Teach English in ShuAnglong Zhen - Baotou Shi

Using games in the classroom can make learning more enjoyable and efficient. We can improve the classroom environment through games, having children use their body language, movement, vision and listening to complete learning tasks. The game itself should have been fun and functional, so that they will be willing to participate, to have teachers to test their output ability. In my teaching experience in recent years, I have found that using local and authentic games can make a bigger impact on children's interests and willingness. They are not like the games you find on the Internet if you adapt wrongly the children can still feel bored or start talking to the other children while waiting. In the following three games I have been applied to my classroom, they have become so popular and children have been asking to play them repeatedly. Children are so attracted to the game itself and the process, and who is playing the game while waiting, that there's no need to do classroom control. Of course, the game itself is very short. The more children will hear is my questions and the answers from their classmates. The first game is Spot The Differences. This is a game that I would play when I was very young. I believe that children nowadays must have seen this game in their daily life or on their parents' mobile phones. While one child is playing this game, the others will still concentrate on finding the next difference there on the whiteboard. When the entire classroom is quiet, they could hear the language output from me and their classmates clearly, in order to input more effectively. The second game is the Jigsaw Puzzle. I found some colorful, cute and yet simple jigsaw printouts on the Internet, printed them and cut them into their original shapes. Children will need to answer my questions and practice the language first within their group and then together playing this game, try to complete the puzzle as soon as possible. The whole process will be timed to control the pace. In the meantime, I can observe which student is the most attentive one, so that I can give feedback after the game and praise him/ her for his/ her important contribution to the team. Because in most cases, the quiet, attentive student is not usually the ones with significant learning outcomes. Such a compliment is very practical, on point and can help him/ her build more confidence inside the classroom. The third game is the Tug Of War. Children need to be divided into two groups to fight against each other, or as a whole group pull against a teacher. The advantage of this game is that it is very high paced and very easy to control. After the end of one round, I will immediately ask them to follow up on the target language output and then proceed to the next round of the game. Or sometimes I will lead them to ask each other the language in the opposite group. Most of my games are playing with two groups, and the winning group will get a reward at the end of the class like they will get a sticker. Aforementioned this improved tremendously in building their teamwork experiences. These games add interactivity, collective honor, and interest in learning in the classroom. And because they are very common games in daily life, they make children more enthusiastic to get involved. For us, a better outcome to achieve a combination of education and enjoyment.