2. WHAT ARE GAMES?
Games are activities with goals, rules, and rewards.
Games are formalized expression of play.
Games provide a wide range of social and cognitive
experiences.
3. “Educational games have social
and cognitive purposes and are
not designed solely to amuse but
any game may contribute to
learning.”
4. Example of Pronunciation Game
Th Game
Pronunciation items: Words with initial /th/ and /th/
a. The teacher presents the list of words on the chalkboard. He
asks the class to repeat the words after him/her. He explains
the difference between the two sounds.
three thing this them
thank thick that there
thin thrice than those
third theme then these
thigh thought they though
5. b. The class is divided into two teams, team A and team B.
the class appoints a group of judges and a scorer.
c. The teacher says the meaning of a word found in the list. A
representative from each team chooses the word from the
list and pronounces the word. If the word is
mispronounced, he/she gets a half point. The winning
team gets a special prize.
example:
Teacher: To use the power of reason
Answer: Think
6. Energizers in Reading
Game: Mountain Climbing with Root Words
1. Prepare a game board, markers for the players, spinners or
number lots, and cards, each containing different words.
2. Each player chooses a marker and places it at Start.
3. The 1st player spins for or draws a number. Then he/she draws a
word card, reads the word aloud, and gives the root word. If
the answer is correct, the player moves the marker to as many
spaces as indicated by the number drawn or at which the
spinner stops. If the answer is incorrect, the player does not
move the marker.
4. The games continues with all the players taking turns.
5. The one who reaches the “mountaintop” first is the winner.
7. Guidelines for Using Games
Every games must have an educational objectives.
Games should be used for teaching thinking and
socialization to students.
Games must be related to the content you wish to teach.
The post-game discussion is crucial to clarify skills,
concepts, and values to be learned.
Game rules must be concise and clear.
To determine whether your objectives have been achieved
by the games, use some evaluation, feedback, or
discussion.
8. Advantages
Students are usually interested in and challenged by
games.
Can provide opportunities for team member building
skills.
Feedback is usually easy to provide and is quick.
When used in direct relationship to a lesson
objectives, can provide a stimulating experience for
all.
9. Advantages
Novel
Attractive
Atmosphere
Engage Students
Promote Teamwork
Build Good Sportsmanship
Practice Problem Solving Skills
10. Disadvantages
Competition: Competitive activities can be
counterproductive for students who are weak in the content
or skill being practiced.
Distraction: Without careful management and debriefing,
student can get caught up in the excitement of play and fail
to focus on the real objectives.
Poor design: To be instructionally meaningful the game
activity must provide actual practice of the intended
academic skill. A fatal shortcoming of poorly designed
games is that players spend a large portion of their time
waiting for their turn, throwing dice, moving markers around
a board, and performing similar trivial actions.
