Learning English through Gaming!
Updated: Mar 4, 2020
Experts have said for a long time that learning by playing games is beneficial to students. In order to learn and understand something, you must enjoy it. Otherwise, if your heart and mind are not fully committed you will never truly learn. There is no reason why learning English should not be a fun experience. Why?
In simple terms, games are interactive and by practising what you learn, you are more likely to remember and UNDERSTAND. In addition, during gaming students can navigate and follow their progress better, especially if different levels are present within the game.
Learning by doing.
During game-based learning, you, as a student, will be using a variety of games to explore the English language in a way that is interactive and challenging. By completing certain tasks in game mode, you are more likely to remember what you learnt. This is because you we as humans are more likely to recall something that we have seen or participated in. Learning by doing!
Mixing it up!
Learning English by playing games serves as a welcome break from the traditional way of teaching, using whiteboards and class exercises. Games provide a more attractive solution to learning English especially to younger learners. So, if you are learning English with your children or younger brother or sister, introduce a bit of gaming after school hours. It will serve as motivation for them while increasing both your skills in the language!
Learn and Relearn.
The amazing thing about learning English through games is that you can repeat any level you wish. Just because you passed a certain level, does not mean you cannot redo it to increase your understanding of the new knowledge. Some games also provide ‘awards’ or achievements which give you a score after completing the level. You can motivate yourself by aiming to get a higher score next time you replay the level.
Make up your own game!
You do not necessarily need a mobile phone application or a computer program to use games. Creating your own game could be a fun and rewarding experience. These games do not need to be over-complicated so simple things such as dictionary use, sentence building, idiom use, and word association could go a long way. You can even include your English learning friends or family for an even more enjoyable experience, turning the game into a competition!
Mobile phone Apps to explore;
1. MindSnacks (word translation based)
2. FluentU (music video based)
3. Duolingo (translation/reward based)