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II. The Brief Introduction to Games and English Games
Teaching in the lower grades in primary school is a basic link of English education in our nation, and also an important step. The lower grades in primary school range from kindergarten to fourth grade. Games in this paper refer to the competitive practice, interactive activities among teachers and students or the software games with rules, which are full of entertainment, applied to the English class. Here is a brief introduction to connotation and functions of games that can help to provide cognitive basis for better applying games in teaching.
Cihai says that game is a kind of cultural entertainment, and also a means of physical training. Dutch scholar Johan Huizinga points out that the game is a voluntary activity, which is conducted in a certain range of space and time, with freely accepted and absolutely binding rules (34). In a broad sense, game is a kind of competitive practice with its goal to get the victory; at the same time, players must apply discipline knowledge or international knowledge to enhance the practice and to get the victory. From a narrow sense, game is a certain computer game software with education significance to develop the users’ knowledge, skills, intelligence, emotion, attitude, values, and so on. Games with rules were defined by Piaget as “. games with sensory—motor combinations (races, marbles, ball games, etc.), or intellectual combinations (cards, chess, etc.), in which there is competition between inpiduals (otherwise rules would be useless) and which are regulated either by a code handed down from earlier generations, or by temporary agreement” (“Play” 144). Game in this article refers to special education game, the game software that is designed for education or activity among teachers and students. While games in English teaching refer to the competitive practice, interactive activities among teachers and students or the software games with rules, which are full of entertainment, applied to the English class.
According to different main bodies of activities and different mediums, games can be pided into the two types of software games and class presentations of teachers and students. Online software games include stand-alone games and network games; classroom demonstration activities between teachers and students include the interactions between teachers and students and interaction activities among students.
Interactive games among students and stand-alone games are more suitable for autonomous learning and inquiry learning; network games and interactions between teachers and students are more suitable for mutual learning and cooperative learning.
Famous education practice theorist Johann Amos Comenius believes that games can get children exercised both physically and psychologically (127). Modern famous psychologist Jean Paul Piaget hold the opinion that games can develop the intelligence of children (“Six” 68), and the curiosity and the desire of exploring towards the outside world can be met through games. Games have certain rules, which is beneficial to children’s development of intelligence and strength. Therefore, game application in education is to help students to study more effectively, to help students acquire knowledge and skills more easily, to promote intelligence, to sublime emotional attitudes and values, and even to promote the all-round development of pupils. According to the principle of entertaining in learning, combining teaching content and games together can reflect the educational value of games. According to the principle of learning in fun, pupil’s interest can be fully stimulated, real situations can be experienced and emotions can be sublimated when they are learning knowledge and skills.
The application of educational games in junior elementary English teaching can effectively stimulate and sustain pupils’ learning motivation, thus making them rapidly go into strong learning atmosphere, which can help to stimulate their interest and pull their attention in learning new knowledge. Educational games poured fresh vigor to English classes, providing a new teaching method for improving the teaching quality, and also providing a new approach for practicing the education ideal advocated by the new curriculum reform.