What and Why?
At secondary school level, games are a lively way of maintaining student interest in the language. Games in CES are an integral part of the course. They are fun but also part of the learning process and students should be encouraged to take them seriously. In general they need not be compulsory: students may prefer to do something else while another group plays a game. Most of the games in CES expect students to create some input before they play. This gives a sense of 'ownership' and extends the language learning element.
Practical ideas
- As with all groupwork, the success of the game depends on the clear instruction to the students. Make sure that they understand the aim of the game and the rules before they start. (Initially, these are probably best explained in the mother tongue).
- You will need to make sure that you have a supply of dice and counters permanently available.
- The best number of students for a game is probably 4 (six maximum) otherwise the game will move too slowly and the others will get bored while waiting for their turn.
- Students can choose a 'leader/referee' for the game before they start, to decide on disagreements.
- While they are playing you can be monitoring and guiding.
- Make sure they know how much time they have to play the game: 10-15 minutes is probably enough for most of the games in CES. Don't start a game 5 minutes before the end of a lesson! You can give students a 'five minute warning' before the time is over so they can work towards the end.
- As the course progresses, you can get the students to invent their own games and decide their own board.
|
