TY - JOUR
AU - Bayas, Kelly
AB - The essential message from Jonathon Reinhardt’s book is captured by this quote from Plato found in Chapter 7: ‘do not keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play’ (p. 174). In our modern epoch, play has been embodied by digital gaming, a form of entertainment that has proliferated most cultural spheres globally. Because of the interactive, cooperative, entertaining, and at times international nature of digital games, language learning has been a by-product of digital gaming whereby gamers have either intentionally or incidentally developed their L2 skills. While L2 teachers and researchers may recognize the role that digital games can play in the learning process, they may not necessarily have the theoretical foundations or practical know-how with which to develop a research agenda or to implement digital gaming in the classroom. The aim of this book, then, is a theoretically grounded guide for teachers and researchers to harness the advantages of play in the form of digital gaming to promote L2 learning in and out of the classroom. More specifically, the book is also oriented towards answering the central question of digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) which is, how do learners learn languages in digital contexts? Over the course of 10 chapters, the author presents theories and practice principles that will inform the use of digital gaming in L2 teaching and learning (L2TL). Each chapter is divided into sections which conclude with reflection questions, and with the exception of the introductory and conclusionary chapter, each chapter starts with preview questions and ends with a comprehensive conclusion and project ideas for teachers and researchers. Since the author borrows from fields not directly related to SLA (i.e., digital game design, theories of play, and play styles), scattered throughout the chapters are highlighted blocks that explain how these ideas can be applied to L2TL. At the heart of the application of digital gaming to the language learning classroom is an aspiration to capitalize on the apparent unbridled motivation and enjoyment unleashed by games for L2TL (Dehghanzadeh et al. 2019). Gameful, as described by the author, is a mindset that mirrors the motivation that games provide and cultivates a playful attitude toward language learning that should be instilled and sustained in ‘learner-players’ by L2 teachers. A conversely related mindset is the display of a ‘learnful’ attitude toward gaming. The author recognizes that language learning occurs ‘in the wild’, a concept which describes language learning in digital gaming contexts without the direction or involvement of formal instruction. Though motivation (the fun that is in play) has been viewed as the driving force behind this, the author points out that gamers who play vernacular games (games not designed for educational or language learning purposes) have developed a ‘learnful’ attitude toward gaming, that is, they have intentionally appropriated an activity not designed for educational purposes with a view toward learning as well as enjoyment. Therefore, along with motivation and fun, for DGBLL to be successfully applied to L2TL, classroom lessons or out-of-class activities need to be infused with gamefulness. One concept inherent in digital gaming is ‘play’ and this topic is explored in Chapter 3. In examining play, the author exposes the pervasive dichotomy of ‘play is fun’ and ‘work is hard’. Since digital gaming is associated with 'fun', while learning is associated with 'hard', both teachers and learners may resist recognizing gaming as a legitimate means of L2 learning. Perhaps implicitly, the author is calling for a reconceptualization of the role of play in learning which is a necessary shift in stance that will pave the way for successful implementation of digital gaming in L2TL. In Chapter 4, the author lays out another related concept, ‘game’, and describes the types of digital games that can be used for DGBLL. Most importantly though, the author stresses the importance of learner buy-in in digital gaming. In other words, learners have to authenticate the gaming activities and this idea is a corollary to gamefulness as learners with gameful attitudes will be more likely to authenticate them. Other than pointing out the importance of motivation and gamefulness, the author also addresses what exactly about games actually results in learning. One set of gaming elements that promote learning are the mechanics of digital gaming. A mechanic can be understood as a game rule which dictates the permissible actions within a game, and these include building, collecting, etc. Another set of elements that, if present, can work together to promote L2 learning are described as affordances and the author discusses eight of them: contextualized language learning, time for L2 use and learning, spaces for sheltered practice, goal-oriented learning and feedback, opportunities for languaging and social collaboration, identity work and play, time/place (in)dependent learning, and autonomous, extramural learning. The most practical portion of the book is comprised of Chapters 6–8. In those chapters, the author explains the three main pedagogical approaches for designing gameful lessons and for cultivating a gameful attitude in learners. These are the game-enhanced, game-based, and game-informed frameworks. Since games are ergodic, that is, they require active participation in order for their utility to be realized, the author recommends that teachers actually play games before attempting to use any of these frameworks in L2TL. Each of these chapters describes each framework along with the affordances that can promote learning. Chapter 6 presents the game-enhanced L2TL approach which is the appropriation of vernacular games for formal or informal L2 learning. Implementation of game-enhanced rests on appropriate use of pedagogical mediation in the form of wraparound materials that adapt the digital game for scaffolding and language awareness purposes. This chapter is complete with a practical guide for selecting digital games along with sample activities that exemplify the game-enhanced approach. Chapter 7 discusses game-informed L2TL which is the practice of incorporating theories of games, play, and game design in L2 instruction. Though the focus of the book is mostly on DGBLL, the author expands the scope of the types of games that can be used to include existing apps and websites as well as analog games such as board games and cards. In Chapter 8, the author introduces game-based L2TL which describes the design of game-based L2TL environments. The author acknowledges that designing a digital game from scratch without coding knowledge or a budget is out of reach for most teachers. Other than very general resources for digital game design, this chapter offers practitioners little in the way of game design, although it does provide principles that facilitate gameful lessons either with existing technologies or with analog games. And while Chapters 7 and 8 overlap, combined, they offer those who have the financial and technical resources concrete principles to guide the development of a digital game specifically for language learning. Chapter 9 offers guidance on conducting research on gameful L2TL which should be helpful for novice and advanced researchers alike. In addition, the author lists questions around which a project can be designed. And just like in designing a gameful classroom, the author recommends that researchers new to DGBLL play games and follow other recommendations related to gaming practices and interactions before designing a research project. Even more helpful for researchers new to DGBLL is an actual research project detailed at the end of the chapter complete with thorough information on how it was designed and the rationale behind its design. An advantage of digital gaming technology is that learners can use it autonomously outside of class. However, a challenge can be to motivate students to actually use them independently. Though the author is aware of the role of motivation in BGBLL, he could have provided more guidance on how to promote the autonomous use of technological resources. The arrival of this book is quite timely as it will help teachers to address the authenticity gap (Al-Hoorie 2017) that exists in many language classrooms, that is, create learning environments that are just as engaging as the L2 learning contexts shaped by the vast amount and variety of technological resources (games, apps, forums, tablets, etc.) that learners are exposed to or use in their daily lives. Kelly Bayas is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics department at the Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include second language acquisition, teaching English as a foreign/second language, and psycholinguistics. Prior to beginning his doctoral studies, Kelly taught college composition classes at the City University of New York and the State University of New York, and EFL courses in China, Thailand, and Peru. References Al-Hoorie A. H. 2017 . ‘ Sixty years of language motivation research: Looking back and looking forward ,’ SAGE Open 7 / 1 : 1 – 11 . Google Scholar Crossref Search ADS WorldCat Dehghanzadeh H. , Fardanesh H., Hatami J., Talaee E., Noroozi O.. 2019 . ‘ Using gamification to support learning English as a second language: A systematic review ,’ Computer Assisted Language Learning , doi:10.1080/09588221.2019.1648298. OpenURL Placeholder Text WorldCat © The Author(s) (2020). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)
TI - Jonathon Reinhardt: GAMEFUL SECOND AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE
JF - Applied Linguistics
DO - 10.1093/applin/amaa028
DA - 2020-06-05
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/jonathon-reinhardt-gameful-second-and-foreign-language-teaching-and-jmHiWdUrdK
SP - 1037
EP - 1040
VL - 43
IS - 5
DP - DeepDyve
ER -