THE IMPORTANCE OF USING LEXIC GAMES IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES Gulshat Hudayberdiyeva Gozel Myatiyeva Maya Arazgeldiyeva

PHILOLOGY

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING LEXIC GAMES IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

In the epoch of Might and Happiness under the leadership of the Esteemed President the country education system has reached huge achievements. For a purpose of strengthening the scientific potential of our country world famous innovative technologies are implemented in all scientific and educational spheres. Our Respected President always admonishes the younger generation to learn Turkmen, English and Russian languages. Learning foreign languages helps strengthen fraternal friendly relations among nations. This is the issue we focus on.

Nowadays one of the priorities in the national educational reforms is development of the curricular aimed at language proficiency of a foreign language for professional experts in various fields. In this regard, the Esteemed President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov devotes much attention to learning foreign languages.

In a globalized economy, a foreign language is becoming an important information product, it helps to objectively assess the situation in the world economy.

Learning foreign languages for students specialized in economics and finance of our country will contribute to: 1) A thorough study of the theory and practice of international trade and international business; 2) Mastering of economic and financial terms, broadening of knowledge in the field of economic sciences; 3) Reading and understanding of special literature and materials, in order to extract key information, acquisition of summarization and annotation skills; 4) Free communication with foreign students specialized in economics and finance; 5) Active participation in international conferences, exchange of experience with foreign specialists.

The advanced methods and technologies are used at Turkmen State Institute of Finance. We state the following purposes: statement of pronunciation, effective mastering of lexicon, increase of spelling literacy, developing of logic thinking and others. The main objectives of teaching the foreign language at the Institute of Finance is formation of communication in foreign language in professional sphere. The use of innovative technologies allows to achieve maximum results. Gulshat Hudayberdiyeva Teacher of Turkmen State Institute of Finance, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

Gozel Myatiyeva Teacher of Turkmen State Institute of Finance, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

Maya Arazgeldiyeva Teacher of Turkmen State Institute of Finance, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat

It is known by everybody that the earlier the learner begins to study foreign languages the faster and the better knowledge he acquires. Out-of-school activities take great significance with the interactive methods such as teaching games, guessing, puzzles, and riddles. Teachers’ goal is to give proper knowledge through different games. The advantages of using games

Psychological background According to psychology researchers (Piaget, 1967, Chengfu, 2002), young children to the age of seven find it difficult or impossible to see language as an abstract system, independent of communication or enjoyable sound sequences such as songs and rhymes. They find it difficult or impossible to think in terms of learning goals, although they respond to more immediate objectives such as drawing a picture or making a kite. They also find it difficult or impossible to work at one task for a long time. Their attention is usually short, and they need frequent changes of activity. Their studies show that in a well-organized atmosphere, children’s attention last for different time: around age 5 to 7, they can pay attention for 10 to 15 minutes; age between 7 and 10 can pay attention for about 20 minutes; age between 10 and 12 last for about 25 minutes; and the time of attention of those older than 12 may reach to 30 minutes.

A famous psychologist Piaget (1967) protested that movement produces “thought”. Movement is the beginning of learning. Cognitive frame is built up step by step whose joint is the movement but not the consciousness. Moreover, some psychologists claim that children should learn through play. Play is an activity performed for its own sake, highly motivated, often involving fantasy and characterized by intense involvement and concentration. In play, children explore and learn about their world. Play is sometimes called the child’s work because it is such a significant mode of learning. The essence of play is that it grows from within the child or group of children who engage in it. It is a creative expression of their thoughts and dealings, based in their own life experiences. Play is the most important mode children have for clarifying and integrating all their experiences, both in and out of school.

What’s more, children are most moldable in primary schools, during which time they are active and good

at imitating but cannot concentrate their attention for long period. Thus, teachers, in view of young learners’ psychological and physiological features, should try to regulate their affection, arouse their interest, and intensify their motivation, fostering not only their linguistic competence but also social and cultural awareness. Besides, fun-based, activity-oriented and student-centered approach should be adopted so as to ensure that children learn foreign languages in a relaxed atmosphere. Why Use Games in Class Time  Games are fun and children like to play them. Through games children experiment, discover, and interact with their environment. (Lewis, 1999)  Games add variation to a lesson and increase motivation by providing a plausible incentive to use the target language. For many children between four and twelve years old, especially the youngest, language learning will not be the key motivational factor. Games can provide this stimulus. (Lewis, 1999)

The game context makes the foreign language immediately useful to the children. It brings the target language to life. (Lewis, 1999)  The game makes the reasons for speaking plausible even to reluctant children. (Lewis, 1999)  Through playing games, students can learn English the way children learn their mother tongue without being aware they are studying; thus without stress, they can learn a lot.  Even shy students can participate positively.  How to Choose Games (Tyson, 2000)  A game must be more than just fun.  A game should involve "friendly" competition.  A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.  A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself.  A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language material.

One more scholar, M. Martha Lengeling said the following:

“In an effort to supplement lesson plans in the ESL classroom, teachers often turn to games. The justification for using games in the classroom has been well demonstrated as benefiting students in a variety of ways. These benefits range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics.” General Benefits of Games

Affective:  lowers affective filter  encourages creative and spontaneous use of language  promotes communicative competence  motivates, fun

Cognitive:  reinforces  reviews and extends  focuses on grammar communicatively

Class Dynamics:  student centered  teacher acts only as facilitator  builds class cohesion  fosters whole class participation  promotes healthy competition

Adaptability:  easily adjusted for age, level, and interests  utilizes all four skills  requires minimum preparation after development

To sum up, language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.

References: 1. Azar B. Sh. Fun with grammar. New York. 2000. 2. Lee, W. R. Language teaching games and contests. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1979. 3. Lehmann, H. (1998): „We sing and play I & II” in Grundschulunterricht 1/1998.