The benefits of playing games:
Games force students to think in new and creative ways. Some games requiere students to work with others collaboratively or competitively. Others involve problem solving and team work. Many students happily engage in games because the pressure is not on them to write. Providing students with a vehicle to experience success or winning helps to engage tehm in other classroom activities. Students who are shy often find a new way of communicating with their peers in game play.
Now I present a creative game for the language class, the name is: " Win, Lose, or Draw"
This game is quite a well-known one. You can play it with as many teams as you like, preferably keeping it to a maximum of forur or five teams.
Instead of givien the students the words to draw, I find it even more effective if you get the students to concoct the words themselves. The words should be " drawable", not too easy nor too difficult. Gve the groups about 10-15 minutes to come up with the words; then the teacher should go round to the differente groups to check out the words. Tick out those that are suitable and try and offer alternatives for those words that you consider unsitable. Each topic should then be written out on a small piece of paper which an be rolled or folded up. Then, collect all the topics and place them in separate boxes in front of you.
THE GAME IS THEN PLAYED AS FOLLOWS.
1.- Divide your class into groups.
2.- Start with the first group. A member of the group should come to the front of the classroom and pick out a piece of paper containing a topic given bya members of the other groups. S/H then has to draw the topic on the blackboard once the time keeper gives the "being" signal.
3.- Appoint someone to keep time. A student has a maximum of 60 seconds to draw the object. This can vary according to your students abilities.
4.- The objective isto try to score as few points as possible.
5.- The task is for group members to try to guess what the student is drawing in as little time as possible.
6.- The student doing the drawing cannot talk, make any sound, nor act out the word. Only when his/her group members have guessed the word correctly, can S/H indicate or gesticulate that they have done so.
7.- The tacher has to be alert and listen carefully whilst the students try to guess what their friend is drawing. Once they have guessed the topic correctly, the teacher stops the action.
8.- The timekeeper announces the time taken and recors it on the board.
9.- After this, the next group takes its turn. The game can be played for many rouds. Students in each group should take turns drawing.
10.- At the end of the game, the scores are tallied. The group with the fewest points is the winner.
This game is suitable for teaching vocabulary items, but phrases or sentences can also be given. For example "singing in teh rain". a school of fish, "The fast woman fainted" Tenses and sentence structures can also be introduced through this game.
CONCLUSION
It is important that the language teacher be creative and innovative in his/her job. Dare to deviate occasionally form the humbrum routine and do something refreshing an different in the class. It does not requiere too much effort, and the enthusiam generated .
Finally, when playing the game, teachers should be totally committed and enthusiastic.
