LANGUAGE GAMES IN TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE We live in a time when the process of teaching learning foreign languages is becoming

one of the most important issues worldwide. In the XXI st century it is absolutely essential to know at least one foreign language as you cannot do without it whatever your life aim is. Whether you want to travel and have fun or apply for a good job you need to be able to communicate in the United Europe or the United World. That is why the role of a foreign language teacher has changed recently and is becoming extremely responsible and at the same time difficult. There are more and more language classes in the curriculum of the Polish school. Language teachers are supposed to spend more and more time with their students trying hard to encourage them to learn and in general develop their ability to read, write, listen and speak in a foreign language. How to make the lessons interesting for students and how to make your students interested and keen on learning when they are so overwhelmed with learning material? The answer is: change. We need to make language lessons fun and motivating for young people. And games are a good solution. Games are associated with relaxing atmosphere, having good time, lots of fun and laughter. Even if your students are not really involved in the learning process, it is surprising and encouraging for them to hear a command play instead of the unwanted work. Not realizing the fact, they acquire the language through enjoyable activities and in a pleasant atmosphere. From the teachers point of view didactic games are a very useful method of teaching and they can serve to achieve various aims depending on a teachers needs, current topic, conditions of the classroom etc. TYPES OF GAMES Yet, it is not an easy task to introduce language games into the classroom and many factors have to be taken into account. You need to consider the learners age, the number of students in the class, their ability to cooperate in a team, their language ability and the language level they present and first and foremost the simple fact if they are willing to take part in the activity. In methodological literature games are divided into two categories. The first one is games which constitute a foreign language (e.g. lexical games, structure games). The second one is composed of games which want to develop communication ability. Lexical games make it possible for students to recognize and form correct sentences in terms of syntax, spelling, phonetic rules etc. This kind of games allows students to revise vocabulary, spelling and pronunciation. They also develop general abilities such as memory, concentration and the ability to pay attention to a certain object. It is essential to continuously increase your active vocabulary while learning a foreign language as well as revise the grammar. You need to learn both so that you can be understandable and communicative. The other category of language games is games which concentrate on developing the ability to exchange information and convey messages. They are called language skills games, as they are used for practicing four language skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading. Often students are given passages with gaps and only by talking to one another, listening to others , reading or writing can they find the missing information and complete their gaps. Students are often afraid to use the language they learn. These games are there to help them overcome their inabilities.

What we can find in literature is many different types of dividing didactic games into categories. According to Lewis Bedson they can be recognized as: card games board games movement games drawing games guessing games role-play games singing and chanting games team games word games

Movement games are those, during which students are physically active. They walk, run etc. To use these games there must be enough space in the classroom. Board games are all games in which a board is used. Students or their teacher can draw or write something on it. Team games require cooperative work and can be played by groups of students. The number of groups depends on the character of the game and the number of students in a class. When cards are used a game is called a card game. Cards can have meaning or value in a game or simply serve as symbols, objects or actions. In guessing games the aim is to guess the answer to a certain question or a problem. Another classification distinguishes rousing and settling games. The first ones wake the class up. The students get adrenalin going. Typical rousers are movement games and all the games in which there is an element of competition. Also, other games like guessing for example, tend to get students excited, as do the games which require students to speak. settlers are games which calm a class down. Typical settlers are craft activities and games which focus on listening or writing. Of course they can be combined with other elements, e.g. running to the board. The difference between rousers and settlers is not always clear. It depends on how the teacher decides to play the game. Splitting a large group into pairs can make a rouser a settler, and can prevent students waiting for their turn from getting bored. Many games can belong to more than one type of games. At the same time one game can be a movement game, a rouser and a language skill game when it develops an ability to speak.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF USING GAMES Language games have got a lot of functions which help to put into practice the aims of lessons. Also, they develop students personality and language skills. There are many various reasons for using games in the classroom, which are highly positive. Firstly, games give students a moment of relaxation after long deskwork. Moreover, games are used for learning some new material or revising the old one. In the informal atmosphere of the game students play they are less self-conscious and, therefore, more apt to experiment and freely participate in using the foreign language. Games can be used in any language teaching situation and with any skill area whether reading, writing , speaking or listening is concerned. Students are not keen on doing exercises from their books all the time. They need fun, different teaching methods, various activities. While playing games the atmosphere is less formal so students are not afraid that they can receive bad grades. Some students can be too shy to speak in front of the class. But in games played in pairs or groups they have a chance to be more active. What is more, some of the problems or complicated material can be explained by their friends and not necessarily by the teacher. For weaker students it is sometimes a better way to understand things. Properly introduced games can be one of the highest motivating techniques, especially for children and teenagers. They need to be involved and even excited in order to learn effectively. Young learners do not have motivation deriving from factors outside the classroom such as gaining prestige, getting a job, passing examinations etc. Their motivation is created by the events in the classroom. Thus, games are so important as they can motivate them. Games also make it possible for the students to achieve success to win the game! Even weak students have an occasion to feel satisfied when they do something well themselves or when they are members of the winning team. Also the sense of failure is not that devastating simply because it is just a game and because in team games the responsibility is put on each student in the team. According to McCallum (1980), games are good exercise to revise some specific vocabulary, grammatical structures and patterns. Games involve equal participation from both slow and fast learners Because games are interesting, each student gets engaged in the task. Each one has a specific activity to be done and students learn how to be responsible for their own actions while resolving a problem. They have an opportunity to get to know each other better thanks to different kinds of interactions during the game. In a specific atmosphere of a game they have a chance to get closer to their teacher, too. Games are an excellent source of motivation, interest and enjoyment. They are an essential part of curriculum, not only a time filler or reward. Thanks to games students practise language skills, develop their personalities, and good values are created among them. Children are taught how to deal with problems. At the same time they have fun and learn. However, some disadvantages of using games can be observed too. Those problems can be eliminated by teachers whose task is to explain clearly the rules of games at the beginning of the activity and then watch students work. The first problem is related to the informal atmosphere during games. It sometimes can cause a lot of noise in the classroom. Students who are too noisy may interrupt other learners and teachers as well. The noisy behaviour can be minimized with a simple rule which says that it makes them lose points. Another problem is students quarrels. Such conflicts are often started by students who lose a game. They do not want to accept they have lost. It takes maturity and responsibility to deal with problems of this kind and again it is a thing students can be taught while playing a game. Sometimes students do not want to belong to groups the way the have been allocated. They do not like their partner or they prefer to cooperate with their best friends etc. It is not a good

idea either to group students according to the level of language they present. Weaker students have no chance to win in such circumstances, may feel frustrated and give up playing language games for good. Another problem is the size of the classroom especially when we plan to play movement games. If there is not enough space to play a game it is better never to start. Also, when there are lots of students in the class it is not advisable to play eliminating games. Students who drop at the beginning easily get bored and may cause discipline problems. There are learners who never want to take part in playing a game. A teacher can always ask them to do something else but they must never force students to play games. They also cannot play the same game again and again as it becomes very boring for students, and they must not allow their students to use their mother tongue if they want to achieve a goal a foreign language learning.

HOW TO INTRODUCE GAMES IN A CLASSROOM? Before deciding on a game teachers need to consider some factors like: - number of students age of learners students level material studied noise factor students interests and hobbies necessary equipment time available

Each game should be carefully planned before the lesson and the object of it should be closely related to the teaching point of the lesson. Games can be introduced in three different stages during the lesson. They can be played at the beginning as the revision of material taught previously or as a kind of a warm-up activity preparing for learning new material. Games can also be introduced during the main phase of the lesson. Then they are used to practise material being covered. Another option is to introduce games at the end of the class as an element of the summary and verification of material that students remember from the lesson. If teachers want to start playing a game they need to know when they want to introduce it. They also need to choose a game related to the topic and the kind of interaction which is suitable for a given group of students as well as take the number of learners into account. While playing a game each and every student should have a chance to take part in it

and do something to try and resolve a certain problem. Another teachers task is to prepare necessary equipment if they do not have ready-made tools. Games have to be suitable for students age and their language abilities. Young children learn a foreign language very fast and they imitate the sounds well. However, on the other hand, they forget new words more quickly that teenagers. That is why they need a lot of exercises to practise material and a lot of repetition. Children have very short span of concentration, they need to do various activities and they must be engaged all the time. Teachers need to be watchful and carefully control childrens work as they can quickly switch into doing something else instead. Children love competing but hate losing and that is the factor which may influence the negative behaviour. Teenagers are capable of analyzing things and they can tie facts together. It is possible for them to compare their mother tongue with the foreign language they are learning. They can practise grammar structure and vocabulary and work on developing all language skills. Games for them are a fantastic alternative to course books and students books. It is obvious that games must be accurate for students age. For example, all learners like doing crosswords. But the crosswords need to be different for children (short and easy) and teenagers (more complicated). Learners level is an important factor as well. Beginners are not prepared to play a discussion while upper intermediate students would rather not play games in which they are expected to draw or paint something. Games must also go with students interests and hobbies. Young children have other preferences than teenagers. On the other hand, games must be related to the teaching material. The time a game is going to take up must also be taken into account. It should be flexible and dependent on the level of interest and involvement on the part of the students. All things considered, there are many different types of games and they can be seen as an active and motivating option for teaching and revising language material at school. There are lots of advantages of using games in a classroom but, on the other hand there are also some disadvantages which teachers must be aware of. Using the method requires a lot of teaching experience, preparation before the lesson and engagement during the process of playing the game. However, taking all the advantages and disadvantages into account, teachers should be certain it is worth trying.

SUMMARY Language games are among the best methods of learning and teaching foreign languages. They are especially useful when you want to revise materiel taught. Games are often amusing and make satisfying experience for students and teachers alike. Learners tend to like this kind of activity during classes. They do not even notice some disadvantages and problems tied to using them. For them it is a funnier and more relaxing exercise than those found in students books and a nice way of spending time. For teachers it is a way of working which requires a lot of preparation and supervision. However, thanks to it teachers can achieve surprisingly positive effects in their work. Learners will be interested in the subject, engaged during the lessons, and their motivation for learning foreign languages will increase. What is more, learners do not only learn or revise linguistic material but they also develop features like: responsibility, accepting failures, sharing duties with others, fair play, good rivalry, being creative etc. All of them will help students in the future, while they will have to deal with real problems in real life. All things considered, games are an enjoyable and useful method in a classroom, a method which disposes of boredom and monotony. Despite some problems that might occur while proceeding with the activities they are widely used as they are known to be worth it.

REFERENCES 1. Dorry,G.N.(1966). Games for Language Learning. London and N.York: McGrawHill. 2. Kaye,P.(1991). Games for learning. New York: Noonday. 3. Komorowska,H.(1978). Sukces I niepowodzenie w nauce jzyka obcego. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. 4. Lee,W.R.(1989). Language Teaching Games and Contests. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 5. McCallun,G.P.(1980). 101Word Games. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 6. Nixon,S.(1984). How to Use Games in Language Teaching. London: The Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 7. Siek-Piskozub,T.(1997). Gry i zabawy w nauczaniujzykw obcych. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. 8. Well,G.(1991). Learning Through Interaction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 9. Wright,A.(1990). Games for Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10. Zdybiewska,M.(1994). 100 Language Games. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne.

STRESZCZENIE Gry jzykowe s jedn z najlepszych metod uczenia si i nauczania jzykw obcych. S szczeglnie przydatne w przypadku powtrek przerobionego materiau. Gry s zabawnym i satysfakcjonujcym dowiadczeniem zarwno dla uczniw jak i nauczycieli. Uczcy si zazwyczaj bardzo lubi ten rodzaj aktywnoci podczas zaj. Czsto nie zauwaaj nawet niedogodnoci i problemw z nim zwizanych. Jest to dla nich bardziej zabawna i relaksujca forma spdzania czasu na lekcjach w przeciwiestwie do wicze proponowanych w podrcznikach. Dla nauczycieli jest to forma pracy, ktra wymaga od nich dokadnego przygotowania zaj oraz nadzorowania ich przebiegu. Dziki niej jednak mog osign zaskakujce wyniki w swojej pracy dydaktyczno-wychowawczej. Uczniowie bd zainteresowani przedmiotem, bd zaangaowani w czasie trwania lekcji, a ich motywacja do nauki wzronie. Co wicej, uczniowie nie tylko ucz si lub powtarzaj materia jzykowy, ale zdobywaj umiejtnoci takie jak: odpowiedzialno, przyjmowanie poraek, dzielenie si obowizkami z innymi, gry bez oszustw, zdrowej rywalizacji, kreatywnoci itp. Wszystkie te cechy pomog im w przyszoci, kiedy bd musieli sprosta realnym zadaniom we wasnym yciu. Podsumowujc, gry s przyjemn i jednoczenie uyteczn metod pracy na lekcji, metod, ktra odsuwa nud i monotoni. Pomimo problemw jakie mog si pojawi w trakcie zabawy gry s szeroko stosowane przez nauczycieli. Wiedz oni bowiem, e s tego warte.