Using Board Games in the Language ClassroomShelley Chang & Jenny Cogswell

TESOL 2008Monterey Institute of International Studies

Using Board Games in the Language Classroom

Hilton Harlem Suite  April 3rd, 2008  2:00-2:45 PM

Agenda

Introduction

Activities

Reflection

Question and Answer Period

Introduction

As we all know, one of the main goals of language teaching is to equip our students with the ability to communicate in the target language. Using board games in the language classroom is an effective, low-anxiety, and fun way for students to learn and practice communication skills as well as develop their own communication strategies that can be readily applied to the real world. Board games are a versatile asset in the classroom because board games can be:

  • used as intended for native speakers
  • adapted to teach specific language forms and functions
  • adapted for various ESL/EFL contexts, age groups, proficiency levels, and content
  • adapted as communicative activities in the classroom
  • adapted as a concept for making your own educational board game.

The benefits to using board games in the classroom are numerous, however, we would like to focus on the particular aspect of how board games promote communicative language learning through tasks, defined here as activities in which:

  1. meaning is primary;
  2. there is a communication problem of some type to solve;
  3. the activity has some relationship to real-world activities;
  4. task completion is usually required; and
  5. task performance can be assessed in terms of the outcome (Skehan, 1998, p. 95).

The activities that we showcase in this demonstration are a just a few of the things you can do with board games and games in general. When using board games, we should keep in mind how these five characteristics are exemplified in student interaction. Furthermore, it is important that lessons that implement board games should be composed of warm-up activities, formal instruction, tasks, and wrap-up/reflection activities that integrate all language skills to provide learners with a holistic language learning experience.

One thing to keep in mind: games are fun and engaging, but it frequently requires considerable work on the part of the teacher. Strategically indentifying simple games that lend themselves to the language being targeted can save teachers precious time and energy.

Activities

Using board games as intended for native speakers

Depending on the target audience, board games can be played as intended for native speakers. Some board games can support the content being taught in a classroom. For example, the game of Life can be used in an adult ESL classroom setting to introduce various concepts and vocabulary for things in their lives (i.e., buying insurance, getting a salary, speeding, retiring, etc.) Guess Who? can be used as originally intended for native speakers to focus on the form of yes/no question formation for the function of eliciting information about a certain person.

Word games are also great games for use in the classroom. Often times, they elicit a meta-linguistic discourse among the participants (i.e., Scrabble, I think there are two T’s in bottle; Boggle, That’s not a word!) and often result in consulting the dictionary for a tie-breaker. Other word games can also help students develop communication strategies such as circumlocution (i.e., Taboo!, Catch Phrase, Outburst) or collocations (i.e., Scattegories). Word games reinforce literacy and developing vocabulary.

Quiz games are great to use for teaching about general knowledge. Some examples are Trivial Pursuit, which quizzes general knowledge, and Battle of the Sexes, which quizzes knowledge of American pop culture. Quiz games help students find out what they know and help them to learn more information.Even when students get a question wrong, they are more likely remember that fact in the future.

Adapting board games for teaching form

Some board games naturally elicit target language forms (i.e., yes/no questions for Guess Who, Wh- questions for Clue) and other board games can be adapted to focus on forms. We suggest looking at the language used in a particular game and then emphasizing salient forms and functions when students play the game (i.e., colors for Candyland).

Adapted for ESL/EFL contexts and various age groups, proficiency levels, and content

Being in a safe and supportive classroom environment is important for students learning a language since it may be one of the only opportunities for students to take risks in speaking and trying new language forms and functions. This is particularly important for EFL contexts since learners may only have access to the language in the classroom. Some explicit instruction in grammar has proven to be beneficial for learners in these contexts as well as heightening student awareness of their language forms and skills (Fotos, 2002).

Board games can be adapted for all age groups, proficiency levels, and content. Be sure to check the language and keep it at a level that students are comfortable with. For example, Go Fish may be a great game for beginning level students, however, Bohnanza would only be appropriate for students at advanced proficiency levels and older age groups.

Adapted as communicative activities in the classroom

Many concepts of board games can be adapted as communicative activities in the classroom. This would be ideal for the starving language teacher in search of fun ways to liven up the classroom. For example, the game Taboo can be extended to target vocabulary words in a lesson or unit. Scattegories can also promote collocative skills with various concepts and vocabulary as well.

Making your own board game

The following has been adapted from Harris’s (n.d.) handout on creating board games to enhance classroom learning.

Tips for Successful Board Games

Be Creative - Think Out of Box

Games are cheap and they are everywhere. Buy several

Make the game fun to play

Have a catch-up feature “Pass Go” or “Free Parking”

Use game components from one or several games

Don’t just copy the game you are covering

Make it a Learning Tool

Question Cards/Question booklets

Learning activity (recordkeeping, math, etc)

Create different options for difficulty

Play the game in 40-60 minutes

Give it a Professional Look

Game should look interesting

If it looks quality students will be interested

Use appropriate materials and techniques to give a quality look

Develop a Good Set of Rules

Rules should look professional

Make the rules easy to understand

Students should be able to get the gist of the game in 5 minutes

Make the rules complete

Make sure you know how to set up, play, and win the game

Make sure you know how to set up, play, and win the game

Make 4-5 copies of the rules

Bonus Tip: Make multiple boards and sets of rules for one box so up to 20 can play.

You can even have your students create a board game. One idea is having students get into groups to work on a board game that focuses on the forms and functions of language. Not only will students learn a form and function in depth, but they will also be able to engage in authentic interaction and meta-linguistic discourse.

Reflection

Going back to Skehan’s (1998) definitions of a task, reflect on the games that you played and evaluate whether or not the games satisfied the five aspects.

  1. meaning is primary;
  2. there is a communication problem of some type to solve;
  3. the activity has some relationship to real-world activities;
  4. task completion is usually required; and
  5. task performance can be assessed in terms of the outcome (Skehan, 1998, p. 95).

Here are some other reflection questions:

  1. What are some things you liked about the activities?
  2. What are some things you didn’t like?
  3. What are some things you would like to add, delete, or change?
  4. Which ones were your favorite?
  5. Which ones were your least favorite?
  6. Any general comments?
  7. How would you use some of these activities in your classroom?

Questions and Answers

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______

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Resources

Here are a few e-resources for using board games in the classroom.

Websites that Offer Educational Board Games

Create your own games!

Pre-made game boards:

Online crossword puzzle maker:

Online word search puzzle maker:

Articles

Forum

References

Fotos, S. (2002). Structure-based interactive tasks for the EFL grammar learner. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classrooms. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Harris, C. R. (n.d.). Create board games to enhance classroom learning. Unpublished document.

Edge, J. (1993). Essentials of English language teaching. New York: Longman.

Shameem, N. & Tickoo, M. (Eds.). (1999). New ways in using communicative games in language teaching. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of Englisht o Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL).

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