Information Gap and Opinion Gap

The terms “information gap” and “opinion gap” are now widely used to describe features essential to so much communication in our daily lives. We speak or write because we want to pass on information or convey an opinion which we think the receiver might be interested in. If the receiver is familiar with the information and is of the same opinion, there is no gap and he/she will probably switch off. It may seem terribly obvious! But in much foreign-language learning there is no information gap at all and opinions are rarely asked for. The teacher usually asks a question which the learner knows the teacher can answer! The teacher is more interested in the form than in the content of what the learner says.

An understanding of the principle of information gap and opinion gap, and a belief that they should be intrinsic to most language-learning activities is essential for any teacher using games.

The following is an example of one of the best known of the information gap games.

Describe and draw a picture: One person has a picture and does not show it to his/her partner. There is thus an informational gap. The first learner then tries to describe the picture so that the second leaner can draw it. Language is used to bridge the gap. The picture drawn by the second learner is then visible evidence of whether the gap has been closed.

Who are Games For?

Enjoyment of games is not restricted by learners’ age. Some individuals, regardless of their age, may be less fond of games than others. But so much depends on the appropriateness of games and the role of the player.

It is generally accepted that young learners and adults are very willing to play games. (This partially depends on the learners’ socio-cultural background.)

Young teenagers tend to be more self-conscious and one must take into account their reticence when selecting games for them. Games which can be played in pairs or groups may be particularly useful in this case. It is clear to all observers of classroom practice that the teacher’s own belief in the usefulness and appropriateness of a game affects the learner’s response.

Teenage learners might be reluctant to play games. Many people are so anxious to learn English in order to pass examinations or to improve their employment prospects that they look on games as unnecessary. If you have such committed learners you must clearly respect their point of view and be able to justify the use of each game in terms of the density and meaningfulness of practice it provides.

It is important to note that most advanced and dedicated students can enjoy and value games if the content and language used are relevant to them.

It follows that the real questions are not, “What groups are games for?” or “What level?” but are much more specific:

1. Will the game take you a long time to prepare, compared with the amount of useful work you will get from it?

2. Will it be relatively easy for you to organise it in the classroom?

3. Is it likely to interest the particular group of learners you have in mind?

4. Is the language or is the language skill you are concerned to teach intrinsic to the activity? Or are you just forcing it into the game?

5. Is the amount of language and the type of use enough to justify the use of the game? Or do you have another good reason for introducing it?

If your answer is “yes” to each of these questions, then the game you have in mind is a highly efficient means of satisfying your learners’ needs.

The Spirit of Real Games

The aim is to find games which learners would enjoy playing in their out-of-classroom lives. The experience of teaching foreign languages shows that many learners are prepared to take part in games and activities which they would consider a little juvenile or rather boring in the mother tongue. However, there is a limit to learners’ goodwill and we should not stray far from the aim of introducing games worth playing in their own right. It is often the activity expected of a learner which makes it into an acceptable game, or, on the other hand, into a mechanical exercise. One example of this must suffice.

The teacher places a number of pens, pencils, etc. in various places on the desk and asks a learner, for example, “Where is the red pen?” As the red pen is obviously in the book, the learner understands the question as, “What sentence in English describes the position of the pen?”

However, suppose the teacher says, “Look carefully at the pens, pencils, etc. Now turn round, Where’s the red pen? Can you remember?” In this case the learner’s powers of memory are challenged and he/she is motivated to think and speak. And, most importantly, he/she is more likely to understand the question in a similar way to a native speaker.

The essential ingredient of a game is challenge, but challenge is not synonymous with competition. Games should depend on cooperation in accepting problems and searching for solutions to them.

Class, Individual, Pair and Group Work

Of the four types of grouping, pair and group work are very important if each learner is to have sufficient oral practice in the use of the language. In class work it is easy to demonstrate that learners say only one or two sentences in a lesson or, indeed, in a week. The greatest “mistake” (if oral ability is an aim) is for the learner not to speak at all! Thus, although some mistakes of grammar or pronunciation or idiom may be made in pair or group work, the price is worth paying. If learners are clear about what they have to do and the language is not beyond them, there need to be few mistakes.

Pair work: This is easy and fast to organise. It provides opportunities for intensive listening and speaking practice. Pair work is better than group work if there are discipline problems.

Group work: Some games require four to ten pupils; in these cases group work is essential. Membership of groups should be constant for the sake of goodwill and efficiency. If there is to be challenge between groups, they should be of mixed ability. If there is to be no such challenge, the teacher might choose groups according to ability, this is very much a personal choice. Many teachers consider it advisable to have a group leader. However, once more, it is our experience that groups can operate perfectly well without a group work. The leader would normally be one of the more able learners. However, there is much to be said for encouraging a reticent learner by giving the responsibility to him/her. The leader’s role is to ensure that the game or activity is properly organised and to act as an intermediary between learners and teacher.

The teacher’s role, once the groups are in motion, is to go from group to group listening in, contributing and, if necessary, correcting.

It is absolutely essential that the learners are totally familiar with the games they are asked to play. It is helpful if they are familiar with the game in their own language.

Once learners are familiar with group work, new games are normally introduced in the following way:

– explanation by the teacher to the class

– demonstration of parts of the game by the teacher and one or two learners

– trial by a group in front of the class

– any key language and/or instructions written on the board

– first try by groups

– key language, etc. removed from the board.

Practical Points

If the teacher is unfamiliar with the use of language-teaching games then it is advisable to introduce them slowly as supplementary activities to whatever course book is used. Once the teacher is familiar with a variety of games, they can be used as a substitute for parts of the course which the teacher judges to be unsuitable.

It is essential to choose games which are appropriate to the class in terms of language and type of participation. Having chosen an appropriate game, its character and the aims and rules must be made clear to the learners. It may be necessary to use the mother tongue to do this. If learners are unclear about what they have to do, chaos and disillusionment may result.

Many teachers believe that competition should be avoided. But it is wrong and counter-productive to match learners of unequal ability even within a single exchange or challenge. The less able learner may “give up” and the more able develop a false sense of his/her own achievement. It is also wrong to compel an individual to participate. Learners reluctant to participate might be asked to act as judge and scorers.

As with all events in the classroom, it is advisable to stop a game and change to something else before the learners become tired of it. In this way their goodwill and concentration are retained.

The teacher should never interrupt a game which is flowing successfully in order to correct a mistake in language use. It would suggest that the teacher is more concerned with form than with the exchange of ideas. In general, it is better for the teacher to note the error and to comment on it later.

Classification of games

There are various classifications.

Games can be classified according to language subskills: pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, spelling and basic reading games.

Games can be classified according to skills they develop: reading, listening, speaking and writing games.

Also games can be integrative when some skills or subskills are developed or drilled together: drama, puppet games, role plays, simulations.

Another classification is based on objects used: board games, card games, sound, computer, music and picture games.

Moreover, classification can be based on types of actions involved: guessing problem-solving, moving, drawing, brain storming, warming-up, discussion, storytelling and memory games.

There are controlled, guided and communicative games: controlled and guided games focus on a certain aspect of the language when the teacher provides the content of the game; communicative games are integrative, their content can be provided by learners.

A game or an exercise?

Games allow learners to acquire the language in a natural way; encourage to improvise; make learners use the language spontaneously; presuppose relaxation and enjoyment; involve competition.

Collecting New Games

When collecting games it is important to note what language needs only be understood by the players and what language must be used by them. In some games the learners are only expected to listen, understand, and, for example, point to a picture of carry out an action. Thus, the language level is determined by the type of use, not just the structures and vocabulary items themselves.