Humanistic Teaching

An approach to learning English

What makes a good game? There are various answers. But as David Paul points out in Teaching English to Children in Asia, one important consideration is how flexible the game is regarding language content. He suggests that rather than using a variety of games a more effective approach is to use a balanced number of games and gradually increase the language challenge within them. By doing this, he argues, children will be more likely to focus on the language and get their enjoyment from using the language, rather than the game itself. In other words, teachers should not use games for their own sake but always remember the ultimate objective of teaching language.

I have mixed feelings about this. I guess because I feel that the choice of which games to use should not lie completely in the hands of the teacher. I do agree that as language teachers we should focus on language but not at the expense of student choice. Combining the two I think is where skill, experience and imagination come in. I once did an experiment where I turned over the control of the class completely to the student. He was 3 years old and we were having classes three to five times a week. I well remember the six weeks or so where all he wanted to do was shopping. This meant throwing a blanket over a chair to create a shop and invariably buying and selling plastic fish. I can't remember all the things I did to inject new language into the situation. I do remember it as a test of my experiment! One of the things I did start that he latched onto was telling knock knock jokes. Not so much the language but the format. Another thing was being closed, being busy, not having change and so forth. I guess I was fortunate in that we were playing rather than playing a particular game and so nothing was really fixed.

As a former games inventor I appreciate the importance of game rules but sometimes they can get in the way. One of the reasons I favour non-competitive and co-operative games to competitive ones is that the more competitive players become the more likely they are to focus on the game rules rather than the game content or purpose. It's much easier to change the rules of non-competitive games since no-one stands to lose out by doing so. In this sense competitive games are generally less flexible. But what I want to focus on in this entry is how it is possible to play the same game in different ways. Basically, the simpler the structure of the game the more flexibility there is in how to use it. By way of example I will focus on Snakes And Ladders and its derivative Up And Down.

In traditional Snakes And Ladders each player or team takes a counter. Players take turns rolling the dice and race to get to the finish square climbing up the ladders and sliding down the snakes. Up And Down game boards vary only in that players slide up if they land at the bottom of a pair of objects and down if they land at the top. So ladders and snakes are fused into one. You can download an example Up And Down board with an Easter theme by clicking the link at the bottom of the column.

Here are some different ways I have used both Snakes And Ladders and Up And Down. In all cases we use a single marker and the players work together against a set time limit, usually five minutes.

Which Flashcard

For prereaders. Show two flash cards one in each hand and name them. The player whose turn it is chooses one and counts the number of letters in the word chosen (our flashcards have picture on the front and words on the back). The marker is moved a matching number of spaces.

Say a Word

Choose a theme. Players name words in the theme and the teacher writes them down on the board. Players count the letters and move the marker a matching number of spaces. At the end of the game readers can play Clear The Board. Set a time limit and point at the words quickly in turn. As the players read them erase the words. If players misread a word write that word onto the board. Can the players clear the board before their time is up?

Words From Sounds

Choose a sound. Players make words beginning with that sound. For each word made a player may role a dice and move the marker the matching number of spaces. When players run out of ideas chose another sound. Variations include having the sound at the end or in the middle of the word, or anywhere.

Name The Flashcard

Use a stack of flashcards. Players take turns trying to name the top card. If a player can't name the card the teacher does so and then cuts the pack near the top and slides the card back into it. When a player names a card it is discarded and the player may roll the dice to move the marker.

Guess the Number of Letters

The teacher says a word (perhaps showing a matching flashcard) and each player writes down how many letters they think are in the word. The teacher then writes the word down and whoever gets the answer right gets to roll the dice. A variation I've used with Junior High school students is to get taking turns stating teh numer of letters verbally.. The player who goes first varies from round to round. For each incorrect guess the player concerned rolls the dice and move the marker backwards.

Write the Word

The teacher dictates a word(and/or shows a flashcard) and the players write it down. The teacher writes the word down and then says stop. Whoever has the same spelling as the teacher gets to roll the dice.

Guess The Hint

The teacher gives hints for well know cards. Whoever guesses the card correctly gets to roll the dice. If no-one can get the card after a couple of hints name it and cut it back into the pack as described above. For more able students, once familiar with the game, the player who guesses correctly can get to give the hint.

Make A Sentence

Use flashcards. Players take turns making a sentence including a flashcard. For each word in the sentence move the marker one space forwards. For increased challenge also roll a dice and move the marker backwards the number rolled. Verbs work well with this variation and allow for the possibility of further challenge by restricting the tense.

I hope these examples are useful and will give you even more ideas. Please let me know if you come up with any more or if you have any questions you think I can answer. Click below to download an example Up and Down Board in PDF format. The original size is approximately B2 (728mm by 514mm), but you should be able to print it out at any size smaller.

Easter Up And Down

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