Teaching Grammar with Fun Learning Games

Why teach children English grammar with games? Research is showing that this is an excellent way to do it. What kind of games work best? This article answers those questions and is written for those teaching English as a second language to children.

Teaching English grammar can be hard going - for the teacher and the students. It doesn't have to be difficult or painful, however. You can teach English grammar using fun learning games and before you know it your students will be more than willing. How does it work, you ask. Well, there has been a movement away from the traditional methods of teaching English grammar through writing, rewriting and worksheets to using a more active approach through games. Researchers have also begun to look at how and why these new methods work.

Four sound reasons to teach grammar with games

1. 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, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, are the 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 and use that learning.

2. Additionally, games have the advantage of allowing the students to "practice and internalise vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively." They can do this because students are often more motivated to play games than they are to do desk work. Plus, during the game, the students are focused on the activity and end up absorbing the language subconsciously. One can also add that fun learning games usually contain repetition, which allows the language to stick.

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." One can use games to add excitement through competition or games which create bonding among students and teacher.

4. 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. Ersoz says games can counter this as because:

* Games that are amusing and challenging are highly motivating.

* Games allow meaningful use of the language in context.

Children are more motivated to learn grammar with games

The theory of intrinsic motivation also gives 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 lead encourage them to play games. If these games are good then they will be learning while they are playing.

Using some movement is crucial because movement helps activate the students' mental capacities and stimulate neural networks, thus promoting learning and retention. If you have a large class with no space you still have options. Children can stand up, sit down, move various body parts and pass things around to each other. Movement does not only mean children tearing around the playground.

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" which does not have a definite linguistic outcome. 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.

Have a clear linguistic outcome for each game. The game can be a listening game to allow the students to repeatedly hear a new grammatical structure in use, or it can be a speaking game to allow practise of the grammar once it has been absorbed through listening beforehand. There are degrees of difficulty with speaking games from basic repetition in a fun context to more creative sentence creation for revision or more advanced practise once the basics have been mastered. The teacher should lead the children through this progression so that the game at hand is always well within the grasp of the students. This makes games fun rather than laborious. It is a mistake to play a speaking game immediately after the new grammar has been presented. Ideally reading, spelling and writing games come after the new grammar has been absorbed and the students can use it orally.

Another thing to watch out for with grammar games is that a maximum of students are involved simultaneously. If you have thirty children you want to avoid a game where only one child is speaking at a time. What are the other twenty-nine children supposed to do in the meantime other than get bored? On the other end of the scale however are games that cause chaos in class and make teachers unpopular with colleagues because of high noise levels. A variety of suitable games are available for you to try free in the resource box below the article.

Now you can stop the eye-rolling and complaining from your students when you even THINK about teaching them a grammar lesson, and have some productive fun.

Teaching English As A Second Language: Methods And Techniques

Teachers of English as a second language, here or overseas, need to know a few simple methods to overcome the language barrier with their students.

Teaching English to speakers of other languages is both challenging and rewarding. More and more internationally minded people are choosing to teach English as a Second Language both in the United States and abroad. Whether in the United States, another English-speaking country, or in countries around the world, the teacher of English as a second language will need to keep in mind the following simple guidelines:

- Use non-verbal cues. Facial expressions, hand gestures, and other non-verbal cues are a great way to overcome the language barrier. For example, when explaining the concept of tall, raise your hand high into the air. When explaining the concept of cold, shiver and chatter your teeth.

- Use visual aids. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is particularly true when teaching English as a second language. Visual aids can be used to teach everything from vocabulary to prepositions. In addition to instructional advantages, visuals keep lessons interesting for the learners. If possible, get access to an overhead or slide projector for effective presentations.

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- Put students in groups. If the teacher is constantly talking, learners of English as a second language will never get a chance to practice. Group work gives students an opportunity to practice the language. Groups work the best with 2 to 5 people; with any more people, not everyone gets a chance to participate. It is also a good idea to group students with different first languages together when possible.

- Use bi-lingual materials. If the teacher speaks the same language(s) as the students, the situation will be greatly simplified. But not many teachers have the luxury of speaking the same language(s) of his/her students. Bi-lingual materials can help a teacher of English as a second language to draw on a student's native language without knowing it him/herself.

- Repeat and rephrase. Teachers of English as a second language need to repeat everything at least three times. They should also vary the wording of their remarks. A student may know one set of vocabulary but not another - even when the topic of discussion is the same. Even if the student does understand a concept upon first explanation, he/she will still benefit from the repetition and variation of language. It will expose him/her to new words and phrases.

- Don't over-correct. Our first instinct as teachers of English as a second language is to correct student language errors. Over-correction, however, can make students reluctant to use the language. If afraid of being corrected every time they speak, students will simply stop speaking - and therefore learning - the language. Of course, there are appropriate times to correct language mistakes. If a concept - for example the past tense - has been discussed at length in class, it is appropriate to correct students when they form the past tense improperly.

- Create a safe atmosphere. Learning English as a second language is not an easy thing emotionally. Students will feel self-conscious about their lack of English ability and will thus be reluctant to use the language. The job of the teacher of English as a second language is to create a safe and supportive environment, one in which the student will be comfortable experimenting with the language. That means that laughing at or putting down others can not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form.

Classroom Management Styles

What Kind of a Classroom Manager are You?

Different personalities and ideologies reflect varied classroom managment styles. Here are a few tips to help use your classroom management style most effectively.

Concerns about the ability to manage a classroom is common among preservice and practicing teachers alike. The first time entering a classroom can be a pretty scary experience, but once you have built an effective classroom management system that works for you, you can begin to feel a bit more comfortable with your own classroom management style.

It is easy to look at other teachers and try to imitate their styles of classroom management. While imitating other teachers' classroom management styles is a good starting point for a new teacher, there comes a point when you as a new teacher, need to start feeling safe and comfortable with who you are as a classroom manager.

This process will not happen overnight of course, nor will it happen in a year or two. It takes a long time experimenting with different classroom situations as they will uneventually pop up

In order to start thinking about your role as a classroom manager, it is worthwhile your time to identify the concerns about classroom management and discipline. Think about your values and your personality. Which aspects of your personality and which values do you think will help you become a good classroom manager? Which ones might interfere?

Another good way to analyze your concerns about managing a classroom is to build your own classroom management profile. This individual quiz will give you a more well rounded and accurate picture of your classroom management style. Once you have answered the questions, you can start to apply your classroom management profile to various classsroom situations. At the end of the quiz, ask yourself if your classroom management style was effective when dealing with various classroom situations all throughout the school year.

Misconceptions however, do lie in each of these styles. Teacher dominated talk, which is descriptive of the authoritative style has been equalled with effective classroom management. Depending however on how you rank your personal characteristics and values as a classroom manager, you might be pleasantly surprised at your obvious need to perhaps connect to the students, which isn't always affirmed by the authoritative approach and style of running a classroom.

For the inexperienced teacher, the most important lesson to be learned in his or her first year of running a classroom is flexibility. There will be classroom situations where you cannot always depend on an authoritative style of running a classroom and you might need to rethink your approach. This does not necessarily mean you need to change your personality, but rather to reconsider additional classroom management techniques for various classroom situations.

Bilingual Teaching: Quality Improvement Strategy

In general, the bilingual education in Indonesia with a teacher that uses two languages at the same time. There are only a few classes that are managed by two teachers, as well as in America, where a teacher of English-speaking and other masters the use of the mother tongue.

The composition model is very popular in the bilingual classroom management is a 90/10 composition in the early stages with a ratio of 90% and 10% berhasa Indonesia English. Then gradually 50/50 model in which students receive instruction in two languages ​​from time to time. In addition, this composition increased to 25/75 ie 25% in Indonesian and English 75%. Composition of the popular models can be set varies because it depends on the potential resources of each school. The percentage that can be calculated from the amount of material presented in both languages.

Although the subject matter of the dispute and many of the opposes, but studies have shown that bilingual education model had a positive impact on increasing mastery of science and language abilities of students. It's just that the results of the study, argues that the success of some variables influence support, as stated by Rennie, Joan (1994) which demographic factors, the nature of students, and educational resources that support various components below.

·  Supportive whole-school contexts (Lucas, Henz, & Donato, 1990; Tikunoff et al., 1991).

·  High expectations for language minority students, as evidenced by active learning environments that are academically challenging (Collier, 1992; Lucas, Henze, & Donato, 1990; Pease-Alvarez, Garcia, & Espinosa, 1991).

·  Intensive staff development programs designed to assist all teachers (not just ESL or bilingual education teachers) in providing effective instruction to language minority students (Lucas, Henze, & Donato, 1990; Tikunoff et al., 1991).

·  Expert instructional leaders and teachers (Lucas, Henze, and Donato, 1990; Pease-Alvarez, Garcia, & Espinosa, 1991; Tikunoff et al., 1991)

·  Emphasis on functional communication between teacher and students and among fellow students (Garcia, 1991).

·  Organization of the instruction of basic skills and academic content around thematic units (Garcia, 1991)

·  Frequent student interaction through the use of collaborative learning techniques (Garcia, 1991).

·  Teachers with a high commitment to the educational success of all their students (Garcia, 1991).

·  Principals supportive of their instructional staff and of teacher autonomy while maintaining an awareness of district policies on curriculum and academic accountability (Garcia, 1991).

·  Involvement of majority and minority parents in formal parent support activities (Garcia, 1991).

LM Read and HT Cervantes (1991) argues that in the implementation of bilingual teaching needs to consider the level of students' language skills. From a number of statements can be concluded that schools must meet certain characteristics of providers that includes bilingual teaching atmosphere, culture, competency development, learning consultants, teachers and students effective communication, organization of subject matter, frequency of interaction in two languages, teacher commitment, commitment to school principals in support teacher effectiveness and improve accountability in learning, and parent support