profile 2.p65


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This project was conducted in orderto improve oral interaction inEnglish through the practice of games
that permit the development of
communication. This provided us the
opportunity to improve our methodology and
to encourage 4th grades, at the Henao y Arrubla
Institute. At the end of this investigation, we
observed that not only the sample had improved
their oral production, but  the rest of the
students could interact in the process as well.

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

At the beginning of year 2000, we discerned
a lack of oral production in the majority of our
students. We worked three hours per week and
we thought  it was necessary to implement an
adequate process for having a good and effective
development of the class. We chose a sample
at the Henao y Arrubla Institute. It operates on
calendar A offering elementary and intermediate
grade levels. Our sample showed a high desire
to improve their oral interaction. They are not
shy to speak, and on  several occasions, they
use “Spanglish”.

Teaching speaking is perhaps the most
demanding skill for the second language teacher.
Children want to express their emotions,
communicate intentions and reactions, explore
the language and make fun of it in their own
language, so, they expect to be able to do the
same in English. How the interaction is achieved
in formal situations is a matter of technique or

of classroom approach. In less formal
situations, it involves imaginative planning with
student input.

How can games help learning?How can games help learning?How can games help learning?How can games help learning?How can games help learning?

Games can help people break down their
learning barriers. For example, take the case of
a person who is shy in a normal classroom
situation and who is afraid or embarrassed to
participate in class, but, in a game he/she can
be creative and free to express his/her opinions
without any problem.

Games are facilitators of knowledge and
bring down tension and anxiety. Games provide
an enjoyable environment in situations where
communication is necessary. Games in the
English class are a way to supply  students with
enjoyable situations in which they feel distracted
and do not see themselves as if they were
straighjacketed.

However, we must realize that not all the
games are appropriate or not all of them have
the characteristics needed to teach  best.  The
best games are those that  favor communication
and where the players find it essential to
communicate. We can focus on words,
discussion, action, problem solving and
guessing, or a combination of these.

The purpose of this investigation was to
determine if the use of  games in English teaching
and learning was adequate and effective.

THE FUN APPROACH

TO ENGLISH LEARNING

Nancy Idaly CamarNancy Idaly CamarNancy Idaly CamarNancy Idaly CamarNancy Idaly Camargo Vgo Vgo Vgo Vgo V.....
and Bernice Lacera D.and Bernice Lacera D.and Bernice Lacera D.and Bernice Lacera D.and Bernice Lacera D.



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10PROFILEPROFILEPROFILEPROFILEPROFILE

We developed this project keeping in mind
three key questions. The principal question was:
How can we encourage the elementary student
to use English when playing games? And related
questions were: 1. What kind of games can we
use to make students interact in the English
class? 2. What kind of processes can we follow
to make the games effective?

Action research was chosen as the research
approach. This method permitted us to apply
processes spirally and all the time we could plan,
act, analyze and reflect upon the data collected.

The data for this study was collected for four
months from February to May, 2001. The
information was collected while developing the
school’s syllabus with the constant use of
games, according to topic, in each class. We
took notes in the teacher’s journal and it was
necessary to videotape in some classes to
observe students’ behavior. Also, two surveys
were applied at the beginning of the process
and at the end  to determine needs, preferences,
likes and dislikes concerning the games in the
English classes.

Those instruments were applied to ten
students who were our sample and who had
shown a high interest in oral production and
who, at the end of this investigation, showed
themselves to be very motivated because they
now  knew that they should help their
classmates.

ResultsResultsResultsResultsResults

The results showed that the students can
achieve a mastery of vocabulary and usual
expressions with the constant use of games in
the English class.  For some weeks, when we
played games in the English class, we observed
similar behaviors or attitudes. We analyzed our

journals in order to improve later classes. We
observed that the majority of the students were
anxious, creative and motivated.

Students were very interested in the English
classes they were playing games in and we could
see that they improved their vocabulary and in
the use of expressions in and outside English class.

Constantly, students asked us, “teacher are
we going to play games today, please?... Teacher
that class is great!”. These comments were very
important to us because we could see that the
use of games in the English class was effective.

ConclusionConclusionConclusionConclusionConclusion

The principal purposes of the development
of each English class were oral interaction and
the consideration of games that suit the
students’ learning process and their preferences.

The sample (10 students) showed that games
could be an excellent means to acquire
knowledge of  English  and that students could
help themselves improve because they are  freer,
and more active when playing games, especially
those that come up with winners. So, it is easier
and faster for them to manage or assimilate the
learning situation. We conclude that games  are
good pedagogical tools because students learn
a foreign language better with activities that
were prepared according to their attitudes,
needs, preferences, likes and dislikes. Games are
the most complete tools to make our students
autonomous, free and creative. Controlled
games foment values such us honesty, justice,
comprehension, acceptance whether winning
or losing, respect and responsibility.

We could infer that when students worked
on exercises, topics and activities, they
remembered the games played and  practiced



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them. They were motivated to participate more
actively. For the development of the games, it
is important to emphasize that the teacher must
know how the students use knowledge and how
they practice what they learn.

PPPPPedagogical implicationsedagogical implicationsedagogical implicationsedagogical implicationsedagogical implications

We are conscious that learning is a selective
and individual process directed by specific
needs. Using games to achieve a good level of
oral interaction requires an adequate
educational environment generated by the
teachers. We want to point out some
recommendations in order to make effective use
of games in our classes.

· The teacher must know the students’
needs, preferences, likes and dislikes and
based on those, she/ he can prepare the
lesson plan for each class keeping in mind
what kind of games can be used or which
are the most adequate according to the topic
being studied.

· The teacher must determine clearly the
objectives that she/he wants to obtain with
the game that  she/he uses.

· We should choose games that respond
to the needs and characteristics of the
group as well as time limits, conditions,
space and material, and make the necessary
adaptations according to the situation.

· We should prepare alternative games
that permit us to achieve the objectives in
case the program or time slot changes
because of an unforeseen situation.

· Before starting a game, the teacher
must be sure that all students have
understood the rules and he/she  must be
located in a place where all his/her students
can see and hear him/her when he/she
speaks to them.

· The attitude of the teacher in the
classroom, his/her students, his/her
behavior, his/her dynamism in the
demonstrations and explanations of the
games are the keys of progress in learning
from games.