Professional Documents
Culture Documents
C
an language use be In-game language use
Jason Anderson
simultaneously authentic and In the first context in Table 1 (in-game
finds a way of making yet controlJed? Is it possible to language use), whenever a player does
have meaningful what is required of them in order to
controlled language use communication between learners that still progress towards success within the game,
retains a linguistic focus? I believe the they are using language authentically. For
authentic. answer to both of these questions is yes, example, a learner who is talking for a
if we draw upon the unique features and m inute without stopping on a random
qualities of gameplay to create a dual topic, or trying to guess a word being
context for language use in the classroom. described by a classmate, is using language
Among the many definitions of no less authentically than I am when I am
authenticity that have been invoked in playing Just a minute or Monopoly with
language teaching, it is Henry my friends, regardless of whether the
Widdowson's that resonates most language use replicates anything that
meaningfully for me as a teacher. ln his might occur beyond the world of
influential paper 'Context, community, gameplay. What's more, in-game language
and authentic language', Widdowson use is usually quite rule-bound, restricted
made the point that authenticity is not a even. Asking and answering a Trivial
quality of the materials we use, but a pursuit question would hardly constitute
context-dependent interaction between 'authentic' language use according to Jim
individuals within a community, Scrivener's 'Authentic, Restricted and
whether that be the face-to-face Clarification' (ARC) model, yet it happens
interaction of conversation, or the in gameplay outside the classroom. The
time-displaced interaction when we read language use is authentic because it has
a text or watch a TV programme. He a 'pragmatic functioning' within the
identified three key fea tures that are discourse community of the game, even
necessary prerequisites for language use if it fu lfils a partly- or wholly-linguistic
to be considered authentic: context, a outcome (as opposed to a non-linguistic,
discourse community and 'pragmatic 'real world' outcome). As David Crystal
functioning', by which he means a and Guy Cook maintain, using language
purpose for using language. for its own sake is part of authentic
language use.
Language use in Around-game language use
gameplay Around-game language use (the second
When we look at gameplay, we can context in Table J) includes any
identify two contexts for authentic language use that either facilitates,
language use within Widdowson's supports or comments on the gameplay
defini tion, as illustrated in Table 1. itself. It recognises the class (including
Let us call the language used in these the teacher) as its discourse community.
two contexts ' in-game language use' (for It is present in all types of gameplay, but
context 1, the game) and 'around-game tends to be, in my experience, more
language use' (for context 2, the lesson extensive and more varied in competitive
event). gameplay, as opposed to collaborative
1 The game The players To win the game or play well Distribute two or three yellow cards
and one red card to each group
2 The lesson event The class To (be able to) play the game
playing a game (if it's a mingle
Table 1 activity, you can give the cards to
gameplay. Interestingly, around-game learning resource, this is a wasted 'language police officers'). During the
language use can be surprisingly varied opportunity to use English game, if any learner uses their
both in terms of discourse type and communicatively, so as well as patiently mother tongue, either for in-game or
function, and it fits under almost encouraging learners to use English as around-game language, the other
anyone's definition of authentic language much as possible, you cou ld try using learners give him or her a yellow
use (for an overview, see, for example, the 'yellow card, red card' system (see card. A learner who then uses their
Alex Gilmore's article in Language the box opposite). mother tongue again gets a red card,
Teaching). Table 2 provides some and must either miss a turn or lose a
examples from my recent lessons. Games versus tasks pre-specified number of points.
From a second language acquisition While you're monitoring, if you see a
perspective, this around-game language If we take a fairly widely-accepted
definition of a task, as provided by Rod yellow card in front of a learner, you
use, happening under the guidance of
Ellis in 2009, for example, we can see can find out what they wanted to say
the teacher, provides va luable
some key differences between language and translate it into English for them.
opportunities for learning. It gives a
clear context for both negotiation of use in games and tasks. Unlike games, Because learners understand the
meaning and focus on form - as tasks cannot really offer a distinction importance of rules in gameplay, and
opposed to 'focus on forms' - both of between 'in-task' and 'around-task' are usually fami liar with how these
which have been argued to promote language use because language use in cards are used in football, I have
language learning within the classroom tasks is not normally governed by a set found that this system allows them to
context (see works by Michael Long). of arti ficial rules. In his definition of a monitor their own production well,
We can help our learners to develop task, Ellis argues that tasks should have even in large classes or when they
their confidence in around-game a primary focus on meaning and a get very excited by the game.
language use by pre-teaching useful non-linguistic outcome, neither of which
vocabulary or expressions, and is necessary in a game, yet the language
use (both in-game and around-game) becoming a 'situational grammar
providing feedback on successes and
can still be described as authentic within exercise' (Eilis's term), precisely because
errors made during the game. This
Widdowson's definition of authenticity. the artifice of the game is part of its
around-game language use also allows
Like tasks, games can be ' unfocused' authenticity. As Guy Cook puts it, 'Ji is
us to get a peek at how our learners are
(with no specific language learning aim) ar1ifice ... which may on occasion be more
likely to be using language outside the
or 'focused' (designed to practise a authenlic than reality'.
classroom and, as such, provides a
specific grammatical fea ture, lexical area This is potentially a unique
useful opportunity for noticing what
or function). However, in games, unlike characteristic of gameplay.
they've learnt and what they need to
learn next. tasks, target linguistic features do not
Teachers working in monolingual need to be 'hidden'. Either the teacher or A challenging game
classes often find it difficult to get their the game itself can make the language
The 'Third person challenge' game on
learners to use English for around-game learning outcome explicit to the learners,
page 6 is one that my learners enjoy
language use. While l am a great believer without the language use in the game
playing. You will see that in-game
in the use of the mother tongue as a losi ng any of its inherent a uthenticity or
language use is clearly rule-bound, and
the language focus could not be more
llliif:..Jif-:.11 1 &.f- - explicit. However, not only is interaction
- -
•ur.. 11:;.m
'
Student A Student B
Your partner will have three minutes to answer all your Your partner will have three m inutes to answer all your
questions. Don't show yo ur partner t he questions and questions. Don't show your partner the questions and
d on't t ake any notes. Repeat the question slowly if yo ur do n't take any not es. Repeat the q uestion slowly if yo ur
partner doesn't understand. partner doesn't understand .
The student who makes the fewest mist akes wins. The student who makes the fewest mistakes wins.
St art the t imer - three minutes only! Start the tim er - t hree minutes only!
1 What does an English teacher do? 1 What does a taxi driver do?
2 What does a shoe shop sell? 2 What does a book shop sell?
3 What does a radio do? 3 What does a freezer do?
4 What does your best friend watch on TV? 4 What does our teacher do at the end of every lesson?
5 What doesn't your best friend like to watch? 5 What does your mother eat for breakfast?
6 Where does the president of the USA live? 6 What about your father?
7 What does a dog do in its free time? 7 What about a tiger?
8 How fast does a snake run? 8 What two things does a door do?
9 Who talks too much in this class? 9 How well does a mobile phone swim?
10 Who doesn't talk enough? 10 Who wears the best clothes in this class?
11 Why? 11 Why?
12 What type of c igarettes does a chicken smoke? 12 How many languages does a banana speak?
--- ----- ---- --- -------- ---- -------- --------------- ----- --- ---------------
' ----- ---- -- ---- ---------- ---------------------------