Are you an ESL teacher looking for ideas and ESL games to spice up your lesson plans? Have you been searching high and low to break up the monotony in your classroom?
Fret not! Here at ESL Resources & Activities – English Teaching 101, we got your back!
Let’s face it, teaching English as a second language is hard. Very much so. And frankly? The same can be said from the students’ perspective as well; learning ESL is not exactly anyone’s favorite pastime, especially for kids and teenagers.
To combat this ever-pertinent problem, many teachers embrace gaming in the classroom. It has been proven that introducing gaming to your classroom can substantially improve a variety of learning scenarios. After all, who doesn’t love playing games?
But first, let’s delve into the reason why games are so important especially for ESL classrooms.
The Importance of Games in ESL Classrooms
Games hold a tremendously significant place in ESL classrooms. ESL teachers and students can benefit from games in a variety of ways. Games encourage learners to learn the target language by allowing them to participate in activities and have fun while doing so, and it is also a pleasure for the instructor to present the language in an enjoyable environment, which makes the task more effective.
Listed below are reasons why you SHOULD incorporate games into your ESL lessons if you haven’t done so:
1. Encourage participation
As educators, the issue of student engagement is one, if not the most important thing in the classroom. It is not surprising that students prefer game-based learning, but educators may ponder whether gamification truly improves ESL learning and engagement. To put it briefly, the answer is “Yes!”. This is because, through gamification, students will easily get lost in the lesson and love the learning process.
2. Tailored instructions
The ultimate goal of all competent teachers is to differentiate instruction, providing all students with the support they require on an individual basis. This, however, takes time to do. The problem is especially true if you have to juggle different ESL grades or levels. Thus, using games specifically tailored for different grades is extremely helpful in reducing the burden of teachers.
3. Promote better understanding of the subject
Games allow all students a better understanding of the content taught as interactive classroom activities promote deeper, creative, and critical thinking. In addition, gaming helps in minimizing students’ fear of getting it ‘wrong’, as they are able to re-do their tasks. This is very crucial for students with low confidence levels as it will help them advance in class while bonding with their peers in a fun way.
4. Provide clear goals
An important aspect of games is their rules and objectives. These vivid goals are important as they make learning increasingly clearer for your students. By removing the ‘mystery’ of learning away from students, they are better able to achieve success since the learning objectives are made clear. Also, students will understand how they can develop as better learners and assist them to take charge of their own education.
5. Improve learning experience
This is perhaps the most crucial contribution of games in ESL classrooms. Students will learn the content better if they are engaged, know how to succeed, and have an interest in learning. When students have the opportunity to practice and try out new ideas through games, they will be able to learn the material swiftly and confidently.
ESL Games and Remote Teaching
The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on many aspects of the educational system, with the advent of online learning, in which instruction is done remotely and on online mediums without the existence of an in-person component.
Of course, with a new form of teaching, comes a new set of challenges.
Now, teachers need to adapt and think of effective strategies to make lessons as interesting, flexible and efficient as possible. This makes games all the more important in ESL lessons as they act as an agency in narrowing the distance between teachers and students.
Undoubtedly, it is very easy to get overwhelmed with our current unprecedented situation.
Luckily, we’ve found just the right website for you! This website will be a big help for struggling teachers, especially those dealing with kids and teenagers.
ESL Games Plus to The Rescue!
At Games for Learning English, Vocabulary, Grammar Games, Activities, ESL (eslgamesplus.com), you can find a wide range of practical and interactive games to use in your classroom. There are a variety of interesting games to choose from, covering different topics and themes, all neatly categorized according to their respective subjects.
Their games are mainly catered for kids and teenagers, with colorful illustrations to boost an enjoyable learning experience. Not only that, but ESL Games Plus also provides you with quizzes, videos, and PPT/worksheets. The best part? They’re all easy to find, downloadable, and printable!
They offer various educational videos with different topics for pre-school students to third-grade students. They offer exercises for idioms, vocabulary, and also IELTS readings. Meanwhile, their printable activities include phonics worksheets, flashcards, board and card games, and puzzles ready for classroom use. Simply choose one according to your teaching needs and enjoy easy, interactive teaching.
Moreover, ESL Games Plus is highly accessible as they support the use of smartphones and tablet devices. This is important as some students do not have the privilege of owning a laptop or personal computer. As such, this feature is desperately needed.
ESL Games Plus is here to lead the industry in web-based mobile games that don’t require the installation of any apps. Students are able to simply go to the website and start learning. The website supports both android and ios features.
This website will certainly help you in making your lesson preparation a breeze. All you have to do is sign up with your email address to receive access to those great educational materials.
We hope this article is able to lend you a helping hand. For more fantastic online teaching tools and other recommendations, you are more than welcome to visit our blog!
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