How To Turn Listening Into a Game For YLs

by Maria Conca

What do Young Learners (YLs) really want from a language lesson? Have you ever wondered? I have asked colleagues, both experts and newly qualified, who confirmed ‘YLs just want to play’. Yes, play games. Possibly, play games and learn something new? Surely, YLs want to learn something new while having fun and playing games. This is what really motivates them and motivation is a key factor in order to learn a foreign language (Brown, 1994). Many teachers will agree that integrating games into their lessons has become essential. It is not so hard to turn grammar or vocabulary activities into a game, e.g. a grammar auction, scattegories or taboo, or using technology and online games in general. What is definitely harder is to turn a skills lesson into a game. How can you turn boring listening into a fun activity? This is what we will be looking at in this article.  

Motivating YLs To Listen 

How do YLs learn? They learn best ‘by doing, exploring topics and engaging in meaningful tasks in a stress-free and supportive learning environment’ (Bourke, 2004:286). Motivating YLs to engage in listening tasks requires selecting topics that will interest them and designing tasks that have a clear objective or outcome. Games are the perfect example of motivating class activities: they have a goal that has to be achieved by making the best possible choices within a shared set of rules; there’s always immediate feedback; they have a reward and progression system to promote achievement and risk-taking; they lower anxiety (Dickey, 2005). Games of all kind contain the key features of a communicative approach to language teaching that can lead to acquisition: interactivity, feedback, choice (Johnson & Morrow, 1981). How can we use games to teach listening? In the next section, we will look at some ideas for gamification and game-like task design.  

Gamification Techniques  

If you like playing computer games, you will easily apply your knowledge and practice to the gamification of a language activity. Setting time limits, creating levels of increasing difficulty, challenges, scores and bonuses in friendly team competitions are the most common game elements that motivate learners to complete a task. Gamification is not to be confused with game-based learning (GSL), which uses games to introduce new language  and support learning through the use of games in the classroom (Kapp,2014). Werbach and Hunter (2012) describe gamification as the use of game elements and game design techniques in non-game contexts. Some recent studies have suggested the term game-based teaching (GBT) as opposed to GBL: it is actually the way teachers use games to teach new language or skills in a positive and engaging environment that facilitates learning, not ‘merely playing a game’ (Pivec, 2009:14).  

The key question is whether learners actually learn through the game or a gamified task. They could if the tasks include the elements that support learning: ‘the tests of working memory, pattern matching, and cognitive skills known as ‘chunking’ (Pivec, 2009:7). Hence, listening games need to create realistic conditions for concentration, re-engagement and the meaningful repetition called ‘retrieval practice’ (Kapp, 2014:45). Not just scores, badges, rewards, but activating working memory, promoting High Order Thinking skills of Bloom’s taxonomy and creativity will trigger learning. The crucial part of game-based teaching is designing tasks that demand both decoding skills and listening strategies to win the game. Listening games can train learners to listen naturally (Rost, 2011:189), make sense of what they hear and build meaning intuitively. This will help them become confident in doing it automatically like a native listener (Field, 2008:263).The environment in which the players compete and the skills needed to play and win will be motivating not the game itself.  

Strategies of task design should reflect the different game genres and may include ‘role playing, narratives, challenges, and interactive choices within the game, as well as interaction with other players’ (Dickey, 2005:67). 

Practical Ideas  

A – Ready-to-go Materials  

1- Listen & Respond (age range:  7-10)  

2. Listen & Write (age range: 10-14)  

 3. Listen &Guess (age range: 6-12) 

B – Game-like Listening Tasks  

1. Listen &Fill the Box  (Age range: 6-10) 

 2.Listen & Complete a Map (age range: 10-14)  

3. Listen & Match (age range: 10-14) 

Conclusion 

Games have proved to enhance students’ engagement, boost collaboration and create meaningful learning experiences for students. They also help in creating fun learning environments where students are motivated to take responsibility of their learning and become ‘risk-takers’ in language learning. Integrating game-based teaching and learning into a language course could be a good chance for teachers to make YLs’ learning more fun and effective. 

Glossary  

Game: A system in which players engage in an abstract challenge defined by rules, interactivity and feedback  

Game-based learning (GBL): Game-based learning uses an actual game to teach knowledge and skills. Game-based learning is often used as a one-time instructional event to provide formal learning either online or within a classroom 

Gamification: only uses a few game elements. Learners don’t play an entire game from start to finish; they participate in activities that include video or mobile game elements such as earning points, overcoming a challenge or receiving badges for accomplishing tasks. 

Learning game: A learning game is a self-contained unit with a definitive start, game play and ending 

Source: Karl Kapp, ‘Gamification: Separating Fact From Fiction’, Chief Learning Officer • March 2014 • pp. 42-52 available online www.CLOmedia.com 

Author’s Bio: Maria Conca has been teaching English for over ten years in the UK and in Italy, where she’s based and has been running her self-owned language school since 2011. She took her CELTA at IH Rome in 2007 and completed her Delta at IH Newcastle and Distance Delta IH London in 2016. She works a Teacher, CLIL & Primary Education Teacher Trainer, DoS, Academic manager, Course Designer & Consultant. Her main interests are YLs, Teaching Listening & Speaking, CLIL, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT materials development. She tweets at @MConca16.