Gaming technology in training English grammar at the second-level school
статья по английскому языку

Игровые технологии при обучении грамматике английского языка на средней ступени обучения

Аннотация: В статье рассматривается применение игровых технологий в российском школьном образовании. Игровые технологии - один из лучших способов изучения английского языка. Они делают процесс обучения легким и творческим, а также более продуктивным. Особенно это актуально для изучения грамматики, так как грамматические темы являются сложными, но в то же время очень важными в процессе изучения английского языка.

Ключевые слова: иноязычная коммуникативная компетенция, игровые технологии, совершенствование знаний детей и развитие их творчества, грамматические навыки, грамматические игры.

Gaming technology in training English grammar at the second-level school

Belikova Tatyana Lvovna

Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute, Saransk, Russia

ABSTRACT: the article covers gaming technologies in Russian school education. Gaming technology is one of the best ways of learning English. It makes the process of learning more easy and creative and also more productive. Especially it is actual for learning grammar because grammar themes are the most difficult but at the same time very important in teaching educational process.

KEY WORDS: foreign-language communicative competence, game technology, to improve children’s knowledge and develop their creativity, grammatical skills, grammar games.

In modern conditions of the Russian school education one of the main issue of teaching foreign languages at school is the formation of foreign-language communicative competence. In this context, the problem of finding new techniques, methods, technologies, types of control foreign language teaching becomes important. Modern technologies of teaching a foreign language at school include nowadays game technologies.

Under gaming technology in the methodology we understand modern educational (pedagogical) methods based on the activation and intensification of the students’ activity [2, c. 15].

The phenomenon of gaming technology is that as entertainment, relaxation it can also be a good way to improve children’s knowledge and develop their creativity.

As everyone knows, studying foreign languages has several aspects. One of these aspects is grammar. In teaching foreign languages – grammar is an important part, it is a kind of «framework»  on which the vocabulary based. Teaching grammar, as well as the recognition of grammatical forms in speech and writing occurs through the formation of grammatical skills [4, c. 3].

Grammatical skills are an integral part of all types of speech activity, the formation, improvement and development of which is the main aim of teaching foreign languages. This process is especially important at the middle stage, when pupils have sufficient lexical base and they know special  algorithm of learning foreign languages. Successful learning  of a foreign language in the classroom can happen only if the teacher organizes the learning process in such a way that students as closely as possible simulate the situations of real language communication, what actually is the main function of gaming technology [5, c. 180].

Unfortunately, today there is no real opportunity for pupils to train all grammatical skills of certain foreign language because it is too difficult to form it because of it is extensiveness at school. Because grammatical skills require a lot of efforts and time, teachers should choose grammar materials more carefully.

The most effective and popular method of introduction and reviewing grammar is grammar games.

Grammar games are games that contain certain grammatical difficulties and a specific simulated situation for their solution. They also develop speech activity and independence of pupils. They increase the level of language skills, as they activate the mental activity of children and make the learning process interesting [6, c. 180].

Many foreign authors offer the following classification of such games:

1) memory games. Under these games we understand a combination of different techniques which help pupils to remember a great deal of information easier and faster;  

2) card games. These games are created for training lexical and grammatical skills with the usage of visual materials for the assimilation of new or reviewing passed materials;

3)  quiz games. These games suggest the choice of a true answer from the offered and also for the mental stimulation;

4) writing games. It can be the writing of the main idea of the text, key-sentences, key-words, making a plan, talking points.

5) information gap games. The main aim of such games can be the selection of grammatically and lexically correct answers. It is important to preserve the correctness, adequacy of the text;

6) guessing games. More often these games are used for training skills of building up questions and for forming skills to give correct answers in English. The part of information is hidden in these games;

7) drama games. The tasks for such games can be acting out a dialogues, texts, retelling stories and so on [6, c. 210].

Here are some examples of grammar games which can be used at English lessons at the second-level school:

Be first (guessing game)

Level: 6-8 class.

The amount of participants: without limits.

Purpose: to repeat the vocabulary, to test students' ability to ask General Questions.

Description: one of the participants imagines a noun (for example: a cat). Other participants can ask him not more than 20 General Questions to understand the word. The participant who will guess what the word is, become a leader of the game. If nobody guesses, the leader names the word himself and new leader will be chosen by a teacher.

Variants: If there are more than 30 pupils in a class, the teacher can divide it into 4 teams. One of the teams imagines a word and other teams guess it. The team that will guess the word receive a score. The next team imagines a word. Team game demands from players more active participation and interest in the game is increasing.

Advice: the teacher can suggest the leader to write a word on a piece of paper to avoid an unfair game or possibility of forgetting the word. 

Note: It must be only General Questions (Yes/No). For example: “Is it bigger than this desk?” It must not be Special Questions: “How big is it?” It also must not be an alternative question: “Is it big or small?” The leader must not give any additional information. The questions with the word “Maybe” (we can also answer Yes or No) we do not take into account. In this way pupils will ask more clear questions and guess the word faster.

Tic – Tac –Tense (quiz game)

Level: 6-9 class.

The amount of participants: 20 pupils.

Purpose: to train pupils to form sentences using different grammar forms.

Necessary material: projector with the imagine of sectors of grammar forms.

Description: a teacher divides a class into 2 teams. The participant from the first team chooses one of the sectors and forms a sentence in a mentioned grammar form. For example:

Two weeks ago (sector), I broke my leg.

Next year (sector), I am going to visit my cousins in Texas.

True answers allow the participants to occupy sectors by their symbols. If there is a mistake, a sector will stay free and other team chooses a sector. The teams try to occupy sectors horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The winner is the team that finishes first.

My travelling (memory game)

Level: 6-8 class.        

The amount of participants: without limits.

Purpose: to train Past Simple.

Necessary material: slides of teacher’s or pupils’ travelling, projector.

Description: a teacher shows slides of travelling and pupils comment them in turn and try to make their personal story. For example:

1st pupil: “This is where we stopped to go swimming.”

2nd pupil: “Unfortunately, the water was too cold.”

3rd pupil: “Then we ate at this restaurant, where the food was delicious.”

4th pupil: “At the zoo, we saw all kinds of animals.”

In conclusion it should be mentioned that studying grammar and especially particular grammar themes can cause some difficulties among pupils. That is why a teacher should search new ways, forms, technologies of studying. Significantly, that gaming technology is precisely the «teacher’s assistant» at English lessons.

Список использованной литературы

1.Бабанский, Ю.В. Методические основы оптимизации учебно-воспитательного процесса / Ю.В. Бабанский. – М. : Просвещение, 2007. – 198 с.

2. Бархударов, Л. С. Грамматика английского языка : учебник для студ. высш. учеб.заведений / Л. С. Бархударов, Д. А. Штелинг. – М. :Либроком, 2013. – 424 c.

3. Барышников, Н.В. Теоретические и практические аспекты преподавания иностранных языков и культур в различных условиях / Н. В. Барышников // Материалы Всероссийской научно-методической конференции «Теория и практика преподавания иностранных языков и культур в различных условиях» (Лемпертовские чтения – 4), 23-24 мая 2002г. – Пятигорск:ПГЛУ, 2002.– С. .

4. Вельчинская, В. А. Грамматика английского языка / В.А. Вельчинская. – М.: Флинта, 2016. – 232 c.

5. Ермолаева, М.Г. Игра в образовательном процессе: Методическое пособие/ М.Г. Ермолаева. – 2-е изд., доп. – СПб.: АППО, 2005. – 112 с.

6. Заволокин, А.И. Активная грамматика английского языка (к языковой автоматизации): Учебное пособие для вузов / А.И. Заволокин, В.В. Миронов. – М.: ГЛТ, 2015. – 240 c.

7. Педагогика: традиции и инновации: материалы междунар. заоч. науч. конф. (г. Челябинск, октябрь 2011 г.). Т. 1 / Под общ.ред. Г.Д. Ахметовой. – Челябинск: Два комсомольца, 2011. – 162 с.

8. Рогова, Г. В. Методика обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе : учеб.пособие для студ. пед. вузов / Г. В. Рогова, Ф.М. Рабинович, Т. Е. Сахарова. – М.: Просвещение, 1991. – 351 с.

9.  Роговая, Т. С. Об игровых технологиях / Т. С. Роговая // Педагогика. – 2001. – № 2. – С.26–28.