Company Recognition TESOL

Games in the Classroom The use of games is growing within classroom environments, as is highlighted in the memoirs of Katharine Birbalsingh, a teacher from an inner city school in London. In her comments, Birbalsingh suggests the use of games is negative as it is taking away from ‘proper teaching methods’. In this research article, I shall attempt to disprove Birbalsingh’s comments. Using the theories presented by Augusto Boal and other lead thinkers in the field of applied theatre, I will analyse the advantages of using such games in the classroom in terms of student confidence, memory skills and the cultural relevance of such methods - themes central to effective teaching of english as a Foreign Language (EFL). In Games for Learning Language, the authors comment that ‘language learning is hard work’ and games help to make EFL lessons more memorable and fun. In this research article, ‘games’ refer to traditional games such as Pictionary, Scrabble, Hangman and so forth, but special mention must go to drama games. By ‘drama games’ I refer to the use of applied theatre by Augusto Boal, Helen Nicholson and others in which non-traditional drama techniques are used to empower and benefit individuals to communicate and express themselves in a fun and engaging way. In terms of EFL, the use of both traditional and drama games is intended to make the learning fun and also relevant, whilst employing a methodology that encourages memorability, confidence and is culturally relevant, the three specifics to which I shall now turn. Games help with students’ ability to remember english as they allow for a greater emotional investment in the language. Imagine a student is playing a character. Not only does that student have to portray the emotions of that character, but they also have to deal with their own feelings whilst doing so. Such emotional investment ensures that ‘the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and write will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better remembered.’ Unlike conventional teaching methods, drama-based methods employ a learning-by-doing approach, which Clark Baim argues makes the work more memorable because the experience of ‘doing’ is harder to forget. One of the major advantages of this kind of drama is that it provides a persona for the student to embody and thus mistakes made are not theirs, but that of the embodied persona. This gives the actor an extra space to communicate, where their confidence levels can be built up. Additionally, Bain argues that ‘drama does necessarily require verbal fluency. When non-verbal methods are used, drama helps those who are less confident to express themselves. Drama can also help people to become more articulate.’ For learners of english who are less confident, such methods help them be involved in the class and slowly build up their confidence, articulacy, and language abilities, whilst not putting immediate pressure on them, yet still letting them be part of the class process. Augusto Boal argues that theatre is the first human invention and that ‘the human being not only “makes” theatre: it ‘is’ theatre.’ In this methodology, drama games are seen as culturally transcendental and employment of this methodology is one that is relevant for all learners. The drama games that are part of applied theatre work to allow students to use theatre as a tool to comprehend the issues about which they are learning through a global medium. To further highlight this point, applied theatre games are now used in community learning environments around the world. If we accept that games provide assistance in student confidence and memory building and are cross-culturally relevant, then we must regard them as central to our EFL lesson plans and interactions with students as these issues are some of the most pervasive in EFL teaching. I hope to have demonstrated that Birbalsingh’s comments about the validity of games in the classroom is limited and I hope you agree that games are and should not be ‘for use solely on wet days and at the end of term!’ Bibliography and Further Reading Clark Baim, Sally Brookes and Alun Muntford (eds.) The Geese Theatre Handbook: Drama with Offenders and People at Risk (Hampshire: Waterside Press, 2002) Katharine Birbalsingh To Miss With Love (London: Penguin Books, 2011) Augusto Boal The Rainbow of Desire: The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy (London: Routledge, 2008) Helen Nicholson Applied Drama: The Gift of Theatre (Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) Tim Prentki and Sheila Preston (eds.) The Applied Theatre Reader (London: Routledge, 2009) Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby Games for Language Learning (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)