SKKN Experience of using games in teaching English for students of class 9A in Thieu Khanh Secondary School – Thanh Hoa City

CONTENTS
PAGE
A. Introduction
 I. Reason for choosing the theme.
 II. Research purposes
 III. Research objects
 IV. Research methods
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B. Content
 I. Theoretical basic
 II. Actual situations.
 1. The reality of teaching English in Thieu Khanh secondary school
 2. The advantages of using games in teaching English
 III. Solutions.
 Important factors of using games in teaching English
Methods of using games in teaching English 
 3. Using games in real situations
 IV. The results.
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C. Conclusion
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A – INTRODUCTION
I. REASON FOR CHOOSING FOR THE THEME
Nowadays, the economy of the world of growing strongly, exchanges in policy, culture and society are also expanding among countries. Language plays an important role in helping the cultures become closer. Never before, English is as essential as it is now. English is taught every school and spoken everywhere. Teaching target, therefore, has been changed. The problem posed is how to get the most effective teaching, helping students have the ability to meet both grammatically and communicate in real-life situations.
	Through several years of implementing the program gradually to replace textbooks with the innovations of new teaching methods, typical teaching methods of English was really steady and in-depth. But most teachers are only concerned about the renewal of teaching methods and pay little attention to innovate forms of organization of teaching activities, so students feel the heavy class, the quality of lessons is limited.
	Unlike other subjects in secondary schools, English is not only a subject but also a means of communication. Therefore, in teaching English if a teacher does not seek to hold a teaching period so vivid, reasonably and attractive, it is very difficult to attract students, classes will be tedious, boring. Especially with the students of grade 9, they are in the process of changing physiological interest, they are no longer impartial, chatter as those in grade 6. They are even afraid of building the lessons. They understand lesson but they don’t want to discuss about it, they only want to listen to what the teachers say but they don’t want to ask or interact to teachers.
	So as to make an English period achieve better results, be stimulating learning and promote positive students, teachers must constantly innovate teaching methods and forms of organizing the teaching activities. One form of teaching bringing highly effective is to combine organization of games in English teaching hours. 
	Using games in teaching English is teaching through the way to organize activities for students. Under the guidance of teachers, students are worked by self- playing game in which the purpose of the game conveys the objective of the lesson. Rules of the game (gameplay) shows the contents and methods of learning, especially learning methods with the cooperation and self- evaluation.
	Playing learning games to form knowledge, new skills or reinforce the knowledge and learned skills. In actual teaching, teachers often organize games to reinforce the knowledge and skills. But the organization for the students playing the game to form knowledge, new skills are needed because this is necessary to generate the interest in learning to students right from the start of a new lesson.
	From the above reasons, I bravely contribute to this school year Science Council the initiative with the theme: “Experience of using games in teaching English for students of class 9A in Thieu Khanh Secondary School – Thanh Hoa City”.
II. RESEARCH PURPOSES
- Study about theoretical basic of games.
- Get to know the actual situations of learning English of students in Thieu Khanh Secondary school.
- Find some ways to using games effectively in teaching English so that the results of students’ learning will be higher day by day.
III. RESEARCH SUBJECTS
	Applying some experiences of using games in teaching English for students of class 9A, Thieu Khanh secondary school, Thanh Hoa City.
IV. RESEARCH METHODS
In process of studying the theme, I have applied two main methods below:
1. The method of theoretical research: 
	As the methods of collecting information on the basis of scientific research documents, documents made ​​by the manipulation and logical thinking to draw scientific conclusions necessary.
	- Method of analysis and synthesis of theory
	- Method of classification and systematization of theory
	- Method of history
2. The practical research methods
	As the method of direct impact on the real object to clarify the nature and the laws of subjects.
	- Method of scientific observation 
	- Method of investigation
	- Method of analysis summed up the experience
B- CONTENT
I. THEORETICAL BASIC
Games is an human’s activity which aims firstly and mainly relaxing after the hard working hours. Through games, people can exercise and mental fitness, training the senses to create the opportunity to communicate with people, collaborate with friends, allies in groups and organizations
	The game is a kind of activity is very familiar and close to everyone. Different angles, games are defined separately, it can be an essential natural activity that matches the value of a human being or as an effective practice methods for the formation of personality and the mentality of children ... Organizing games is to develop mind power, wisdom, strength for our students. Games should follow a topic, a certain content and have rules that players must follow.
	Learning games are understood simply as the game whose content ties to the learning activities of students to enable students to learn in the classroom more exciting and joylly. Game content is played on a certain intellectual activity such as attention, quick wit, imagination or creativity.
II. ACTUAL SITUATIONS
1. The reality of teaching English in Thieu Khanh secondary school:
	Located on the edge of town, not very far from the city center, Thieu Khanh is considered one of the schools which has quite good quality of education. As the evidence that the annual number of exellent students municipal level is increasing. But the fact is that the quality of their mass is not high. One of the reasons is the low quality of the input. Local language barrier also significantly affects the ability to access their lessons. Many students have difficulty in listening, reading, speaking and even writing. Reasonalbe teaching methods will be the way to break these barriers. 
	Compared to recent years, students now have quicker reaction, gain the lesson better. However, there are also too many things for them to learn. Especially for students in grade 9, the knowledge they have acquired quite a lot, the topics are dificult. Besides that, many articles are abstract. It’s necessary to have a good method to help students absorb lessons in an active, possitive and fun way. 
	Playing games is considered as a good method which helps students limit the boredom of a topic, the hardening of the structures and make the lesson become much easier.
• Practical Survey.
For the purpose of improving students’ ability of using English, in the first semester I examined students of class 9A.
 • Survey results:
Class
Number of students
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Fail
No
%
No
%
No
%
No
%
No
%
9A
32
2
 6.3
7
 21.9
16
50 
6
18.7
1
3.1 
Through the survey, I found the number of students understand lessons and interest in the subject limited. Most students do not focus on lessons well, they find the topics very hard, it’s difficult to excite the lessons.
2. The advantages of using games in teaching English:
	Playing games is a necessary activity, contributing to human development at all ages, especially with junior high students. For students at this age, they are under physiological mood changes, any activity whether small or large, good or bad may affect the future thinking of the students. Therefore, helping them have the study habits through the games is necessary so that they can just understand all main knowledge easily. Games help children see the meaning of the lesson not only dry knowledge, difficult structures and hypothetical situations. Gaming help students come closer to real life, more dynamic in the way of thinking and doing.
	Gaming is a form of active learning by engaging students, thus it helps students maintain their attention to lessons.
	Using games in teaching is necessary, diverse forms of teaching, change the classroom atmosphere. Students can seize every lesson content in mind for comfort, high self – awareness. Games contribute to the renovation of teaching methods. Fun activities is the condition, the environment, the solution and the most favorable opportunities contributing to the goals of education, to create the conditions for them to develop mind power, physical strengh and mental as a whole box. The games help students develop new things that they have accessed to textbooks, practice the skills they have learnt. Through playing games, students will be practiced different situations which force themselves to a reasonable choice, personally discover the strenghs, weaknesses as well as capabilities in each field. 
	Game reasonable organization helps students develop natural physical, forge agility, become more energetic, confident before the crowd. Especially, the combination of group activities also teaches students the way to work in groups and the benefits of cooperation. This enables students to have more soliarity in particular learning and in life in gereral.
III. SOLLUTIONS
	The last purpose of teaching is to help students accquire all the knowledge, achieve the aims of the lesson. In order to enable this, teachers must use teaching techniques. Using games is also the process that teacher is using techniques for a lesson. In this process, teacher should pay much attention to basic factors of using games.
Important factors of using games in teaching English:
	- Teachers need to develop and use the game in a unique way to attract students to think, to explore the knowledge, not the occurrence of overlap boring (due other teachers have used, or previous periods have made this game), students will not actively thinking in the process of implementing the game.
	- The organization of the game in order to create opportunities for students to experience and facility identification, analysis, reasoning ... from which scientific knowledge discovery. So after the game finished , teachers should guide students to analyze the significance of the game so they draw learning content from the game.
	- The game is an indispensable factor and decide the success of the method. For the organization of the game really attractive and effective, teachers can build, design games based on the following grounds:
	+ Actual observations: The law of awareness have shown that visualization is the material lively promote abstract thinking, help people create new knowledge. So teachers need to actively observe the phenomena in vivid reality every day to be able to restructure everyday actions into play operation corresponding to a content learning something.
	+ Arranger games available: Knowledge discovery game can be redesigned from the games available, especially from the current variety gameshow on TV. Generally, teachers have to edit gameplay to suit the conditions of the classroom, it also makes the game arranger novelty factor, which helps students interested in participating and awareness lessons from these games.
	+ Creative learning content: In the case of learning content very abstract, theoretical heavily and the games available are not suitable for organizations suggest knowledge to students, teachers must invention games based on learning content. This is the most difficult innovative ways because there is no direct material to the game design. But when the game is formed, the lessons of abstraction becomes very impressive and very academic atmosphere lively, exciting for students. This also confirms the talent of the master teacher.
2. Methods of using games in teaching English:
	To organize games optimally effective, teachers should note the following issues :
2.1. The game should suit the characteristics of learners.
	Those games are used not only to meet the academic requirements but also convenient and attractive to learners. So with the same learning content, teachers need to change the form of play, depending on the characteristics of the students.
2.2. Ensuring safety organizations play.
	The organization often creates air game fun, comfortable, easily lead to negligence in the operation. Teachers should carefully controlled circumstances to avoid playing unwanted accidents.
2.3. Explain the rules of the game.
	The game is the perfect reflection of the content being shown the correct nature. Therefore teachers should explain the rules to students does not distort the content of learning.
2.4. Soothes the aggressive properties of the player.
	The organization of games aimed to study, not to rank, confirmed talent. Teacher should emphasize this to students, does not mean aggressive, leading to conflicts and disagreements together.
2.5. Focus meaningful analysis after making the game.
	Playing games is essential, but not the main thing of the method. The lessons learned from the last game is the ultimate goal of method. So teachers are not only investing in the organization, but also well- prepared for the analysis of the significance of the game.
2.6. Ensuring education.
	Teaching not only to provide knowledge and skills but also to achieve the objective of education for students. So the way to organize the game must ensure the cultural, should not have offensive operations, lack of culture in the classroom, in the school.
2.7. Do not abuse the method.
	Each teaching method has advantages and disadvantages, no pluripotency. The use must be consistent with the learning content and characteristics of the object, purpose ... The abuse of game-organizing methods will be boring, even counterproductive.
3. Using games in real situations:
	Teaching bases on games is a method which interests for learners but it also requires high creation of the teacher. So as to apply this method best, teacher need to distinguish the levels to use games in teaching and satisfy the demand of this method organization.
 Games maybe can be designed in different ways, on the board, extraboard or Powerpoint, but it must ensure both scientific and logical. All the games below are designed on Powerpoint. This also makes the lesson more lively.
Level 1- Using games before new lesson:
	In teaching English, playing games before starting the lesson is called “Warm up”. In this part, teachers hold games to activate the class atmosphere, create the excitement for students before learning.
In this part, the games are usually used such as: matching, Crossword, Shark attack, Kim’s game.
	These are two examples about games before learning the lesson.
Example 1: Unit 3: A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
	Section 1: Getting started - Listen and read
Teacher shows the pictue. 
	Teacher divides the class into three groups and ask them to play game: MATCHING
	Teacher introduces the rules of game: Each of group has one minute to look at the picture and then matching the phrasal words given by teachers with the suitable activities in the picture within one minute. The group who has the most correct answers will be the winner.
After students finish the games. Teacher can ask the some questions:
T asks: 	 Where can you see these activities in Viet Nam?
Students’ answer: We can see these activities in the countryside.
From students’ answers, teacher sets the sence and guides students into new lesson: A trip to the countryside
* Advantages of game: This type of game is quite easy: easy for students to play, for teacher to prepare and it isn’t aslo time – consuming for warm - up part. Playing this game, student can sybolize the words or phrases following a definite topic.
Example 2: UNIT 2: 	CLOTHING
 Section1 : Getting started – Listen and read
	In order to introduce the topic of unit 2, teachers divide the class into 2 groups, ask students to play the game: CROSSWORD. 
	Rules of game: We have 5 numbers going with 5 crosswords. After each number is a picture of atraditional dress of a country. Within fifteen seconds, teachers show each number with a picture, the group who has quicker signals, give correct answer will get 5 points. While answering the questions, if one of groups has answer for key word, they will get 10 points. The winner is the one who has more points.
These are pictures for five numbers.
	After students give the key word: ÁO DÀI. Teachers show the picture of Áo dài, and ask: How do you know about the Ao dai?
Students’ answer: It’s the traditional dress of Viet Nam.
	From this answer, teacher can introduce: Do you know anything more about the Ao dai? Is it fashionable or not? Who usually wear it? Today we are going to get to know more about it.
	With the lively images, interesting activity and the guidance to teachers’ lesson, I think students will find the lesson exciting.
* Advantages: This games demonstrates thorough preparation of teachers. A main factor that makes students interesting in the game is highly competitive. It also requires students’ good backgroud.
Level 2 – Using games as a form of learning:
	Teachers can use this level for “Pre-” steps. In this part, teachers organize games for students to get the content lively, excitedly.
	Preparation is always an important part because it helps teachers perform well the following steps. Thus, if students can understand clearly what they are doing next, they will learn actively.
These are some games for this step.
Example: 	UNIT 3: A TRIP TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
	Section 4:	 Listen 
	The aim of this lesson is to help students listen and match the places with the letters on the map. Beside teaching words, teachers need to suppy picture of each place again to make sure that students can listen, image and and do the task well.
Teachers can ask students to play game: Pelmanism
	The rules: teacher prepare nine words of places written on nine pieces of paper, and 9 pictures. The rest sides of the table are numbered from 1 to 18. They are all faced down. Teachers divide the class into three groups. Each member of three groups go to the board and choose two tables of number, one includes word and one is pitures. If the first members can find the the right pairs and gets 5 points, the second members will do the same as the first one. If not they have to face down the tables again and give oportunities for others. So on, the group who find the most pairs will be the winner.
	After playing games, students will be able to remember the location of images in their head, and can easily make the listening task.
* Advantages: This game interests students with images, it also helps students to practice quick eyes and ability to remember information through pictures. Learning through images is one of teaching methods that makes class more lively and excitingly.
	Holding games for students not only base on characteristic games of English, but teachers also should manipulate the games from the practice or on television to promote maximum effectiveness of teaching.
	The following game borrows name of a game on television: WHO’S A MILLIONARE?
	The game is adapted from the games on television, this makes sure that the children will be very excited to play that they have watched so far. This game is suitable for 4 quiz format solution. Teacher can divide the class into 2 or 3 groups .
	The Revision and Consolidation are often dry lessons, so it is very suitable for students to play this kind of games.
Level 3 – Using game as the lesson content:
	This level is usually used for student to be exper