Increasing Students Participation in Class to Increase Comprehension

Gursharanjit Kaur a/p Santokh SinghTEJ 100005SMK Ahmad Boestamam

Students Background23 students- 3RK117 passive students were selected40 mins (2 periods/week)

Introductionthe effects and effectiveness of using games to increase students participation in classroomWhy students participation? Students showed less interest and responded poorly in classNo motivation to learn Boring

In A Faraway Land, Michael Berman, UK (2010)'Language learning is hard work... Effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.'

Why games?Welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.Motivating and challenging.Fun but beneficialProvides language practice in the various skills - speaking, writing, listening and reading.Encourage students to interact and communicate.Meaningful context for language use

Objectives

1. to evoke the students' interest in learning German as a foreign language2. to see the effectiveness of activities like games to grasp students' attention and interest during the lesson content3. to increase the students' understanding of topic taught by using activities instead of chalk and talk

Research Questions1. Does the students' participation in class affects the understanding of the lesson content taught in class?2. Do activities like games influence the students' participation in class?3. Do language games enhances students motivation?

Methodology15 students (Form 3)Learnt German language for past 2 yearsInactive/passive students were identifiedObservationTeacher as observerBased on criteriaSurveySet of questions (after each lesson)

AreaCriteriaComm.Student interacts actively during the gameStudent participates in the gamesStudent is able to work together as a team (cooperation)Student can communicate well with group members to complete taskStudent is able to voice out ideas clearly and confidentlyStudent is able to understand the rules and regulations of the gamesCompre.Student understands the content of the lesson through the gameStudent shows interest in the games conducted by participating in activityStudent pays better attention to presentation or classroom discussion after the gameStudent shows better comprehension of lesson/topic after the gameStudent is able to complete tasks individually after the gameStudent is able to complete task/finish the game in the allocated timePartici.Student is more motivated to complete tasks in a less formal activity-gameStudent is active in classroom discussion after the gameStudent volunteers to participate in the game/activitiesStudent is motivated to learn and participate in the classroom activities

Activity 1: Memory-game (partizip +haben/sein),

in groups (responded well, took part, some were quiet, but when explained the rules of the game, students showed interest. Evidence- Teacher gives speaking exercise (evaluation) - make sentences with words learnt. Students volunteered to present sentences in class, were more active and responsive. Answered when question asked.

Activity 2: Puzzle (Deutschland und Nachbarlnder- Nachbarlnder und Sehenswrdigkeiten)

In groups - students were given puzzle pieces to solve, create a German map, and paste the correct pictures of the places on the map. more interactive and active in class, and asked many questions, able to remember the names of the places learnt while solving the puzzle and were able to use it during the written exercise. Students were asked to write a short text on a trip to Germany, and the students were able to use the words learnt in their writing.

Activity 3: Cooking (Essen und trinken)

The students are given a shopping list and a few object that they will have to "buy" from their other classmates to complete their ingredients, according to the recipe given to themall very participative and worked very well together in a group. In the next slot, the students were given instructions to follow to make their own salad- teacher reads out the recipe and each group sends a representative to measure the correct amount of the ingredients to make the salad. The most passive student of all was also helping the group and took part in the activity

Survey- before lesson

Survey- after lesson

ConclusionResearch proven successfulStudent showed positive changesMore responsive and interactiveCould understand and able to remember lesson very wellFuture: have a controlled class/group

ReferenceKementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (2006). Manual Kajian Tindakan. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Bahagian Perancangan dan Penyelidikan Dasar PendidikanDeesri, A. (2002). Games in the ESL and EFL class. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 9: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/ Deesri-Games.htmlGames for Language Learning' (2nd. Ed.) by Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby. Cambridge University Press, 1984

*