Game Teaching

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences We must up our game as ESL teachers in the 21st century – both figuratively and literally. I use games to engage students and promote learning in my classroom for a wide range of learning objectives. Below is a short list of icebreaker games that I regularly use in my classroom, and I will discuss the learning target(s) that each game aims to facilitate and deliver as well as the context in which the game is used. Since I work with high school age and adult students, the games are geared for English Language Learners in these age groups. As learning communities become more globalized and data give more information on how people learn, one major challenge I find with gamifying learning in the ESL classroom is making the games that I use more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many benefits to using games in the classroom, including the creation of an engaging learning experience for students, a positive learning environment, and the potential for students to practice real-life situations with instant feedback. Also, gamification of learning can use students' natural inclination for socialization, achievement, and award. Thus, games can be a great tool for teaching English as a foreign language. Reasons to use games Ready-to-use games Games in grammar and vocabulary teaching Pitfalls of using games Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tassyn M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

1. Introduction to ESL Teaching Games for Kids 2. Benefits of Using Games in ESL Classes 3. Types of ESL Teaching Games for Kids 4. Tips for Implementing ESL Games Effectively Incorporating games into ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for kids can make learning fun and engaging. Games provide an interactive way for children to practice and enhance their language skills in a stress-free environment. Whether you are a new teacher looking for fresh ideas or an experienced educator wanting to spice up your lessons, using games can benefit both you and your students. There are numerous advantages to utilizing games in ESL classes for kids. Firstly, games help create a positive and enjoyable learning atmosphere, which can increase student motivation and participation. Additionally,...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This board game aims to put more fun (and competition) into writing. With the prompts given on each square, players or teams try to make sentences and get to the finish line first.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games are a useful tool for teachers of EFL students because they help with motivation, engagement, and graceful failure (Plass 260-261). I will present a successful example of a teacher using games in an adult grammar class from Indonesia. Second, since I plan to teach online EFL students, I will present free digital games online teachers can use in their virtual classrooms. Advantages of the Theory The First Research Popular Games Access to Materials My Choice Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christopher C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Many professional articles have been written showing...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas What if you could send your students for a real-life treasure hunt without changing your location. What if you could have them have a conversation with "Queen Elizabeth". What if I told you all this would be possible one day, with us changing the games we play in class from analog to digital. in this essay I will show some advantages of integrating digital games as a solid part of any teacher's daily routine for teaching English to students of any age, background or disability and hopefully establish that updating our traditional methods with the surrounding technology can lead to a more successful and effective teaching experience both for the teacher and the student alike. Using games and technology GBL So how can a video game help a teacher?...  [Read more]

In the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), incorporating games and activities is a popular and effective method to engage students and enhance their language learning experience. Games and activities can range from simple word puzzles to more complex role-playing scenarios, all designed to make the learning process more interactive and enjoyable for students. By integrating these fun elements into lessons, teachers can create a dynamic and stimulating environment that motivates students to actively participate and practice their language skills. There are numerous benefits to using games and activities in TEFL teaching. Firstly, games make learning enjoyable and can help alleviate the stress and pressure often associated with language learning. They provide a break from...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Most everyone has a favorite game that they play over and over again. Games go further than just a simple competitive interaction between two people or teams. In a way, games teach the average person how to navigate life with two outcomes; either the joy of winning or the disappointment of losing. Although it is not necessarily bad to lose it is an inevitable outcome for each person who participates. The idea is to learn from the failure to gain experience in which you can strategize a new way to achieve victory. The act of winning is simply the reward for playing the game as it is expected to be played. The main concept of games is competition and how we as human beings are constantly competing whether we realize it or not. As we go about our day to day...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As a new teacher, grammar was initially very difficult for me to teach. It was difficult to demonstrate grammar patterns succinctly. Luckily, the school that I work for has provided help by having an established curriculum. The key to teaching grammar, however, has been teaching variable inputs in otherwise unchanging structures as part of student-centered games. Strategies on how to teach positive patterns How to teach negative patterns? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Stephen W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If I were to teach the pattern, "What does Billy like?/ He likes _____", then I...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games are seen as time wasted. According to my, it is a pointless prejudice. Because some people suppose playing games in the classroom can only be as computer games; on the contrary, fun in the school is more instructive for students' self-improvement. Meanwhile, the research has shown that the classroom games affect students positively, such as having more motivation, having a controlled competitive environment, strategy simulator, peer positive, less stress, enhanced memory, class cooperation, and new knowledge. We will see how games are essential in our education. Motivation Methodology Benefits Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This Christmas board game is the perfect game to play in your ESL classroom to practice the present simple and present continuous tense.   Create a sentence, affirmative, negative, or a question, with the prompts in either present simple or present continuous tense, depending on the time word. Then answer the question with your own ideas. If a person isn't specified, use anyone you'd like.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun activity to place with your ESL students during Easter. Hand out the cards and have your students find their Question/Answer match.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a fun ESL board game about Canada. Students answer questions, describe the pictures, or give the English word for the thing/activity in the picture.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun board game about animals. Your ESL students work in pairs or groups, they throw a die and need to name different types of animals.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun board game to practice verbs. You can modify this to all different kinds of tenses or grammar patterns.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great board game activity to practice building comparatives in English.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences To begin with, I' like to say that I'm pretty excited about writing this summary since this course was an interesting online journey and there are some things to share, indeed. Role of Games Personal Experience Power of Games Are you ready to teach English all over the world? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Denys L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The games play an extremely important role in teaching and particularly/especially during my classes! I consider this to be not just one of the teaching techniques, but the solid, essential, natural, and extremely useful part of the whole world of education. All of us, no...  [Read more]

Sara Stojanovic TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas With the introduction of technology, teaching English as a foreign language has changed a lot. Computers opened many new doors for both the teacher and the students. Technology has allowed us to use many resources that were unavailable before. Kahoot Scavenger Hunt Tow Truths One Lie Conclusion Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! With the outbreak of the pandemic, most of the language teaching and learning switched to the online variant. Despite having all the previously stated advantages, online language teaching can be challenging as well. When the teacher is not physically present, the students can get distracted...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Can your students guess these Christmas movies just by looking at emojis? Find out with this fun Christmas Movie Emoji Game. Answer key provided below.   1. A Christmas Story 2. Nightmare Before Christmas 3. Polar Express 4. Arthur Christmas 5. It's a Wonderful Life 6. Home Alone 7. Miracle on 34th Street 8. White Christmas 9. A Christmas Carol 10. Elf Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun board game to practice time expressions and prepositions of time. Your students talk in pairs about the topics on the sheet. Each student places their counter on one of the "start" squares and then move forward by one square at a time talking about the topic using the appropriate time expressions.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This board game is a great way to get to know each other a little bit more and have fun at the same time.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun word scramble game around daily routine vocabulary. Have your students unscramble the words and match them to the correct picture.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! In this fun articles board game, students review 'a', 'an' and 'the' by completing true or false statements and talking about various topics for 30 seconds.   In this free articles board game, students review a, an and the by completing true or false statements and talking about various topics for 30 seconds. Give each group of three or four a copy of the game board, a dice and counters. The players then take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player lands on a 'True or false?' square, they complete the statement with the correct article (a, an, or the) and read it to the group. If the player is able to do this correctly, they score a point. If not, they must move back to their...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This printable board game is great for practicing vocabulary words with your students. Play the game as a reward or when you have some time left at the end of your class.   This board game is the perfect activity to review vocabulary and help your students with their speaking skills. Print it out and play it with the whole class or play it in your virtual classroom.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a Christmas board game focusing on sentence building, either spoken or written. To practice speaking, let students say sentences (make sure to correct pronunciation when needed); to practice writing, let them write sentences (adapt the game to your students' level).   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This fun activity helps your students practice the verb to be in the past simple by playing a board game where they give true or false answers to questions.   Give each group of three or four a copy of the game board, a set of true or false cards, a dice and counters. The students shuffle the cards and place them face down in a pile next to the game board. The players then take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they pick up a true or false card from the pile and look at it, without showing it to anyone. The player then answers the question on the square using was or were by giving either true or false information as indicated on the card. Next, the other...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun conversation board game to speak about summer holidays with your ESL students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  This video is a sample EFL lesson in a real-life classroom setting abroad. In the activate phase of the lesson, the teacher starts a class activity with his students. The class is split into two teams and a member of each team is competing against the other team to build a correct sentence about modal verbs. This phase of the lesson is important for the students to actively use the newly learned grammar or vocabulary. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. ...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun ESL board game about the advantages and disadvantages of different topics. The students roll the dice and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the topic they land on.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a board game to practice the plurals of nouns.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]