Are Fancy PPT Games really that Great?

[Orange_Thief]

I thought I would bring up a topic I have been considering recently that has significance for us as teachers. Are fancy PPT games really that great? By this I mean, are they good teaching tools, or do they just look good? Now first let me say that I think it's wonderful that people work so hard on them and share them with others for free and I have a lot of respect for people who can make them because I don't know how to do it. However, what I want to say is that for the most part these games all function the same, just question and answer. Students realize that it is not a 'real game', but an over-glorified question and answer task. This is great for review of Vocabulary or facts, but it does not really get students speaking. Also, I noticed most of these games are 1-hit wonders, if you show it more than once, the students get bored. I have had more success with games like Hang Man, Anagram, Scattergories, Taboo, and Charades. These games tend to have a lot more shelf life. I am wondering what everyone else thinks. This is obviously not a campaign against PPT games because I like to use them too, but more like an evaluation of their effectiveness.

[kyndo]

I agree with you completely. Most PPT games are just pretty ways to review vocabulary, and the student's interest in it is most often based on its presentation. After the first time playing the game, the students arent as taken with the sparkly stuff, which kills their fun.
That being said, I think there are several PPT games that have a good shelf life... for example, the uncover-the-picture-bit-by-bit-"game" always gets my middle school kids excited.
Also, I think the older kids appreciate the effort put in (even if its somebody else's ).

[honeynutloops]

I also agree.  I don't use them TOO often but I find them good for spot checking whether they have understood certain vocabulary.  Things like prepositions work great in the PPT games and I find it clear pretty quickly whether they have understood the words

[korr]

I think PPT games have their place, but I don't use them very often. They're just a review tool. The students get them twice a month at the most and they never take more than ten minutes, and honestly I don't see the point of putting in a ton of effort to make or modify a template when I could be using my prep time for other parts of the lesson. I say this as someone who doesn't really use PPTs in general, though. I've seen other teachers use them really effectively. It's just not my style.

All that said, I've yet to met a kid who doesn't get insanely excited over guess the picture or regular old bomb games. High schoolers chanting "BOMB BOMB BOMB" is hilarious.

[jryanaustin]

I use powerpoints as much as the rest of us, but over the last few months I've been trying to use them less and less. Powerpoints, while great, are very limited in use and function. For the most part, they are a strictly linear presentation which is difficult to really integrate any interaction between the ppt, students, and teacher. Any lesson I do now, I try to figure out if there is a better way to do it without powerpoint.

Generally these days, I try to limit their use to about ten minutes at the beginning of the class. So far, it's been great! With a ppt, everyone is focused on the TV screen; but without a ppt, the teacher is free to focus directly on the students and vise-versa.

[gwiffey]

I also think they are not usually that good. However, I do think the whiteboard game is very good for practicing writing in a fun way. Also, it is good to have the bomb game/ mario game/ pass the ball, etc. in case you really run out of ideas, and use it as a last resort, which I occasionally use, when there's nothing else.

[conorsean]

Depends on how you employ them. If you only award points for exact grammatically correct answers then they can really help student form coherent sentences from memory. The more this technique is practiced the more natural the flow of the language.

If you award points for one word responses or half correct answers then they aren't that great.

[vitamin-d]

I think when used sparsely they're most useful. It's certainly preferable to putting on a film or something, when the students need a break. I think it's good to use them around exam times, or near the end of semesters. Also, as has been said earlier, if you make sure they speak in full, coherent, and grammatically correct sentences, then it has its valid use. I like to incorporate whiteboards so it tests the students on more than one area. Also, I've found that the best tool they are for me is to help teach something complicated or with depth in English. For example, the topics of Guy Fawkes, the Christmas Stories, Thanksgiving, etc, can be quite broad. It's a good way of testing, or cementing, what they've learnt in the bigger portion of the lesson beforehand.

Don't rely on them, but they certainly make a good addition.
If you pursue this career path, Korea will be one of the few places you can actually do this.   

In the end, I hope they are useful to other teachers.
I'm spending ages on one at the moment...

[derbear86]

Yeah, minus all the whistles and bells, pretty well every PPT game is the same. Question and answer. However, I often find that the whistles and bells are what catch the kids’ attention. Especially if the games are new, cater to the kids interests, and have some sort of prize for the winning team. I've made or downloaded PPT Simpsons games, Mario games, Christmas games, and a whole bunch of others, and their use has increased the level of student participation without a doubt. If the game is good I find the students forget the fact that they are indeed studying. These games are also a good way to find out if you've taught the new concepts effectively.

[bumskiw]

Personally, I am a huge supporter of the PPT games. Kids love them. I love them. Are they perfect? No.  They fun though!!! specially when they have sounds

[EPSK]

I think a lot of English teachers rely too much on them. I hardly ever use them. I am also personally against computer and video games - I think kids spend too much time with their consoles and not enough interacting with other humans and being outside. Yeah, sure, they can be fun but only in small doses. I also believe a lot of teachers use them as a crutch - something flashy may make up for lack of creativity on a lesson or another game.

[hankmcmasters]

my opinion is that powerpoints are gimmicks

but i use them all the time in my classes.  i think they save so much paper, its also a lot easier to carry around my memory card than a crate full of objects.

lots of time my students go crazy over pictures, the majority of the powerpoints i use are simply pictures without  any text.  we look at the picture, and then we practice the targets using whatever is in the picture.

the rest of the time i use game powerpoints, which, used sparingly, are really effective at getting students involved.
i think there is a great deal of variety in powerpoint games not just question and answer.  the slow reveal game, or the boggle game, these arent just q and a

that being said, it can really suck if the sound, or the whole computer, doesnt work in your class room

[gmosborn]

Principals have told me to play more games with the students so I started with the .ppt games.  My last co-teacher used to complain if I didn't have at least two powerpoints in each lesson.  I don't have a co-teacher this year at a new school.  The books have a different type of activity or game almost every lesson.  This of course is elementary school.

[Zeegs]

A white board and the ability to speak English aren't all that great either if you don't utilize them well. PowerPoint is a tool, not the teacher. If you utilize it well it can benefit the students just as much as anything else.

[Eros]

The topic started as being about ppt games but has strayed into ppt in general.

In relation to the specific topic of ppt games I think they are extremely useful. The games capture the students interest which is often difficult to do. Those sparkly presentations may be just what the doctor ordered. I think it's about the teacher not the game. If the teacher thinks of fun and creative questions to incorporate into the game then you're onto a winner. If the teacher is lazy and is over reliant on the game and types out mundane question after mundane question then ye, there's a problem. But I think within the templates if you ask the students the right questions you can have a great game and a great activity on your hands.

On the more general use of powerpoint, my co teacher wanted me to type up, print out, laminate and cut every word from the textbook so that students could re-arrange the sentences. It would have taken forever but through powerpoint, I can achieve the same function, re-arrange the sentences, in a lot less time. There are far more examples but suffice to say things like story ppts and so on are tremendous teaching tools.

I think people that ae sceptical of powerpoint are those that don't fully understand it. But as with anything too much of it is bad. It's true of powerpoint too. But long live PPT!!!

[landry]

Are fancy PPT Games really that great?

YES. They are.

When you are facing a class of disinterested students with a very low ability in English, these games that people such as Daejeon, Rufus and others have created are an invaluable resource. In my classes they serve to motivate students who otherwise have no interest in learning English.

It lets them forget that they are learning and focus on speaking. I don't think the value of them can be understated, especially when it comes to an all boys school in a low income area (my situation). There is simply no other way to get their attention and get them talking in the same way - maybe in better schools the students are more keen, but please don't bash these techniques until you consider the many different teaching environments we are all in.

As a bonus, the students start looking forward to English class and will pay attention to the lesson if they know a game is coming. I don't even give an reward for winning, and never have (save English camp), yet the simple satisfaction of winning is still enough for them to get very excited about.

Bottom line is that we have to do what we can to get the students involved, even if it is "gimmicky".

[SpaceRook]

If you look at how most PPT games work, they are incredibly inefficient at getting students to talk.  Usually, the game has a student (or a team students) shouting out a sentence once every 5 minutes.

BUT, I still use PPT games because they are good at sparking interest.  I just don't kid myself into thinking that they are the most effective way to teach.   

[Graumpot]

I usually use one of the "fancy" ppt games once per lesson section. The students love it and it gets them speaking the target language and sometimes (if the question is not too basic) using their brains a bit. The winning group gets stickers for our reward system so they really get into it.

Maybe it is the same basic game in different clothes; but, as derbear86 said, it gets their attention. With so many contributors to waygook you hardly have to use the same template twice. So if mario or sonic or Homer pop up every few months it makes them excited.

If we have the time and energy to spruce up a basic ppt, why shouldn't we? I think the real question is whether we use ppts too much in class and not whether fancy game ppts are any good. That's something that every teacher addresses individually. If the game accomplishes your goals with the class why is it any worse then say running dictation?

[ariybird]

It's a toss up for me.
   Mostly I have come to the understanding that it's all situational. I do think ppt games are great for getting students excited. And for incorporating on the spot thinking--if the teacher can use them correctly. However, I think it's important to get some variety in the classroom too. My kids are in elementary school and they really need the chance to move around during class. It's the only way to reach some of my students. However, in places like middle school motivation can be really difficult--and because the kids are older and more sophiticated in their learning style, I can see needing them alot more than I do in elementary school.

     I often use ppt games on a 1 to 1 basis. One lesson will we use a ppt game and the next class we use a tactile non-ppt game. It keeps it fresh for me and the kids.

     I think the templates are amazing though. And the better put together they are the more likely I am to use them. Because they do a better job of drawing the kids in. (And frankly there are some lessons where we are all scratching our heads thinking...and you wanted my to make practicing xxx fun? Good luck with that!) So they are good, and even great, depending on your situation.

[gilbert.a.h]

Are PPT Games the best tool for teaching? - HECK NO!

Are PPT Games, when used correctly, the best way to encourage students to focus on vocabulary and to review their learning? - HECK YES!

Thanks to my new homedog "Daejeon" I was able to get the students excited about studying vocabulary and basic sentences that contain a key grammar point (elementary school students).

I used Daejeon's Mario and Simpsons games, and they went over so well that the students go home and try to remember the words so they can do better next time, however, I'm not sure I will use the EXACT same game again. It should always be updated and changed.

But this is how I am deciding to structure PPT games. I use them ONLY in my afterschool program. Regular class gets regular textbooks. My afterschool class for 3rd to 6th grade are focusing their vocabulary on what is in the national textbook for their regular class. Basically, because they are so poor at English, I decided that they MUST be able to do what is in the textbook, and anything else I teach would be somewhat pointless, in that, it wouldn't be useful without the base knowledge that lives in the textbook.

So I am going to make a PPT game for every 4th class, that is twice a month. I might even make it for 2nd grade, but dealing with them is like getting all the animals in the ark... ain't happenin'

So, that is how things will roll for a  couple months. 8 PPT games a month. I think I can do that. That means 120 min worth of study and 40 min worth of game... 240 min of study a month, 80 min of game...

I am not worried about cramming them with knowledge... these poor kids won't be going to a university... I don't think most of them can even afford to go to high school... poor guys..