The Application Of Games In English Teaching In Primary Schools

As the importance of primary school English teaching is greatly highlighted by the whole society in recent years, primary English, as a compulsory course, is making itself into primary schools. There are a lot of problems arising from the field of primary school English teaching. A common phenomenon is that pupils'interest in English is decreasing as their English level goes up. Today, researchers have begun to look into how teaching in the classroom can be fun by using games in the teaching procedures as teaching children can be a bit difficult if no one is having fun. It is well known that the role of the teacher or trainer in children's English language learning situations is very important. However, it calls for skills and adaptability which may, for some, be difficult to achieve. For this reason, the author does the research to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of games in improving pupils'interest in their English learning. Also, this thesis intends to give some suggestions to the primary English teachers.Playing games in English teaching is one of effective ways which are suitable for the development of children's physiological and psychological characteristics and can foster their interest. For children, the game is the life and the life is the game. Playing games can foster children's abilities, such as their intelligence, perception, social intercourse and so on. They take an active part in the games, enjoy the pleasure and happiness of learning and have a sense of achievement, which is beneficial to their lifelong learning.From the theoretical perspective of psychology, second language acquisition and multiple-intelligences, the paper introduces the significance of games in children's English teaching. Principles and features of games are given, together with a list of games, when and how to use games.The experiment was carried out in two classes of Grade 4, Shi Yan Primary School in Shanxian County. The teacher used game teaching method in the experiment group, while the same teacher used traditional way of teaching in the control group. The experiment lasted four months, a term. All the students of two classes took three English tests to explore whether students learn English through games more effectively. Then questionaires, observations and interviews were presented. The findings of the study suggested that using games to teach children English is not only feasible but also an ideal way in primary schools. The games actually aroused students'interest.Conclusions have been drawn in this thesis as follows: both teachers and students like games; games are playing an important role in primary school English teaching. Teachers should organize games well and cooperate with other teaching approaches to solve English teaching problems. Meanwhile, it is necessary for primary English teachers to create new games and improve their professional development. Only in this way, substantial progress can be made in the improvement of pupils'interest.