HOW PLAYING COMPUTER GAMES BOOSTING ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR CHILDRENS.
Computer games, not only motivating but boosting text adventure games in foreign languge, constitute a good example of material that satisfies the criterion of language needs which relevant to young leraners, and at the same time, promotes vocabulary learning. It was a research findings that some children who always interact with computer games are rich in their vocabularies. It is easy for chldren to memorize new words while playing games. Beside learning with repetition, they also practise learning in a fun and joyfull situation without having stress and so serious compared with learning in the class.
According to Schmitt and Mc Carthy ( 2000, P321 ) teacher should show their students a veriaty of ways to learn then let them decide for themselves which is the best for them. Moreover, teaching English as a foreign language to young children offers special challanges because young children have difficulity in consentrating, especially in learning, children get bored easily if they only have to sit and listen to teachers explanation.
There ara some examples of computer games that can enrich students vacabulary such as :
1 Scrable
In this game, students have to make un order words to become orderly. Students are forced to think fast and always consult with dictionary to find correct words, so that they can easily remember certain words.
2. The sims
THis games provides house construction where students have to build a haouse and learn how to socialize themselves in a community life provided in the games. By involving their live, they will get new vocabularies when students ( in the games ) find a daily conversation in different situation such as how do they learn to talk on certain topics at certain situation, like talking about business, whether, gossips etc, and when students encounter this kind of situation they handle properly due to the certain words they find at the sims games.
3. Tropix water words
When students play this game, they have to arrange words from a group of scattered words into a proper sentence. Example : the words 0f a-c-t, cat, r-s-e-f-h, in fresh etc. WHen students get familiar with this game, it easy for them to memorize and find meaning of the words quickly.
4. Inspector Parker
This is an amusing and chalanging computer games. THe students have to be able to solve a problem provide in the games such as a criminial case. In this game the students are asked to learn and solve how the murder case happen up untill they find the murde by following all English instructions given in the games. Biside memorizing words, in this game students have to cencentrate in understanding the instructions and then will automatically remember all new words they found from the games. Schmitt ( 2000, P.12 ) says that ” vocabulary must be simple and familiar for children “. It will be easier for teachers to teach vocabulary to children if the teachers choose the words which are closely connected with children’s daily lifes and experiences.
Satchwell and de silva ( 1995 , P.20 ) state that games provide an exellent means of practicing, repeating, and reinforcing new vocabulary and structures in all four skills as well as help to maintain the interest of students. Moreover can improve their verbal communication, interaction skills and increase their knowledge and understanding through computer games ( Anning et al., 2005, P.21 ). While Paul ( 2003, P.49 ) points out that games make children fully immerse themselves in learning, and if learning itself feels like computer games, children do not feel forced to learn English because the atmosphere for learning is pleasant, also they do not need to be scared to learn vocabulary, if the technique of teaching vocabulary is motivating.
Playing computer games for children to improve their English vocabulary have shown effective result since it is not limited with time constrains, personal computers have already existed at their perspective homes or computer renting kiosks in every corner of the streets. However if children have become addicted towrds computers it will also create bad effects such as they feel lazy or while they are sitting infront of computer they feel reluctant to leave it and forget about time. In addition to that sitting for many hours in front of computer can endanger their eyes. According to wikipidia, the free encyclopedia, vidio game addiction, also called vidio games overuse, is a proposes form of psychological addiction composed a compulsive use of computer and vidio games. While game critics may praise a game as ” addictive “,. In the United States, the question of vidio gam addiction has occasioned much debate. The American Medical Association met in june of 2007 to discuss the topic, determining that further researh was needed before game addiction could be considered a formal diagnosis and urging the American Psychiatric Association to study whether the diagnosis would be appropriate for inclusion in the 1998 American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of MEntal Disorders.
In short computer games, such as mentioned above, scrable, the sim, troopix water words, and inspector parker, not only as an effective means for improving children’s English vocabulary but tyeh can also be used as teaching aids in a number of different ways. THey can be used primarily on a self access basis, thus relieving pressure on classroom time and allowing students to work at their own pace. THey can also be used in class, with students working in a groups of two or three on each computer set, and with the teacher supervising activated in the students during the computer session can in this way be practiced and reactivated in class and gradually become part of their productive vocabulary.
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