Teach English in FAnggAoping Zhen - Huanggang Shi

In recent years, there has been a change in language teaching from focusing on linguistic skills to communicative competence. In the past, a successful language learner was identified based on his/ her ability to grasp grammar rules, sentence structure and parts of speech. At that time, teaching foreign languages, in particular, English, was controlled by traditional methods, in which the teacher dominates all the teaching and learning activities. The learning environment was mainly teacher-centred. However, with the change of society, teaching methods also change to meet the demand for effective communication skills. In the modern learning environment, English teaching has shown a shift from the teacher-centred to student-centred approach. This concept encourages language learners to practice communicating in an environment of dialogic communication on specific tasks. It suggests learners express their opinions, feelings or make inquiries to develop their understandings about topics. To keep students involved actively in the learning process and promote successful student-centred learning, it is said that in- class simulation games are useful keys. There are several reasons that games play an important role in active learning. This essay will discuss more the effectiveness of language games in language teaching.    First, language games provide a relaxation, fun but challenging environment, which sparks interest among students. Many language games require students to work in pairs, groups or whole class participation to score as many points as possible. Thus, they can form positive memories of studying, either from interaction with others or their discovery. Language learning requires constant effort which can be frustrating sometimes. Using games is a useful technique to grab students' attention. For young learners like children whose motivational factor is not language learning, games generate this stimulus. By playing games, students are encouraged to get involved in their learning. Keeping their minds open and flexible, games help them to practise old skills and reflect their understanding of the learning content in a pleasant, entertaining way. Furthermore, it is also a good strategy to activate low confident students. When in small groups, it is easier for shy students to express themselves. It is also considered as a good technique to manage the classroom.    Second, games set up a variety of real-life situations which promotes communicative competence. Workbooks and textbook exercises are not always engaging. Too many worksheets and textbook pages may drain students’ energy and cause exhaustion. Through lively games, students are willing to repeatedly use the target vocabulary and structures, which need much practice. Hence they can internalize the vocabulary and structures to the communicative point in real-life situations. In other words, when playing language games, to be clear and understand well different sets of rules, students have to communicate and take actions. By doing this, they can practice both of their productive and receptive skills, especially speaking and listening practices, which are poor in teacher-centred classrooms. In short, playing games is a dynamic process of communication when students have chances to think, take on different perspectives and express their feelings and ideas based on their own experiences.    Third, language games provide instant feedback on student learning sufficiency. It is a useful testing mechanism to find out students' weaknesses. Whenever the teacher presents an idea or a new issue related to the language, they always want to know how much their students understand. The usual way they use to evaluate students is through written or oral tests. However, these forms of assessments require a lot of time since teachers cannot judge and pay hands-on to students' tests one by one in class. Meanwhile, games show up immediate feedback after lectures, which is fast and effective. As winning or losing depends on how well students perform in the game, teachers can quickly capture where learning gaps exist. In short, through their observation as facilitators, teachers can identify students' strengths and weaknesses as well as gaps that need to be remediated in the process of acquiring students' knowledge.   In conclusion, the role of games in language teaching cannot be denied. To make the most of language games in class, teachers should consider using games as an integral part of the lesson. Well-chosen games are necessary to be taken into account. Likewise, it is essential that when applying a game in any classroom, we also need to consider factors such as the size of the class, proficiency level, timing, studying topic and cultural background of students. 727 words