Games can be useful for learning English as an extracurricular activity. Research found that playing digital games significantly improved vocabulary and oral skills, especially for boys. Games provide repeated language input in a low-pressure environment where performance matters more than competence. Teachers can use suitable games in the classroom by selecting games that match students' level and skills, providing clear rules and time limits, and ensuring all students can participate. Examples of good online games include anagrams, flashcards, and grammar/vocabulary quizzes.
1. G A M I N G A S
A N E N G L I S H
L A N G U A G E
L E A R N I N G
R E S O U R C E
N U R U L M A R L I S A | 1 7 7 1 6 2 5 1 0 3 4
K H A I R U N I S A A U L I A L | 1 7 7 1 6 2 5 1 0 3 5
3. EXTRAMURAL ENGLISH (EE)
• EE refers to English that users engage in various forms outside the
classroom.
• It belongs to incidental learning as it is intended for communication,
entertainment, etc than for learning.
• Users benefit from unconscious learning.
• The examples of EE activities are gaming, listening to music,
reading (novels, newspaper, storybook, status, etc), talking, watching
television, writing, etc.
4. WHAT ARE GAMES?
• Games are structured forms of play, usually undertaken for
enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool.
Games
Educational games
Simulation games
Online games
Serious games
5. RESEARCH ON GAMING
• It carried out by Jensen in 2017 to find out the relationship between gaming habits
outside the classroom and students’ vocabulary mastery and oral proficiency among
young learners.
• The results showed that
– Girls spent less time for gaming than boys.
– Playing online/digital games brought significant influence towards students’
vocabulary mastery and oral proficiency, in particular for boys.
– Games offer the users repeated language input.
– EE learning through games is effective as games put performance before
competence and experiences and actions before words.
– Games offer varying affordances for learning depending on the users.
6. Games are useful for learning purposes as they give
learners enjoyment while learning.Thus, using online
or digital games are assumed to also benefit
students for learning English inside the classroom.
Teachers can promote game-based learning to
students.
8. SELECTING GAMES (HONG, 2002)
QUESTIONSTO ANSWER:
• Which language does the game target?
• Which skills does it practice?
• What type of game is it?
• What's the purpose for using it?
• Does it fit the students?
• How could I simplify or make it more complex if necessary?
• How much interaction and participation is there?
• Do I like the game myself?
9. IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN
USING GAMES IN THE CLASSROOM
• Choose suitable games (depending on the number of students, proficiency level, cultural
context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings).
• The way students perceive a game depends on the actual design and implementation of the
game.
• Give clear instructions, give clear rules and give clear time limits.
• There must be a clear purpose and achievable goals.Clear objectives and goals must match the
difficulty level of the game and ability level of the students.
• Ensure that shy or quiet students are not alienated and have an opportunity to take part.
• Debriefing, or the evaluation of results/ events in the game, is crucial to the game’s success.
• It must still be fun, but still help the students to learn.
10. EXAMPLES OF USEFUL GAMES
• Anagram (Jumbled-words game) http://www.manythings.org/anagrams/
• Online flash games and quizzes http://www.manythings.org/e/flash.html
• Online grammar games https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/
• Online vocabulary games https://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm
• Part of speech game http://www.kwarp.com/portfolio/grammarninja.html
• Games for classroom activities http://iteslj.org/c/games.html
11. REFERENCES:
• Jensen, S. H. (2017). Gaming as an English language learning resource among young children in
Denmark. Calico Journal, 34(1), 1.
• Kumar, R. & Lightner, R. (2007) Games as an Interactive ClassroomTechnique. International
Journal ofTeaching and Learning in Higher Education.Volume 19, Number 1, 53-63.
• Wright,A. & Betteridge, D. and Buckby, M. (1984). Games for Language Learning. Cambridge
University Press.