25 April 2012
I think one of the things that I've learned this year is that games with points (even if they mean nothing) are great for motivation no matter your age.
Last year, I worked as a teaching assistant in the Spanish Department of my college. In order to study for each test, we typically played a game of Jeopardy--practicing grammar and vocabulary. Even though I was working with students who were 18 and 19 years old, they still get excited when there is competition for points. It mattered so much that students accused one another of cheating and I had to teach them how to say this in Spanish. However, the practice was good for them. It was fun. They learned what they knew and what they didn't really know.
Today, I decided to introduce my Spanish kids to Jeopardy--a game that doesn't exist here. Using a template, I put pictures from my trip to Scotland to help them practice the past tense. The kids went crazy over the points! Even kids who don't normally participate wanted to win points for their team!
Not all kids like competition games, but it can be a great extrinsic motivator.
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