Games and Creativity in Foreign Language Learning: Enhancing Communicative Competence

Posted on Jun 25, 2024 in Language

TOPIC 18: Games and Creativity in Foreign Language Learning

Definition and Classification of Games Used in Language Learning

The Game as an Enjoyable and Creative Technique to Develop Communicative Competence in the Foreign Language

  • Introduction
  • Definition and Characteristics of Games
  • Games and Creativity in Foreign Language Learning
    • Concept of Creativity
    • Advantages of Using Games
    • Functions of Games
  • Classification of Games in Language Learning
  • Gamification
  • Games as a Technique to Develop Communicative Competence in Foreign Language
    • Concept of Communicative Competence
    • Use of Games to Develop Communicative Competence
    • Classroom Management to Introduce a Game
  • Conclusion
  • Bibliography

1. Introduction

Current research in the field of Foreign Language Teaching states that students’ motivation and interests are among the most important factors when learning a foreign language. One way of reaching this goal is the use of games.

Games are familiar to children and they are strongly related to everyday life. Furthermore, they provide excellent possibilities for learning the language in a motivating, meaningful, and creative way.

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights recognized in its principle 7, the game as a pre-eminent activity in education. Do you know why?

Because by playing, children are promoting healthy brain development as they are strengthening many neuronal connections that would otherwise disappear or weaken if not used.

This aspect is reflected in our current educational system, which emphasizes the use of authentic, motivating, and familiar materials in English class for students to achieve communicative competence as it is established in the Royal Decree 157/2022, March 1st, and the Decree 61/2022, July 13th, in Madrid, where both also state: “Games are a very useful tool that allows the acquisition of new lexical and syntactical elements.” Both decrees specify and concretize what is set in LOMLOE 3/2020, December 29th.

Taking all these aspects into account, throughout this topic, I will explain the main characteristics of games and establish the relation between games and creativity. Then, I will classify games. Next, I will deal with the use of games in the classroom to achieve Communicative Competence. Finally, I will refer to the conclusion and bibliography used for the development of this topic.

2. Definition and Characteristics of Games

To start the topic, a question emerges: What is a game? Donn Byrne defines games as a “form of play governed by certain rules or conventions.” In this sense, KLAUER pointed out the following characteristics of games: games follow rules; they have objectives; they are finite activities with a clear beginning and end; games require less teacher supervision, as different roles can be taken; and games make activities more engaging for students, making it easier for them to stay involved.

Bearing all these characteristics in mind, I will deal with the third part of the topic, which will be devoted to games and creativity in language learning.

3. Games and Creativity in Foreign Language Learning

As I have already mentioned, through games, our students will be able to think with flexibility, conceive new ideas, and see different and new relationships among things.

3.a. Concept of Creativity

Research on second language learning has shown the importance of creativity in language learning. This view contrasts with the behaviorist approach, which greatly influenced language learning and teaching in the 1950s and 60s and supported that language learning is a process of imitation and reinforcement (Audiolingualism).

The attack on behaviorist beliefs resulted from changes in American linguistic theories in the 1960s.

Noam Chomsky was partly responsible for these changes since he argued that sentences are not learned by imitation and repetition but generated from the learner’s competence.

We can say then that creativity is the ability to think in a different way. And the teacher must encourage games which involve creation in order to foster this ability.

3.b. Functions of Games

But, “which are the functions of games?” To answer this basic question, four functions can be grouped into four categories:

  • Psychological functions: As Piaget states, games help children express their subconscious feelings and instincts, and games help children develop their imagination and creativity.
  • Social functions: We can underline some such as: games encourage social integration in class because they are group activities, as well as games provide a field for the learning of values, attitudes, and social conventions as Vygotsky states.
  • Linguistic functions: We can say that games provide a meaningful context and language is used for a purpose, games provide frequent repetition that leads to memorizing, and games can give practice in all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
  • Pedagogical functions: We can state that games provide a pleasant atmosphere, they develop positive attitudes and motivate student participation, they add variety to the range of activities used in class, and they can be used as diagnostic tools.

Once I have explained the relationship between games and creativity as well as the advantages and functions of games, I will move on to the next part of my essay where I will define and classify games.

4. Classification of Games

When choosing a game, we have to ensure which one is suitable for English class. Games must contribute to language proficiency by getting the learner to use it during the game.

At this point, an important question arises: What are the most suitable games to promote our students’ communicative competence? Below, I will explain the classification of games made by LEE (1986) according to the language or skill practiced with it: vocabulary games, spelling games, pronunciation games, grammar games, and communicative games.

  • Vocabulary games: Are those in which the learner’s attention is focused on words, for example: “Dobble”, “Kaboom”, or “Heads Up”.
  • Spelling games: Make students aware of how words are written. Students find English spelling difficult because of the lack of correspondence between sounds and graphs. Some examples are “Hangman” or crosswords.
  • Grammar games: Provide experience in the use of a particular grammar area. Some examples could be: “Guess Who”, “Find Someone Who”, and “I Have, Who Has”.
  • Pronunciation games: Provide practice of sounds, stress, or intonation patterns as for example “Hear the Difference”, tongue twisters, “Mr. Roy’s Watch”.
  • Communication games: Aim to provide students with real-life language practice. The focus is on conveying the message rather than perfect correctness. Examples include picture dictations, giving directions, and games like Snakes and Ladders.

4.1. Gamification

This strategy of integrating game characteristics into our teaching-learning process to motivate participation and willingness to learn by applying the motivational techniques that make games so engaging and catchy has a name, which is ‘Gamification’.

Recently, methods include gamification, not as an isolated activity, but as the dynamic that drives our students to meaningful learning. As Harmer says, students learn a language when they use it for communication, and they see the necessity and purpose of using it.

With gamification, we tap into kids’ natural desire for competition and achievement; so students use the language because it will be the vehicle to get something that motivates them.

There have been many online apps (Classcraft, Plickers, Kahoot, ClassDojo…) that help teachers introduce gamification, but it can also be developed in an easier way in our class by teachers, adapting rewards and rules of the game.

After studying the possible ways of classifying games, I will deal with the next step in the development of this topic.

5. Games as a Technique to Develop Communicative Competence in Foreign Language

Firstly, I would like to underline that the criteria that rule the classification I have presented beforehand do not focus on the acquisition of communicative competence and its components. Nevertheless, as communicative competence is our main aim when teaching any foreign language, let us explain what it is and how games can be used to reach it.

5.a. Concept of Communicative Competence

Along with language and communication studies, some authors like Chomsky talked about language. In this case, he states that language is a set of sentences, each finite in length, created out of a finite set of elements. He also states that a speaker has a subconscious ability to use the grammar already known in his mother language to create new utterances in the foreign language. This is what he called Communicative Competence.

Nevertheless, authors such as Hymes said that Chomsky had missed out on the rules as he considered that speakers had an intuitive mastery of the foreign language they are learning at the moment. According to this, he establishes four sub-competences:

  • Systematic potential: The speaker has the ability to produce sentences in the language he is learning at the moment following learnt rules.
  • Appropriacy: The speaker focuses on the context to decide which type of language is appropriate to the given situation.
  • Occurrence: The speaker knows how often a structure is used in the target language he uses. E.g.: “I had my hair cut” is less frequently used than “I cut my hair”.
  • Feasibility: The speaker knows whether something is possible or not in the language.

5.b. Use of Games to Develop Communicative Competence

Let’s now argue how games can contribute to developing this Communicative Competence as it is established in the Royal Decree 157/2022, March 1st, and the Decree 61/2022, July 13th, in Madrid.

Games mirror real-life situations, making language learning meaningful and spontaneous. They develop students’ oral and written skills as well as their understanding of rules and roles. And finally, games also teach students to accept outcomes like winning and losing or learning from mistakes in a positive environment.

To do so, I will bring the development of the key competences through different activities:

We can carry out a game in which students read a text or sing a song acting out as different characters, like an angry boss, a teacher, a baby, among others. As students speak to each other in English, they will be developing linguistic and multilingual competence.

Moreover, “Battleships” is ideal for practicing oral vocabulary. It is a pair game. In it, students will have an empty grid. On the first horizontal line, they can have colors or numbers. In the first vertical line, they will have the vocabulary that we want them to learn. Each student will put three ships in their grid, and the other student will try to guess where the other student has put their ships. Playing this game, they will have to make decisions and solve problems so they will develop their citizenship competence and social and learning-to-learn competence.

Also, students can play “Minecraft Education Edition.” In this game, students can collaborate to design a sustainable community or start a virtual business, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. They will hence develop their digital competence and their entrepreneurship competence.

These games can be carried out following the Universal Learning Design (ULD) by offering multiple ways of expressing themselves or representing information.

6. Conclusion

Throughout this topic, we have seen that games provide excellent possibilities for learning the language in a motivating, meaningful, and creative way since the learner’s attention is distracted from the formal study of language and concentrates on the use of it.

In my view, sometimes we mistakenly teach the essentials, we cover the curriculum, and if there is time, we try to top this process with creativity.

Unfortunately, that is not creative teaching. We can open many doors to our students, holding behind great learnings and moments. Games and creativity, already mentioned, are behind one of those doors and if we dare to open them, the advantages teachers and students will obtain are worthy.

7. Bibliography

  • BREWSTER, J., ELLIS, G., & GIRARD, D: “The Primary English Teacher’s Guide.” Penguin (2002).
  • HARMER, J: “The Practice of English Language Teaching.” Longman. London (1983).
  • HADLEY, A.O: “Teaching Language in Context.” Heinle and Heinle. United Kingdom (2001).