I have to admit that the first time I brought board games into the classroom it was much more out of purely selfish reasons than out of didactic ones. I had been playing boards games for the better part of a decade at that point and it was by far my favourite way to spend an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. What I hadn’t valued up to that point was board games‘ educational merit in a second language classroom.

Why Board Games?

A board game is essentially a nicely designed and thoroughly tested project-based learning episode. For those who may not know what project-based learning is, it is a teaching approach in which the teacher gives students a task to complete that will require them to use meaningful communication in the process.

The project is broken down into three phases: pre-task, task and review.

  • During the pre-task phase, students are presented with the task, its objective and clear expectations for its completion.
  • In the task phase, students work together using the L2 in order to reach the objective laid out in the pre-task phase.
  • Lastly, in the review stage, students review their task performance.

These project-based learning characteristics hold true for board games as well.

First, multi-player board games can be considered tasks because they are objective-oriented and require communication between the players in order for the objective’s successful completion. This communication can be considered meaningful because students are motivated to complete the task in order to satisfy their desire to win.

Secondly, board game implementation mirrors the three project-based learning phases. Bringing the board game into the classroom, explaining the scenario, the rules and the winning conditions is the pre-task phase. During this time, students are engaged by being pulled out of the classroom and into the world of the game. Next students must manage the task by using their knowledge of the rules and communication to reach their objective, i.e. the task phase.

Lastly, a post-game discussion of the high and low points of the game and the major plays by each student serves as a post-task review, with the teacher also correcting any language problems or praising any proper language observed during gameplay.

Briefly said, board games are great for the classroom because they motivate students to mentally transport themselves out of the classroom and into a different reality in which they have to effectively communicate in order to solve problems and reach goals. These realities can vary greatly due to the highly thematic nature of games. Students may be detectives in one game but doctors in another, each scenario requiring different subject-specific vocabulary.

Additionally, board games require little to no planning as they have been highly play-tested and have built-in objectives, which saves us teachers both time and energy. Furthermore, you can use them time and time again with the same group of students because elements like dice and card shuffling make sure that each game is different from the last.

But How Do I Use Them?

So now that we have seen WHY we should implement board games into the classroom let’s look at the HOW. First, it is important to know that not every game is appropriate for the language learning classroom. A game like chess will lead to little language use because the players are relying on reasoning skills rather than communication skills to complete their objective.

The games with which I have the most success in class are:

  1. Word Games– Students must use vocabulary to complete their task.
  2. Negotiating Games– Students play against one another but must trade resources or information in order to win the game.
  3. Cooperative Games– Students work together on a team to complete their task.
  4. Social Deduction Games– One or two students take on a hidden role and try to sabotage the other students on their journey to completing the task. Identifying these “traitors” is imperative for success.

Though this is not an exhaustive list, it is a great starting off point for teachers who have never played board games- much less used them as a teaching tool. Later I will give you recommendations for some specific board games.

But first, let’s look at some other considerations to keep in mind when using board games in the classroom:

  1. Students will need to know the rules. You can either explain them yourself, use a YouTube video or have them read the rulebook on their own. Whatever you choose, be sure to scaffold the experience by defining difficult words or using visual representations wherever possible
  2. Many games are great for teaching a certain grammar point or vocabulary topic. If this is the case with your game, make sure to cover this information in the pre-task stage so students are aware of the target language they should be using during gameplay.
  3. Almost all board games have a size limit, which means you won’t be able to play all games with all class sizes or you may even need to buy multiple copies of the game to accommodate the whole class. Since some board games can be expensive, this might not be a viable solution for all games. Make sure you consider the maximum number of players, your class size and game price before planning to use a game in your class.
  4. Don’t be afraid to modify the rules of games to make them more appropriate for language learners. Most board games are not intentionally designed for second language learning and because of that, it might be necessary to change rules so that the goals or mechanics are more manageable for your students or so that communication plays a more central role in gameplay.
  5. Make sure you have enough time not only to play the game but to also explain the rules.

What Games Would You Recommend?

Now that you know why and how to implement games into your lesson, I want to give you some games that are highly effective and very motivating for students.

The first game on our list falls into the category of “word games”. It is called Codenames and it is great for teaching vocabulary and building up word networks. During gameplay, two teams play against each other with the common goal of identifying all of their team’s words before the other team does.

One player (i.e. the Spy Master), who has access to a secret key card that idetifies each team’s words, thinks of a one-word clue that connects relates to one or more of their team’s words.

The team then tries to figure out what words belong to their team using this clue. For example, if the key card shows that the red team has both “Germany” and “Code”, the Spy Master might say “Enigma, 2 related words” to get his team to correctly identify those two words.

I have typically played this game with B1 groups and higher but if you explain the rules in the student’s L1 and custom make cards with the vocabulary your group has learned, you could use it as a review game with A2 level students too.

Wavelength

Next Wavelength, or the free online version Here to There, provides students on teams the ability to present arguments and counterarguments.

One student from each team (i.e. the captain) has secret information that his teammates cannot see: specifically, where his teammates must place a red marker on a scale. The scale is labelled with two opposites like “reasonable phobia” and “unreasonable phobia”.

The captain then says a word that they think will guide their teammates to placing the red marker on the shown location. If we use the example in the picture, a captain might say “butterflies”.

The other team members now enter a discussion about where to place the marker on the scale, hoping to get two, three, or four points. Because this is a conversation heavy game, it is recommended for C1 groups or even outgoing and fluent B2 groups.

Bohnanza

Bohnanza is a great negotiating game that can serve to teach the first conditional as well as agriculture vocabulary. Students play against each other trying to earn money by collecting certain types of beans.

In order to get the beans though, they must trade with their competitors to get the best deal possible. Failure to make trades might lead to a poor crop yield and less money.

On each student’s turn, they plant beans, receive new beans from the deck and trade beans. In the trading process, students propose deals to the active player: “I will give you 2 Red Beans if you give me 1 Garden Bean”.

Players must walk the fine line between cooperating and being competitive, which leads to a frenzy of offers, counteroffers and rejections. Because this game focuses on First Conditionals, it would be nice for use in B1 classes but could even be used in advanced classes to teach more advanced negotiating skills.

In conclusion, the world of board gaming is bigger than most non-gamers know, which is a pity considering the richness and liveliness it can bring to our teaching. In this article, I have just named a few games to get you started in the classroom but if you are interested in more techniques on implementing board games into your curriculum or more recommendations, comment below and let us know.

Additionally, if you have already successfully used a game in the classroom, comment down below and share your experience with the community.

By Kristen Schuenemeyer
Head Teacher at Fluent Sabadell
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