Gamification for a Sugar - Coated Language Class.

M.Sarpparaje, M.A., M.Phil.,

Assistant Professor,
Mepco Schlenk Engineering College,
Sivakasi,
Phone no: 8344454802,
Emai id: [email protected].
Introduction

As we all know that the need to access information continues to grow exponentially and
institutions cannot remain as mere venues for the transmission of a prescribed set of syllabus
from teacher to student over a fixed period of time, rather they must promote the acquisition of
knowledge and skills as a continuous process throughout life span. Keeping up with tech-savvy
students has become the biggest nightmare of today’s teachers. In a tech-centric world, they are
struggling to abandon the old, widely spread concept of learning for the learning’s sake. It has
been rightly said by a futurist, ‘The illiterate of the 21st century ―Will not be those who cannot
read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn & relearn’. Hence, the traditional lock-step
approach to language teaching is rapidly becoming inadequate in modem teaching-learning
process (Lee: 1965). It’s a recent mandatory call that once unidirectional teaching methodology
must be transformed to two way learning process and learner centered as well. This is possible
only with interactive classes. But even today ESL learners’ reluctance to speak English in the
classroom is a problem found in almost every language learning environment. Many students are
afraid to communicate in English for the fear of committing mistakes and in turn getting laughed
at by their peers.

Consequently, students have fewer opportunities to learn from speaking practices and
methodologies. Even worse, in a mixed-ability set up, working with students who are reluctant to
maintain and extend conversations also limits already skilled students’ opportunities for
language use. Getting such students to speak English is one Herculean task for the teachers of
English. More effective and innovative teaching techniques are required for tackling this
complex language problem that is prevalent in the English classes of every rural set up. Some
strategies beyond urging students to ‘speak English’ are repeatedly called for. Yet, there is no
authentic solution found subsequently. So every English teacher is pre-occupied with these
persisting questions, ‘How can we challenge our students to speak and to participate’? ‘How can
we motivate students who are not able to visualize the importance of the English language in the
everyday world and subsequently do not see the need to master it well’?

Mine is a humble effort through this paper that aims to provide answers for our queries
stated above with a range of techniques to encourage reluctant students to speak the target
language in the classroom.

The Needs & Ways of getting ESL Students involved in learning English

It is apparent that the English language is certainly more than the prescribed texts and
objective questions. Therefore, a student getting a distinction for English in a public exam does
not mean that he has caught the passion for learning English. Now- a- days, students’ ability to
put forth their ideas by means of effective communication is expected apart from scores that just
test their writing ability. This new area of focus, known as communicative competence, leads
language teachers to seek task-oriented activities that engage their students in creative language
use. Trying to make our classes interactive can be challenging but it remains essential because
the concerns over educational relevance and quality co-exist with the imperative of expanding
educational opportunities to everyone not excluding those who feel vulnerable to use English
both inside and outside classrooms.

However, in this Google-friendly environment, keeping students captivated and fully

engaged requires tremendous efforts on the part of teachers. In addition to offering more
personalized attention and support to their students, teachers are also required to integrate
contemporary literacy in their classrooms, that is, to build a suitable framework for boosting 21st
century skills. In order to get learners involved in the language class and to ensure active
participation of every learner, certain techniques could be applied. The best ways of getting
them drawn into the language class is through Gamification. Also they are fantastic materials for
the language teachers to use with young learners because of their unlimited benefits. Every
teacher and student is creative if he is given the opportunity, time and support to express that
creativity. In other words, amification of learning experience seems to be a powerful tool for
preparing students for the requirements of the contemporary world. We should not be afraid to
try out unconventional tools based on personal experience in the classroom. In this way, lecturers
can incorporate their creative skills into the teaching of oral skills. Students when allowed to
explore their creative skills find speaking in the English language interesting, relevant and
productive. Creative and imaginative activities help alleviate problems that hinder language
learning. (Di Pietro, 1987).

Key to Understanding Task-based Gamification : Simulations

Students need opportunities to be active participants in tasks that require them to practice
communication with their teachers, peers, and others. It involves shared experiences in a
particular situation. Simulation is a kind of technique that consists of the scenario of role-play. A
simulation is similar to role play except that in a simulation the participants are free to take their
own decisions and are not directed in any way by constraints laid down on a role play. The use of
simulation techniques has been reported to be of high motivational value by researchers
(Chauham, 1979). This is one of the most distinctive features of simulation which makes it
acceptable at all levels of teaching because if any teaching technique succeeds in creating
motivation in learners all other problems may be drastically reduced (Chauham, 1979: 127). The
use of simulation techniques where students are allowed to project themselves into new
classroom roles helps to improve classroom dialogue, active participation and transfer of
learning (Watson 1986). Through active discussion, students discover how the language works.
Not just that, they are able to sort and order the information gathered and relate it to the lesson.
The teacher in all possible ways guides the students but it is the students who actually discover
for themselves how they can effectively carry out the acquired information that they received
from simulation activities. In addition, you can build in opportunities for success rather than
failure by ensuring that tasks are at an appropriate level of difficulty and that every lesson
contains some “take-away” value, something that helps students leave the class knowing that
they have moved forward in their learning. This could result in students’ growing sense of
confidence in writing a paragraph, in using some appropriate expressions to communicate with
friends and neighbors, in understanding useful vocabulary items, and so on.
Moreover, Simulation activities are done in groups or pairs. This further eliminates
anxiety and encourages teamwork. If the outcome is good, the team feels proud. If mistakes are
made, they learn out of it. Other than enjoyment, students are more motivated to speak and to
come out of their ‘shells’. They gain more confidence in speaking the target language and even if
they stammer and stumble their team members will help them in expressing themselves. Thus,
working in groups gives students greater opportunities in the use of target language when
compared to a traditional teacher talk lesson. To quote Davies (1990), discussion sessions would
certainly increase the amount of individual student talking time. Students also practice valuable
language used in negotiation, argument, expressing opinion, compromise, agreement, and
disagreement. This task also provides students with an opportunity to make a formal talk,
determine an advertising message, and present their concept in a creative framework. So to
prepare our students to speak the target language competently and go on learning it
independently after they have left the language classroom we need to provide them with
simulation practice.
Sample Simulation Activities
The participants in Simulation activities will have a situation to work with and that will
state who they are, what they want to do, and what their attitude is. If the preparation gets over,
the participants will be clear about how they should respond, although there may be some degree
of choice. However, in general, the task for the participants will make them follow the
instructions and try to use appropriate language as per the demands of the situations like those
listed out below.
1. Hotel English: A Simulation Role-play
Pupils practice the skills to enter a hotel and book a room. In this hotel English lesson,
students are introduced to the etiquette associated with entering hotel. Pupils role-play
ways in which people interact in a hotel setting. Students work with partners to practice
this skill and discuss opinions and preferences.
2. A Simulation for Business English Students
Students are introduced to business concepts through authentic materials and modeling.
They design a new product and name it. They create advertising for their newly created
product.
3. Different Than Me
Students role play with props the difficulties of having a disability. For this disabilities
lesson, students are fitted with devices used by disabled people to understand the
problems and frustration they face daily.
4. Step Into the Real World - Careers & Service Learning
 Students research, analyze and study a variety of resources and activities to broaden their
horizons on careers and service learning through classroom, community and career
activities. They scan all possible choices they have at their disposal out in the real world.
5. Cell Phones Create Dangers
Students research what laws relate to cell phones. They interview local law enforcement
personnel to find out if cell phones have caused accidents. Students survey classmates to
determine how many talk on their phones when driving. They write an article on the
findings.
Usage of Language Games in English Classes

This section considers the reasons why games serve as excellent communicative
activities. The use of games can be a powerful language learning tool. On the surface, the aim of
all language games is for students to ‘use the language’; however, during game play learners also
use the target language to persuade and negotiate their way to desired results. This process
involves the productive and receptive skills simultaneously.

Games are simple structured activities which may involve little language but are
meaningful to students and involve the whole self (cognitively and emotionally), thus creating
strong associations with the language used (Fleta, 2009). Games offer students a fun-filled and
relaxing learning atmosphere. After learning and practicing new vocabulary, students have the
opportunity to use language in a non-stressful way (Uberman 1998). While playing games, the
learners' attention is on the message, not on the language. Rather than pay attention to the
correctness of linguistic forms, most participants will do all they can to win. This eases the fear
of negative evaluation, the concern of being negatively judged in public, and which is one of the
main factors inhibiting language learners from using the target language in front of other people
(Horwitz, Horwitz and Cope 1986). In a game-oriented context, anxiety is reduced and speech
fluency is generated--thus communicative competence is achieved.

Nevertheless, it does not mean that the competitive activity should be taken as a mere
amusing activity just to finish the class time, neither be regarded as a marginal activity filling in
odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do. In contrast, games should be
used correctly in any part of the class in order to achieve a goal, and should stimulate students to
develop and improve the demanded abilities towards the learning process.
 Games are also motivating. They introduce an element of competition into language-
building activities. This provides valuable impetus to a purposeful use of language (Prasad
2003). In other words, these activities create a meaningful context for language use. The
competitive ambiance also makes learners concentrate and think intensively during the learning
process, which enhances unconscious acquisition of inputs. Most students who have experienced
game-oriented activities hold positive attitudes towards them (Uberman 1998). An action
research conducted by Huyen and Nga (2003), students said that they liked the relaxed
atmosphere, the competitiveness, and the motivation that games brought to the classroom. On the
effectiveness of games, teachers in Huyen & Nga's (2003) reported that action research reported
that their students seem to learn more quickly and retain the learned materials better in a stress-
free and comfortable environment. They can participate fully in all the activities without being
pressured to produce language.

Thus, Game is one of the basic communicative methods in language education.

Lozanov’s Suggestopedia is a perfect illustration of a game based education that develops hidden
human reserves and creative skills. Finally language games create a bond between the teacher
and their students. In short, if used properly by the teacher, games are excellent ways whereby
learners have fun and at the same time acquire a language. So, it can be said that English
language games actually give students a reason to communicate, and a context for speaking
practice.

Some Sample Language Games

In this article, I share some of the interesting games for which I received good response
and positive feedback and also the way it has to be conducted in the language classroom.

1. Spelling Contest
First, a large class has to be divided into 2 teams. Then the teacher says a word or a sentence
depending on the level for the students to spell. Students should spell these correctly with not
even one mistake. The team that has more points is the winner.

2. Call My Bluff
All the students in the class should be asked to say 3 sentences about themselves one by one &
the twist of the game is among those 3 sentences that every student addresses, one should be a lie
and the rest of the class can find out to listen to with an interest to guess out the lie.

3. Create Your Own Similes

a) Present a few similes and the sample sentences to the class. Write the sentences with
underline.
Ex. The baby's skin was as white as snow. Finishing up the project by himself, the boy
was as proud as a peacock.

b) Prepare flashcards with one adjective on each. Students pick out one card in turn and
create similes by using the adjective on the card. Emphasize that unique ideas are
welcome. Facilitator shouldn't be judgmental, and accept any similes as long as they are
logical.
Ex. as big as Mt. Fuji / as soft as a cotton candy.

Students compare their ideas and discuss which ones are interesting or funny. If time allows
discuss the usage and effectiveness of the simile. This activity fosters students’ creativity and
encourages their active participation in the lesson.

4. Hangman

The class can be divided into two teams. On the blackboard, draw spaces for the number of
letters in a word. Let the players guess the letters of the word alternating between the teams. If a
letter in the word is guessed correctly, the teacher writes it into the correct space. If a letter is
guessed which is not in the word, the teacher draws part of the man being hanged. The teams
which can guess the word first receives a point and extend the number of rounds as per the time
limit and the winner is the maximum scoring team.

Gamification – The Future of ELT

As language teachers we are always foraging for ideas to keep the class ‘afloat’ in the sea
of indifference, and passivity. Although it is difficult, the ESL instructor can indeed help
students develop the motivation to speak English and create the available situations to practice it
and move students toward acquisition of their second language with the help of the above
mentioned task-based activities. Using task-based learning to teach English does not fall into the
well-tried comfort zone of traditional teaching. The average teacher feels comfortable with the
prescribed textbook. This unfortunately denies students the opportunity to immerse themselves in
the English language. It is necessary that teachers try using other materials as a teaching
resource.

According to Genesee (1987) “activity-based approach provides opportunities for

students to experience a much wider range of speech events and to use a much wider range of
speech acts than is possible in conventional medium-oriented classes in which the language is
taught as a subject, or even in message-oriented classes in which regular content is taught
through L2.” Therefore, Gamification strategies such as Simulations and Language Games help
students to recognize the value of the use of English and setting up situations in which it seems
almost necessary to do so will keep students focused on using English in their ESL class—
perhaps the only time they will have extended practice in their target language.

As explained in the paper, and despite the fact that results showed improvements in
students learning skills, however, this is not a proposal for replacement of traditional education.
Rather, interactive enhanced learning can provide a very useful alternative for traditional
education especially in situations where it is not applicable to train through traditional methods.
The introduction of task-based learning into the classroom may bring about the fear that ‘there is
no teaching going on’. But in fact, not using the prescribed textbook for an English lesson
occasionally is a refreshing change. So Language teachers should try to adopt more practical
simulation techniques and game tactics to make language learning learner-centered.
Gamification of language learning, therefore, has at its root the idea that learning needs to
be made fun, and that students will perform better if they are encouraged to ‘play’ rather than to
‘work’ . It’s a revolutionary idea that could benefit many of our schools and learners if adopted,
but for many of us this currently seems unlikely. However, this could well change in the near
future. As in Raph Koster’s words:

Fun in Language Games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. With
Games, learning is edutainment.
Conclusion

The language of communication is real-life or authentic and un textbook-like in design.

By incorporating hands-on projects into their everyday language classroom, teachers are
preparing students to enter the real world. Teachers can create a non-threatening environment to
encourage both shy and talkative students to participate. Thus, Gamification strategies cum tools
create opportunities for learners to get the interest and motivation, facilitate the process of
teaching and learning and convert language education into real intellectual and emotional
experience developing student personality as a whole. There is need therefore, to conduct more
studies on the suitability of a mixture of game mechanics and practices for teaching different
topics and concepts in language. Teaching English will never be an uphill battle if every teacher
tries to make the difference.

References

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 http://www.esl-lab.com/research/simul.htm
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