论文总字数：29022字

摘 要

英语对于小学生而言是一门新语言，对小学生具有一定的吸引力。词汇却是学好英语的基础，因此英语教师应该要密切关注小学中的英语词汇教学。根据小学生的心理特点，游戏教学法是一个有效的词汇教学方法。本文由游戏教学法的定义、分类，特点及现状分析等入手，系统地介绍了游戏教学法，并着重阐述了应用游戏教学法的重要原则，以及具体的游戏在课堂词汇教学中的应用。最后阐明了游戏教学法对小学英语教学的重要性及意义。

关键词：游戏教学法；词汇教学；小学；英语

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Theory and Application of Game Teaching Method in Primary School’s English Vocabulary Teaching 3

3.1 Theory of game teaching method 3

3.2 Principles of using games 4

3.3 Specific use of games in vocabulary teaching 5

4. The Significance of Game Teaching Method 9

4.1 Strengthening students’ interest and motivation 9

4.2 Fostering a good classroom atmosphere 9

4.3 Consolidating pupils’ English vocabulary 9

4.4 Enhancing students’ all-round abilities 10

4.5 Heightening students’ social consciousness 10

5. Conclusion 10

Works Cited 12

统一使用1, 1.1, 1.1.1模式。采用自动生成方式制作。Times New Roman字体，四号 1.5倍行距，段前段后0磅。目录中的内容一般列出“章”、“条”二级标题即可。大小章节均顶格，大章节标题用粗体、采用标题式大写；小章节标题不用粗体，采用句子式大写。

1. Introduction

As a second language, English has become more and more important in China. Since 2001, English teaching has been included in primary curricula and how to teach primary school students English has been greatly concerned by a great many teachers and researchers. As we all know, most primary school students are likely to participate in English class actively due to their nature. However, greatly influenced by the examination-oriented system for a long time, the class has always been teacher-centered, in which students play a passive role. Therefore, students would find it difficult and boring to learn English, especially English vocabulary, which is the basis of English learning.

The aim of primary English class is to stimulate students’ interest and cultivate their confidence in learning English, thereby improving their English competence. And for teachers, the most important step to achieve this aim is to improve the quality and approach of English vocabulary teaching. Games, as a brilliant teaching method, provide joy for children, enlighten their intelligence, and arouse pupils’ learning interest. Accordingly, it is necessary to apply game teaching method in primary English class. Nowadays, game teaching method has enjoyed large popularity in Chinese primary English class and has brought advantages, such as the high initiative of students, and the lively classroom atmosphere.

This article is divided into five parts. The first and the second part is introduction and literature review respectively. The third part is applications of game teaching method in the primary school English vocabulary teaching, including principles of using games and specific use of games in vocabulary teaching. Next part mainly demonstrates significance of game teaching method and the last part is conclusion.

2. Literature Review

Previous studies clearly show the development of game teaching method. Plato, a philosopher in ancient Greek, attaches great importance to the early education and he claims that teaching should be in a happy activity in his work Republic, which makes him the earliest advocate of learning in games (Ma 193).

John Dewey, American philosopher, psychologist and educator, believes that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students have the opportunity to participate in their learning. He also stresses on learning by doing or by experience and applies games in terms of individual interests and needs. It is universally acknowledged that his ideas of applying games in teaching are extremely influential to primary school teaching nowadays (He 33-37).

Also, Piaget, Swiss educational psychologist and biologist, puts forward that children should be educated through games, observation, and story-telling (He 33-37).

In addition, Howard Gardner, an America psychologist, published “The Structure of Intelligence: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence”, it points out that the person’s intelligence is multiple, it mainly consist of the nine kinds of intelligence, and they are language intelligence, logic intelligence, spatial relationships intelligence, rhythm intelligence, movement intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, self-reflection intelligence, observation intelligence and existence intelligence. Different individual students’ intelligence structure is different. The purpose of education is to promote the development of all aspects of intelligence. Game teaching method promote development of the students’ multi-dimensional intelligence through pictures, sounds, video to provide real situations for language learning, especially the potential intelligence they good at (Yao 102).

In China, Liang Qichao, a famous reformism educator at Qing dynasty, proposes interest teaching thought and advocates that students learn in a happy atmosphere. Besides, Tao Xingzhi, Chinese famous modern educator, comes up with the theory of life education, and advocates to combine teaching and learning with doing, he emphasizes that students should learn from doing (Ma 194). What’s more, Chen Heqin, a representative educator of game teaching method in China, had discussed the difficulty level of the games, the classification of games, and the relationship between games and age to enrich the theory of educational game (Yao 102-103).

From all these previous studies, it is obviously that game teaching method creates learning environment adapting to students to help them construct a lot of meaningful knowledge. From the perspective of teaching theory of subject, different subjects have different teaching contents, teachers need to sum up the experience in practical teaching constantly and design educational games is based on the teaching law of the subject. Therefore, in primary school English teaching, the design and application of the game should be based on the teaching aims.

3. Theory and Application of Game Teaching Method in Primary School’s English Vocabulary Teaching

3.1 Theory of game teaching method

3.1.1 Definition and classification of game teaching method

As its name implies, game teaching method refers to teaching through games, which is a way of teaching by combining games into the boring knowledge, and let children learn from playing games. Byne gives the definition to games as a form of playing governed by rules. He proposes “games should be enjoyable and fun. They are not just a diversion, a break from routine activities, but a way of rendering learners to use the language in the course of the game.”

Games in language teaching are both a kind of educational concept and teaching strategies. Accordingly, there are different classifications of game teaching method. From the perspective of class procedure, it can be classified as before class game teaching, middle class game teaching, and after class game teaching. Before class game teaching mainly refers to warming-up songs, jingle games, or showing pictures and comic videos with the assistance of multimedia to stimulate students’ interest and arouse their enthusiasm. And middle class game teaching is mainly through role-play, scenario simulation to let students place themselves into real learning environment to learn words and sentence faster. As for after class game teaching, it is a way of using simple scene simulation, telling a story or playing some music related to the theme to inspect their study effect and keep them away from slacking.

Moreover, from the perspective of teaching objectives, game teaching method can be divided into interest-aroused game teaching, operating game teaching and cooperative game teaching. Interest-aroused game teaching is mainly taught by designing games which is based on primary school students’ characteristics of strong curiosity and vigor, and short duration of concentration to stimulate students’ interest of learning English. And operating game teaching is to teach through designing games which can train students’ ability of thinking, expressing, and doing. As to cooperative game teaching, it is a sort of teaching by designing games that divide students into several groups while playing games to cultivate students’ awareness of cooperation and train their abilities of cooperation.

3.1.2 Characteristics of game teaching method

As a teaching method, game teaching method has its own characteristics. First, there must be rules. As we all know, one of big problem of classroom teaching in primary school is classroom management. In other words, that is to control the discipline of the whole class. But the potential problem is that pupils may be so excited while playing the game that the discipline of class is getting harder to control. Hence rules are needed to make sure the teaching goes on well, and it should be made according the features of different class, different time and place and different games. Second, there must exist competition. One of attracted factors in game teaching is competition. Students can compete with each other in a limited time or compete just between two persons at the same games. Competition can add more joy at games and make more students join in games actively. More importantly, it enables students to learn English happily. Third, there needs to be enjoyment. Primary school students have a nature of curiosity but not have a strong will to learn things constantly. So game teaching must be interesting enough to attract students’ attention and strengthen their initiative to learn English.

3.2 Principles of using games

3.2.1 Utilizing diversity of games flexibly

Educational games are diversified and mainly have five types, namely role-plays, musical activities, intelligence games, sports games and drama performances (Zhang 127). Primary school English teachers are supposed to utilize the diversified educational games flexibly in class based on teaching objectives and contents. Besides, teachers should also diversify the form of games nimbly, because pupils have a short duration of concentration and are easily bored with the same things. In addition, teachers are expected to deal with the connection between the content of textbooks and games when necessary and to adjust the atmosphere and teaching pace of the class flexibly. As concluded, the diversity of educational games and the flexibility of form should be fully utilized by primary English teachers. Consequently, students are inspired to take part in games.

3.2.2 Encouraging extensive participation and evaluating fairly

Usually, educational games in class are not required so many students to take part in, so when choosing students to join in games, teachers should consider all students in class and allow them to make their own decisions whether to participate. It is best to achieve the full participation of the whole class when playing games. So teachers should try their best to let all students participate in games by grouping the whole class to make fairer for all students in class. More importantly, caring each of students in class and keeping equality is every teacher’s duty. And, when judging the result of the games, teachers should evaluate fairly. Finally, full participation of class and fairness of activities can arouse students’ enthusiasm and initiative and can enhance the relationship between students and teachers.

3.2.3 Setting specific objectives and enlightening steps

Teachers should set some objectives when using games. Educational games are served for teaching, and they have to be associated with teaching. Playing games is to render students to master the vocabulary more easily. So, when designing games, teachers should consider the main objectives and contents of teaching, especially the important and difficult points. Besides, there should be enlightenment when playing games. Playing games is to make pupils learn and consolidate their vocabulary, light up the atmosphere of class, and exploit pupils’ intelligence and cultivate their abilities. Thus teachers should design games with creativity and challenges. As for the difficulty of games, teachers should design games appropriately and inspire and enlighten the students who are not so smart to win the games by giving some hints properly.

3.2.4 Realizing different roles of teachers and students

When using game teaching method, teachers should know the different roles of teachers and students clearly, that is, teacher as the leading part, while students as main part in games. Teachers should act as a commander and director and allow students to play games themselves without teachers’ participation. Teachers can help when necessary and guide the direction of games teaching to achieve the goal of playing game and adjust the atmosphere of the class (Zhao 296). As for students, they, as “actors”, should obey the rules that the teacher tells them and follow his guide while participating in the game actively. And, they should not absent when playing games and should compete with others fairly.

3.3 Specific use of games in vocabulary teaching

Game teaching method is useful in vocabulary teaching, and it makes vocabulary learning much easier and more interesting for pupils. Specific use of games in vocabulary teaching is presented as follows.

3.3.1 “What is it?”

In order to make pupils learn the meanings and forms of new words more easily, teachers can use games to teach a new word. For instance, teachers can use the game “what is it?” to introduce a new word. Here the teacher gives clues about the word he is teaching, but he makes sure that the first clues are general enough to force the students to think hard. Here is an example. The teacher is dealing with the word “refrigerator”, which the students do not know yet. He says (or write them at blackboard at the same time):

A refrigerator is useful.

A refrigerator is big.

Refrigerator is usually white.

Refrigerator has a door.

A refrigerator uses electricity.

It is cold in a refrigerator.

A refrigerator makes ice.

People put food in a refrigerator.

The teacher asks the learners to raise their hands when they think they can translate the words they are working on into the mother tongue, or when they are able to draw or point to a picture of the object indicated by the word. The teacher uses the word ‘refrigerator’ many times during the presentation of the clues, so students can easily remember the sound and forms of the word ‘refrigerator’, and after they work out the meaning of the word, they can remember the new word. In this game, pupils can use their common sense to think, to guess the meaning of a new word according to the clues that the teacher gives them, they use their intelligence to work out the answer. That’s the goals that the game is supposed to realize.

3.3.2 Kim’s Games

“Kim’s game” is a good example of making learners use their powers of observation and memory. It is used for practicing words that have just been introduced. The teacher gives the pupils one-minute to look at about 15 objects or pictures whose names they know, and then he covers the objects or puts them away. The students must write or say the names as many of the objects as they can remember. In another version of “Kim’s Game”, the teacher covers about 15 words that he has previously written on the blackboard. After one minute, he covers the words again, and then he asks the pupils to write the words in their notebooks in the same order in which they appeared on the blackboard. The champion should be selected to share his or her memory skills. This gives practice with the forms of words. Putting pressure on the students is one way of improving their learning efficiency. Using the spur of time-pressure, the teacher can make a simple job such as copying new words and their notebook more interesting by telling the learners that they have only 30 seconds to do with them (Rod 298).

3.3.3 Guessing Games

The teaching objective of this game is to enable pupils to consolidate vocabulary and knowledge they just learned and foster their logical thinking. When the game starts, the class is divided into four teams. Each team receives a card containing definitions of terms in English. The next group has to ask up to 10 questions and attempt to discover the term in question. Receiving yes/no answers will be the only guidance available. The teacher’s interference is minimal and the members of the team have to try to convey the definition to the other group and help them discover the term. The process continues until one team defeat the others and is selected as the champion. For example, team A owns a card written definitions of a cat, the guessing game goes liking this:

Team A: It is an animal.

Team B: Does it live in the the forest? Team A: No.

Team B: Can it work for people? Team A: Yes.

Team B: Is it very big? Team A: No.

... ... ...

Team B: Doesn’t it like to eat fish? Team A: Yes.

Team B: It is a cat. Team A: Yes.

If team B fails to guess the word, then team C will go on to guess. If team B succeeds, then they can use their own card to start over. When all teams have tried, teacher should select a champion. The purpose is to let students learn to compete and cooperate with others and to learn in a happy atmosphere.

3.3.4 Role-play

When pupils have learned new words, it is important for them to know how to use them. Role-play is a good way to consolidate their vocabulary. For example, when students have learned vocabularies about food, teachers can conduct students to have a role-play to practice the usage of the word. Class will be divided into several groups which consist of five members and the teacher should provide some modal sentence at the blackboard for students to use. Pretending they are at fast-food restaurant, each group will consist of one food seller, one drink seller, one cashier and two customers. There should be many food models with corresponding card written the name of food in front of the food seller, and so as the drink seller. The play can go like this:

C1: I’m hungry! Let’s go and find something to eat.

C2: That’s a good idea!

(The two customers enter the restaurant and come in front of the food, which consist of cake , hamburger, bread, salad, noodles, rice, hot-dog, French fries...)

F: What would you like to eat?

C1: I’d like some noodles and two hot-dogs, please! (Students can look at the cards if they don’t know the word and can look at blackboard if they don’t know how to use correct sentence.)

C2: I’d like some French fries and a piece of bread, please!

F: All right! Here you are!

(The two customers come in front of the drink, which consist of juice, milk, coffee, ice cream...)

D: Would you like something to drink?

C1: Yes, I’d like a glass of orange juice, please!

C2: I’d like a cup of coffee, please!

(The two customers come in front of the cashier desk)

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