2. Practical Part

2.1Teaching English to young learners with Games

You may remember when you were in school the dreaded grammar lessons of sitting in a desk writing, correcting and rewriting sentences to learn proper grammar usage. Well, while some people may still teach grammar in this method, there is a movement towards teaching grammar with games. Just imagine your class when you announce that it's time for a grammar lesson and instead of moans and whining, you get smiles and excitement. It is possible and believe it or not, teaching grammar with games will still be as effective, if not more effective, as just teaching them through repetitive writing and rewriting. Research gives excellent reasons to teach grammar with games Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of "Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching Grammar" explain how and why games work for teaching grammar in an ESL classroom. They say, "Games and problem-solving activities...have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, and are examples of the most preferable communicative activities." They go on to explain that grammar games help children not only gain knowledge but be able to apply andusethatlearning.

Additionally, games have the advantage of allowing the students to "practice and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively." They can do this through repeated exposure to the target grammar and because students are often more motivated to play games than they are to do deskwork. Plus, during the game, the students are focused on the activity and end up absorbing the grammar subconsciously.[3] While games are motivating for the students, probably the best reason, according to Saricoban and Metin, to use games is that "the use of such activities both increases the cooperation and competition in the classroom." Indeed games can be used to add excitement through competition or to create bonding between the students, and between the students and teacher. Aydan Ersoz, author of "Six Games for the ESL/EFL Classroom" also explains more reasons why games do work for teaching grammar. Learning a language requires constant effort and that can be tiring, but Ersoz outlines two good reasons why games shouldbeincludedintheclassroom:

* Games that are amusing and challenging are highly motivating.

* Games allow meaningful use of the language in context.

The Value of Intrinsic Motivation

The theory of intrinsic motivation may also give some insight as to why teaching grammar through games actually works. Intrinsic motivation refers to the internal factors that encourage us to do something. Most young learners will not internally decide that they want to learn grammar. They don't yet understand the concepts of why it's important to know proper grammar, so these external factors won't affect them much either. Instead, intrinsic motivation can encourage them to play games. If these games are good then they will be learning while they are playing. Joel Bacha, author of "Play and Affect in Language Learning", explains how this theory works. Exposure to challenges and stimulation piques the children's natural curiosity and, in turn, promotes learning through the activity's required skills.[4] This is because activities that get the students to move around activate their mental capacities and stimulate neural networks, thus promoting learning and retention. Bacha's article goes on to point out that some studies are even beginning to show that intrinsic motivation can promote long-term language retention. What kinds of games work best? When you are looking for games to use in your classroom, don't just pick something to be a "time filler" that does not have any linguistic purpose. These games may entertain the students, but when you don't have much time with them each day as it is, you want your game to do double duty to get the most out of the time you spend playing games. Lin Hong, author of "Using Games in Teaching English to Young Learners", explains that not all games are going to work to teach the students language skills. If the game is simply for fun and not linked to educational goals it may not be the best use of your time. It is possible to have a fun game that is educationally sound, however. To find out if the game is educationally sound, think about these questions posed by Hong:

• Which skills do the games practice?

• What type of game is it and what is its purpose?

• Does the difficulty level of the game mesh with the students' ability level?

• Does the game require maximum involvement by the students?

• Do the students like it? Do you like it?

To add to these questions also ask yourself:

• What specific vocabulary or grammar are you introducing or practicing with this game?

• Can you keep control of your class and play this game?

• What materials do you need for the game and can you obtain these easily?

• What controls, if any are needed, will you have in place to ensure the children are on track?

• Competition is not always appropriate, and it is not appropriate at all for five year olds and under. Can you play a game for the sake of the game and not in order to define winners and losers? Here are some ways play down competition: Do not keep score all the time, make sure the teams tie, play down any "winning", praise everyone, play until everyone has finished - the winners are those who finish, not those who finish first, and everyone finishes. Etc.

• Are the rules easy and clear?

2.2Tips for Using Games in Class Successfully

Organization. The first thing you should do when start teaching a preschool or elementary school ESL class is to figure out how to organize your class. For the younger students you'll want to change your activities every five to ten minutes because they have shorter attention spans. If you don't change your activities, they'll soon start losing interest. As you get towards the higher elementary grades, you can expand the time you spend per activity.[5] The best way to gauge this is to pay attention to your class for the first few days to see what length of time works the best for them. Additionally, try to have everything ready to go before the students enter the classroom. That way you can go from activity to activity with minimal downtime. This is essential as you can lose control of the class if you do notkeepthemoccupied.

Expectations. If you notice that your class is getting noisy or rambunctious, it's time to change activities. Kids of this age like to be active; in order to balance out the energy levels in the classroom, alternate between active activities and quiet activities. Be careful how you use activities that require fine motor skills - or more importantly pay attention to your expectations for activities that require fine motor skills. Children in preschool and early elementary are just learning to write in their own languages. This is not the best time to expect them to write in a foreign language as well. As they progress through elementary school, however, you can begin using games and activities that require them to write small amounts.

Variation. You want to make sure your activities appeal to all sorts learning styles, so even when you are using games to teach grammar you'll want to vary the types of things you expect your students to do. For preschool and early elementary grades, stick to games that use talking, listening, looking and moving. For middle and high elementary, you can continue to use games that use talking, listening, looking and moving and add in some games that use writing and reading. Going along with this same idea, think about what children learn from the easiest. Television commercials are short and catchy and the most memorable are the ones that are repeated often. Keep these characteristics in mind when you are teaching grammar to your students - incorporate these characteristics into your daily activities.

Respect. To make games work for you and your class, be sure to operate your class with the utmost respect - both to and from students. This includes teaching your students from the very start that you expect respect at all times. This includes giving encouragement and following the rules. That said, you'll need to make sure the rules for all of the games are clear and manageable. When possible, explain the rules in the students' native tongue so that they all know what is expected of them. When there is an environment of respect in the classroom, the students will feel safe enough to participate in the games so that they can get the most educational value out of them. Towards the end of elementary school, you can start introducing competitive games, but only if the class is respectful and it shouldn't be the main focusofthegame.

Routine. Even if you only have your students for a short time every week, establishing a routine will help the class go smoothly. Children of this age (preschool through elementary school) thrive on routine and if they know what to expect next, they will be more able to participate in what's going on now. Set up a schedule for the type of activities you'll be doing at any given time throughout the class whether it is a game, story or song or whatever you want to do. Then, when you are planning your class, plug in the appropriate activities to each section of time. You should also leave a little time at the end of the class period to allow the students to clean up and gather their things as well as time for you to recap the class, praise the students and tell them good-bye. You can also designate a "sign" to use to signal to the students when it is time to change activities such as clapping or signing a specific song so that they know it's time to return to the circle, table or desks.

Nurture. Perhaps the most important thing you can do with your students is to nurture them everyday. For each child in your class, find something you like about him or her and be sure to tell him or her. Be encouraging, patient and kind while playing games and participating in activities and they'll like you as a teacher and a person which will in turn help them get excited about your class and what you have for them to do everyday. Using games to teach grammar can be both fun and rewarding for you and your students. Just remember to keep them engaged and make sure that you're games are truly teaching the skill at hand and you'll soon have a class full of students who get excited about learning grammar! If you need some ideas to help you get started, just visit the link in the box below this article for some free materials on how to use games in your classroom.

Here are some of the problems many preschool teachers have:

Preschool children have a VERY short attention span

Preschool children will forget things quickly

Preschool children may not be fully confident in their own language

Some of your preschool children may not be motivated to learn

They may be fearful

Pre-school children develop at very different rates so you are sure to have a mixed ability group

You need a LOT of ideas to keep their attention

You need real language learning techniques and not just time fillers to keep the children busy

Preschoolers can be easily overwhelmed

2.3 How to Best Teach Preschool English Language Learners

As a solution to these challenges use the things on the checklist below for guaranteed success in teaching English. These are the things that children love to do and you can use them as a vehicle for learning to gain instant results.

Chop and change your games and activities every 5-10 minutes.

This is vital because preschool children need variety as they get bored easily and have a very short attention span.

Vary the pace during the lesson, mixing up excitable games with quiet ones. You do not want your children getting bored but you do not want them getting over-excited either, so vary the pace according to the mood and keep the children on their toes but not over the top.

Repeat, review and revise. Use short games to review vocabulary and phrases you have taught earlier in the term and the year. If you neglect this, the children will have no recollection of the language you have covered!

Make your lessons playful and full of physical movement. The children will enjoy them more, be more motivated and remember the language better.

Teach in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with plenty of encouragement.

Avoid competition with preschoolers. It can be stressful and overwhelm them. Play games where everyone wins, or where you do not single out a winner.

Encourage and support your young learners. Never tell them they cannot do it, they are no good at it or that they have failed. You could put them off wanting to learn English for life.

Bring in puppets or teddy bears and have the puppet introduce the new vocabulary for the lesson. If you do not have a puppet you can make one from a paper bag, or by sewing a couple of buttons on a sock.

Use chants, rhymes and songs. These are great for movement and frequent repetition of vocabulary and phrases.

Do not burden your preschool children with reading and writing – leave those for when the children are older. Preschoolers are still learning to write in their own language. There is plenty of time for that later.

Concentrate on listening and understanding, building vocabulary and the acquisition of short phrases.

Concentrate also on speaking practice, starting with single words and short phrases, and gradually moving onto longer sentences and questions.

Avoid abstract concepts and concentrate instead on concrete real items that the children understand and relate to. For example start with familiar topics such as colors, numbers, greetings, animals, fruit, food and drink, families, body parts, shapes, clothing, the weather, days of the week and short everyday sentences and phrases.

Teaching these topics using games activities and stories will engage your preschoolers considerably more than learning phonics and the alphabet!!

Use please and thank you and be positive. The human mind cannot actually process negatives - try not thinking of a blue monkey - you can't help it - you think of one! Rather than telling children off and telling them what not to do focus on positive behavior. If John is interrupting Jane look at Jane and say, I am listening to Jane now.

Be prepared - practice telling the stories before you go into class and have your picture flashcards and materials ready. This will allow you to be relaxed and to enjoy the class and the children rather than frantically trying to organize your materials while the children become restless and bored.

Mix up active participation and listening. If the children become restless do something active.

Be flexible. If something is not working then change the game or activity.

Involve shy children too - give them a central role and help them come out of their shell.

Bring in real objects when you can, such as clothes to dress up in, or props for acting out little plays or stories. When you cannot bring in real items use whatever objects are available in your class, and use colorful pictures of real items in the games.

Use stories. Stories are a fabulous resource for preschoolers, who will want to hear the same tales told over and over again. We all love stories - just think of the worldwide popularity of the movies.

You can use games and activities to teach the key words in the story, inspire the children with colorful illustrations to help them understand, and act out parts of the stories or the whole story afterwards with role plays, games and make believe.[6]

Here are ten great reasons to use stories to teach preschoolers English:

1. Children love them

2. The story can be the focal point of the lesson, giving meaning and context to odd words and phrases learned in isolation.

3. Children can absorb the structure of language subconsciously as well as hear familiar words they know.

4. Preschoolers will be happy to hear the same stories over and over again which is fantastic for revision and absorption.

5. You can use the stories as a base for fun activities in class.

6. A useful message can be contained in the story, aside from language learning

7. Using stories gives you another method of putting language across and will lead to more variety in your lessons.

8. You can use stories as quiet time in between boisterous activities.

9. Stories, along with songs, allow children to hear and understand far more English than any other method.

10. Enhancing story telling with gestures, actions, colorful illustrations, relevant games and role-plays increases language retention and acquisition, and makes for some really fun lessons. This is logical as you will be repeatedly reviewing and practicing the same language as well as making it real through play.