Select games that maximize participation and match proficiency, and use games as complementary activities¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article recommends that teachers "choose games that allow as many students as possible to participate and are appropriate to students' level of proficiency," and, where coursebook pressure limits game time, use games to teach specific language skills. It further advises, citing Nguyen (2014), that games should be complementary activities rather than consuming an entire lesson, and that teacher education should build candidates' capacity to use games for varied purposes and student profiles.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teacher awareness, knowledge, and skills to use games effectively for different purposes (e.g., specific skills, anxiety reduction) and different student groups (e.g., mixed ability, low or high proficiency).

Constraints¶

• Teachers are often pressured to complete coursebook units, so integrating games into teaching practices may not always be possible.

Target Learners¶

• Foreign language learners of all ages, including higher education students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Speaking skills development and speaking anxiety reduction in foreign language teaching

Related Strategies¶

• Games For Fluency Practice
• Classroom Games

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ismayilli, T. M., Mammadova, K. M., & Asadova, A. A. (2025). The impact of educational games on speaking skills in the foreign language teaching process. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 19(1), 229–240. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1469668