Learning by playing can be fun, especially for beginners who may get frustrated easily. For ESL teachers, there are websites where they can create their own games and use them in classroom teaching. In this way, ESL teachers can have games that are tailored to their own needs, which would enhance student motivation, hence are likely to improve students’ academic performance. For ESL students, there are also websites offering games that can be easily navigated. In this way, students can practice what they have learnt in class by themselves at home and possibly expand their vocabulary in a relaxing manner.
Below are three website we would like to recommend to both ESL teachers and students:
Quizlet (www.quizlet.com)
Quizlet is an online learning tool that lets registered users create sets of terms customized for their own needs. It is intended to help students with language memorization and can be studied under several study modes, like flashcards and matching games. With Quizlet, both ESL teachers and students can create their own on the go study guides. It can be used directly through its website or as an app through mobile devices.
So far, we have created content for level 1 students, which includes parts of body, transportation, personal items and appliances. Feel free to search “HGSET561” on Quizlet for the sets that we’ve created or visit https://quizlet.com/hgset561.
Kahoot! (www.getkahoot.com)
Kahoots are hands-on learning games that will make any classroom experience exciting! Each game includes a series of multiple choice questions which could include videos, images or diagrams. Kahoots! amplify engagement through competition, points, and social interactions with peers.
Teachers can sign up a Kahoot account and create their own Kahoot games. During class time, teachers can log in their account and generate a game pin for the specific game to be used in the class. Students can then go to https://kahoot.it/#/ on their mobile devices and enter the game pin. Below is what Kahoot looks like on the projector screen and on students’ mobile devices respectively.
Games to Learn English (https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/)
Games to Learn English is a hobby site developed by Owen Dwyer, who works for a university in Anhui province in Central China. The aim of this site is provide a place for students to practice English in an engaging and fun way. A lot of other similar site are more geared towards providing teachers with resources to give to their students, but the intention this site is to be a resource that language learners can use independently.
The games are aimed at a relatively low level of English with pretty much all the content being around elementary level. A lot of the vocabulary content would probably even be more like introductory or pre-elementary level.
About the Author:
Xiaoke Kang is an Ed.M. candidate in the Human Development and Psychology program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is interested in exploring ways technology, especially Podcasts, mobile apps and online games, can be used to enhance ESL students’ learning experience. Her passion is helping EdTech companies headquartered in the US expand in the Chinese market through the design of customized products and the implementation of flexible localization strategies.
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