Students Learn English Best Through Fun

One day, I attended a course on 'How To Teach Grammar to Students'. The facilitators distributed some handouts to all the participants and went through each one with us.

A handout showed a tabulated comparison of traditional grammar-teaching and teaching grammar through games.The traditional way of drilling was criticized as a dry and uninspiring approach which impeded learning while the latter was lauded as a learner-friendly approach which promoted knowledge-retention in the mind.

We played many language games during the course. The air was animated by the enthusiastic chatters and the happy laughter of almost all the participants.I was passive throughout the workshop. I found it silly playing like little kids.

At the end of the course, the chief facilitator said, "Aren't games interesting? Let's start instilling fun in our teaching from now onwards. Be creative and never kill your students' interest with bland activities like those of the past."

Everyone but me gave the facilitator a round of applause.

A teacher asked me:"Charles, you seem to be unhappy with what the facilitator said."

I said," Ya, I don't like the way he condemned the traditional way of teaching grammar."

The teacher chuckled:" You must be an advocate of old-school teaching."

I snorted:"There's nothing wrong with it. Many of us picked up grammar through drilling and vigorous reading."

The teacher nodded and said: " You are right. We did lots of fill-in-the blank exercises and reading aloud in the past."

I said:" In my opinion, learning grammar consciously is better than learning it unconsciously."

The teacher said, frowning: "I don't quite agree with you on that.It's quite impossible explaining to our students how different grammatical items operate in detail. It bores and confuses them."

A little annoyed,I said:"I can see that you prefer teaching grammar through games."

Shaking her head, she said: "Not quite. I don't explain grammar usage at length. It's enough giving the students exercises and discussing the answers with them at the end of every lesson. If they are weak in prepositions, get them to copy as many sentences on the use of prepositions as possible."

I stifled a laugh: "It seems that most of us still opt for traditional teaching methodologies."

She shrugged, saying: " I don't think we can afford conducting games in our lessons all the time. There are simply too many preparations on our part. But we can play games with our students once in a while."

I groaned: "I am not good in conducting games. I have no confidence in making them fun."

She asked, curious: "Why are you so afraid and not confident?"

I explained drily: "I can't imagine how noisy my lessons would become if I ask my monkeys to play games."

The teacher clucked her tongue and said:" Try your very best to establish a good class control. Set down rules for any games like what has been stated in our handouts."

I said blithely: "It's easier said than done."

Oblivious to my sarcasm, the teacher said:" Why don't you ask your students to play the games that you like? Action games seem not to be your cup of tea."

"I only know a smattering of games,like riddles, jeopardy and the hang-man game."

" Are you always the one conducting the games?"

"Yes.My students speak very little English."

"Why don't you get your students to conduct the games? They can practise speaking to the maximum."

I liked her suggestion and said I would give it a try.

When I returned to school, I conducted language games in my lessons right away. My students liked them a lot but the noise they made could shake the entire school building off its foundation. My class control was atrocious. To my embarrassment, some teachers from neighboring classes came and shushed my students.

After two weeks, I stopped conducting games. My students groaned their protest but I was determined to go back to my old way of teaching.

Yesterday, a student complained loudly to me: "Teacher, your lessons are so boring. I learn best through games. Why don't you make our lessons more fun?"

I retorted: "When I was your age. I learnt English the most boring way. I read, write, read, write and read, write! However, I could read and write so much better than you."

The boy pouted his lips and said:"Your time is over, teacher. We are now in the modern age."

"You are rude," I scolded him.

"I was just speaking the truth," said the boy. His face was a mask of indifference.

One afternoon during a staff meeting, the Principal advised my colleagues and I to be innovative in our teaching:" Make your lessons in such a way that the students can have fun and think creatively. A few days ago I saw some teachers giving their students dictation exercises. Dictations are an old teaching method which does not help the young ones to learn."

I don't understand. Why is it that so many people denounce the old way of learning grammar. I am still rather weak in English and I depend on consistent reading to improve my command of grammar. I don't play and dance to brush up my knowledge.

A colleague told me this one morning during recess at school:"Today's generation is different. Their attention span is short. The only way to cater to their need is to Incorporate fun in learning."

The English of old-timers is good. They speak and write proficiently. They picked up English in a most rigid learning environment. Nowadays, many students' writing is an incoherent mishmash of words. Ironically, their teachers use the so-called advanced, better way to teach them grammar.It makes them lean more and more towards instant gratification rather than actually picking up knowledge and skills for the future.

Many people say that teachers are good actors. They can assume different roles at their disposal. However, I am an exception. As a poor entertainer, I can't handle games well. I only feel at ease with the traditional way of teaching.

Sigh, today's post is a sheer garbled gibberish!