii. Deviation: When a student digresses, he can be faulted for deviation. 5. A timekeeper will ring the bell once the minute is up. The person who is speaking when the bell rings will win 10 points. 6. The group with the most points is the winner. (Kim, 1995). There are various other effective vocabulary games like, "Win, Lose, or Draw," "Whisper Circles," "Match and Catch the Riddle," "Crazy Story," "Missing Headlines," "Find the Differences," "The Secret Code," and many more all of which have effective procedures of vocabulary teaching. The identification and selection of the games that suit the purpose of teaching vocabulary in the particular language group and situation is considered one of the most essential elements that determine the success of the practice. The language teaching techniques, especially in the countries where it is used as a second language or foreign language, are considered very essential for a good result in the teaching activity. The teaching of English vocabulary is one of the most difficult teaching elements that a teacher in such nations faces. The role of language activities in these situations is considerably great as these would make the students very attentive and productive to the teaching activity. The involvement of the students in the teaching activity is often regarded as of pertinent notice. "Active participation of the whole class in acquiring, understanding and using English can be achieved to a great extent through interactive English language games, which give the pupil a reason to communicate and a context for speaking practice. As you all know, repetition is essential for developing skill but not in a parrot-like fashion. Thus, if you can present the required repetition to your students in an attractive package then their focus will remain on the fun-environment of the game and unknowingly they will learn using the language." (Contextual Vocabulary Games, 2006). This is the real foundation of the significant role that the vocabulary games enjoy in the teaching of English language. Let us, therefore, conclude that the language learning without such effective tools as vocabulary games and the like would be less effective and interesting. It may be concluded from the discussion that learning vocabulary through games is one successful and appealing way that can be applied in any classrooms. Let us not forget, at this juncture that "students tend to learn and retain new vocabulary better, when it is applied in a relaxed environment like playing vocabulary games. In fact it has been proved that an interested and involved class, learning through several fun-filled English language games takes in 100% of the lesson and retains 80% of it. Secondly, healthy competition that forms an elementary part of the English games encourages player discovery, examination and a voluntary involvement of the child in the learning process. Thirdly it leads to a better bonding between the teacher and the students. Most importantly, these games usher in the real world context into the classroom and thus increase the students' capacity to speak English in a practical and flexible manner." (Contextual Vocabulary Games, 2006). The effectiveness of the vocabulary games in vocabulary learning, therefore, cannot be questioned. These games can be used not merely for fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons. These can be very crucial in the communication through the language of English. These games, ultimately, help the learners in improving their language competence and skills. Therefore, the role of games in the teaching and learning process of English language particularly in its vocabulary is of pertinent consideration. Reference Wright, Andrew et al. (1984). Introduction. Games for Language Learning. Cambridge University Press. p. 1. Huyen, Nguyen Thi Thanh, & Nga, Khuat Thi Thu. (2003). Learning Vocabulary Through Games. Asian EFL Journal. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/dec_03_vn.pdf Lengeling, M. Martha, & Malarcher, Casey. (1997). Index Cards: A Natural Resource for Teachers. Forum. Vol. 35. No 4. P. 42. Games for Learning and Teaching English as a Second Language. (2007). ESL Games. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://www.esl-games.net/teachers/index.html Uberman, Agnieszka. (1998). The Use of Games for Vocabulary Presentation and Revision. 'Forum.' Vol. 36. No. 1. P. 20. Uberman, Agnieszka (1998). Choosing appropriate games The Use of Games for Vocabulary Presentation and Revision. Forum. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol36/no1/p20.htm Ersz, Aydan. Some Advice. Six Games for the EFL/ESL Classroom. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://www.aitech.ac.jp/%7Eiteslj/Lessons/Ersoz-Games.html Kim, Lee su. (1995). Just a Minute. Creative Games for the Language Class. Forum. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol33/no1/p35.htm Contextual Vocabulary Games. (2006). Online learning haven. Retrieved January 06, 2008, from http://www.learninghaven.com/la/vocabulary/ Read More