! ! ! ! ! ! Playful'Learning'in'the'EFL'Class:' The'Beneficial'Use'of'Board'Games'and'the' LEGO'Serious'Play'Method' ! ! ! Action'Research'Project'

! Master'in'Teaching'English'as'a'Foreign'Language'

! ! ' By'Ms.'REGINA'HELENA'MATEOS'RODILLA' ' ' Supervised'by:' Dr.'ALBERTO'LÁZARO'LAFUENTE' ' ' ' ' Alcalá'de'Henares,'12'September'2012' ' !

Table'of'contents' Introduction ...... 3

1.'Defining'Playful'Learning ...... 7 1.1.!The!nature!and!purpose!of!play ...... 9 1.2.!The!current!situation!in!the!EFL!class...... 9 1.2.1.$Traditional$language$games ...... 10

2.'Board'Games'as'pathways'to'Playful'Learning ...... 12 2.1.!First!evidences...... 12 2.2.!Definition ...... 12 2.3.!Overall!benefits!of!board!games ...... 13 2.4.!Types!and!categories ...... 17 2.5.!The!controversy!over!educational!language!board!games...... 17

3.'Choosing'candidates'for'syllabus'alignment...... 19 3.1.!Praising!A$Board$Game$Education!and!Libraries$Got$Game ...... 19 3.2.!Traditional/Classic/American!board!games...... 20 3.3.!Designer/Modern/!European!board!games ...... 21 3.3.1.$What$makes$designer$games$different...... 22 3.3.2.$Why$designer$board$games$matter...... 25 3.4.!Board!game!alignment!with!educational!standards ...... 25 3.4.1.$Designer$board$games$in$the$EFL$class ...... 26 3.5.!Suggestions!for!board!game!implementation ...... 27 3.5.1.$Hints$to$tailor$board$games$to$classroom$use ...... 28 3.5.2.$Problems$that$may$arise ...... 33

4.'The'LEGO'Serious'Play'method:'My'favourite*candidate ...... 38 4.1.!My!LEGO!experience ...... 38 4.2.!Why!I!see!LEGO!as!the!perfect!alley ...... 39 4.3.!LEGO!Serious!Play!and!how!it!works!for!education...... 40 4.3.1.$What$is$LEGO$Serious$Play?...... 40 4.3.2.$The$process$step$by$step ...... 40 4.4.!Creative$Explorations!and!the!principles!of!LSP...... 42

! 1! 4.5.!Further!reasons!for!bringing!LSP!in!the!EFL!class...... 47

5.'Linking'ideas'to'the'lessons'learned'in'this'Master’s ...... 50 5.1.!Cultural!Aspects!of!Foreign!Language!Teaching...... 51 5.2.!Befriending!the!digital!world ...... 51 5.3.!The!Place!of!Literature!in!the!Teaching!of!English ...... 52 5.4.!Storytelling!and!story!making...... 52 5.5.!Classroom!Management!and!Motivation...... 53

Final'Considerations ...... 55

References...... 57

Appendices...... 61 Appendix!1...... 61 Appendix!2...... 63 Appendix!3...... 67 Appendix!4...... 70 Appendix!5...... 72 !

! 2! !

Introduction!

! When!I!worked!for!The!LEGO!Group!in!Denmark!I!had!the!chance!of!attending!several! conferences! on! education! and! child>development! arranged! by! the! LEGO! Education! Department.! It! was! then! when! I! came! to! know! the! LEGO! Learning! Institute! (LLI),! a! team! formed!by!renowned!figures!in!the!field!of!media,!psychology!and!cognitive!development.1! Most!of!the!arguments!on!the!benefits!of!play!discussed!below!rely!on!the!works!of!the!LLI! crew! (David! Gauntlett,! Cecilia! Weckstrom,! Thomas! Wolbers,! Edith! Ackermann,! David! Whitebread! and! Mitchel! Resnick)! and! on! the! copyright! materials! that! The! LEGO! Group! (referred!to!as!TLG!in!what!follows)!has!published!to!spread!LLI’s!contributions!to!the!brand.! One! of! these! contributions! is! The$ Future$ of$ Play! (2010)! a! report! that! is! crucial! to! start! unveiling!the!nature!of!play;!because!as!LLI!explains,!it!is!“[…]!a!foundational!research!study! in! partnership! with! academic! experts! to! explore! the! benefits! of! play,! the! many! ways! of! playing! and! the! relevance! of! the! different! types! of! play! for! child! development! and! the! stimulation!of!adults.”2! ! Already! back! in! the! late! sixties! Susanna! Millar! argued! that! play! means! essentially! “throwing! off! constraint”,! as! for! her,! we! engage! with! new! context! whenever! we! play,! creating! new! frames! that! allows! for! greater! freedom! and! creative! possibilities.! As! she! explains,! we! can! either! respect! or! transgress! the! rules,! but! we! feel! free! to! move;!we! decouple!objects!from!their!context!of!origin!and!treat!our!own!experience!as!an!object!of! play!(1968:!21).!! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Edith!Ackermann!is! the! Honorary! Professor! of! Developmental! Psychology! at! the! University! of! AixV Marseille,! and! Visiting! Scientist! at! the! MIT.! Prof.! David! Gauntlett! is! Professor! of! Media! and! Communications! at! the! University! of! Westminster,! London.! He! is! a! renowned! writer! as! well.! Cecilia! Weckström!is!Senior!Director!of!Consumer!Insights!and!Experience!&!Innovation!in!the!LEGO!Learning! Institute,!at!the!LEGO!Group.!Dr.!David!Whitebread!is!a!developmental!cognitive!psychologist!and!Senior! Lecturer!in!Psychology!of!Education!at!the!University!of!Cambridge.!!Dr.!Thomas!Wolbers!is!the!Senior! Lecturer! at! the! Centre! for! Cognitive! and! Neural! Systems! &! Centre! for! Cognitive! Ageing! and! Cognitive! Epiderniology!in!the!University!of!Edinburgh.! 2!LEGO!Learning!Institute.!Research!website:!http://learninginstitute.lego.com/enVus/research/!

! 3! Some! years! later,! in! Playing$ and$ Reality! (1971)! Donald! Woods! Winnicott3! claimed! that! play! is! linked! to! creativity! because! when! we! play! we! create! new! and! fresh! meanings.! According! to! the! author,! this! happens! because! in! play! we! do! not! have! to! aim! at! ‘literal! truth’.!So!we!are!free!to!invent!non>existent!entities!and!treat!them!as!existing,!just!for!the! purposes!of!the!play.!As!narrated!in!The$Future$of$Play,!in!his!book!The$Role$of$Play$in$Human$ Development!(2009)!Anthony!D.!Pellegrini4$holds!the!same!view!and!concludes!that!in!play! (again!as!opposed!to!‘in!working’)!individuals!feel!free!and!unfettered!from!the!instrumental! constraints!of!the!work!context!where!one!has!to!get!something!done.!In!play!we!can!try!out! new!behaviours,!change!and!repeat!them,!exaggerate,!modify,!abbreviate,!and!so!on.!Works! such! as! Stuart! Brown’s! Play:! How$ It$ Shapes$ the$ Brain,$ Opens$ the$ Imagination,$ and$ Invigorates$the$Soul!(2009)!and!Pat!Kane’s!The$Play$Ethic:$A$Manifesto$for$a$Different$Way$of$ Living$ (2005)! also! advocate! for! the! non>judgemental! environment! of! play! claiming! that! “fosters!freedom!and!surprising!and!innovative!ideas![…]!providing!new!possibilities,!playing! down!shame!and!responsibility”!(2005:!134).!! ! Thanks! to! this! growing! body! of! literature! on! the! topic,! there! has! been! a! shift! and! the! concept!of!‘play’!has!embraced!a!positive!meaning.!!Lively!discussions!in!academic!journals! and!mainstream!books!vindicate!the!benefits!and!values!of!both!children!and!adult’s!play.!! ! Similarly,!the!definitions!of!‘play’!are!also!numerous!and!most!share!many!similarities.!In! my! understanding,! there! are! two! that! portrait! the! concept! perfectly.! The! first! is! the! one! provided! by! TLG! in! The$ Science$ of$ LEGO$Serious$Play:! ! “We! define! play! as! a! limited,! structured,!and!voluntary!activity!that!involves!the!imaginary.!That!is,!it!is!an!activity!limited! in! time! and! space,! structured! by! rules,! conventions,! or! agreements! among! the! players,! uncoerced! by! authority! figures,! and! drawing! on! elements! of! fantasy! and! creative! imagination”!(2006:!4).!The!second!is!the!one!provided!by!learning>expert!Tina!Bruce.!In!her! work!chapter!“Play,!the!Universe!and!Everything!”!she!enlists!the!key!elements!that!describe! the!nature,!value!and!significance!of!play!(2005:!261>62):! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3!D.!W.!Winnicott!was!an!English!psychoanalyst!(member!of!the!British!Psychoanalytic!Society)!known!for! more!than!200!papers!he!published!as!well!as!for!his!studies!on!the!true!and!false!self.! 4!Anthony!D!Pellegrini!is!Professor!in!the!Department!of!Educational!Psychology!at!the!University!of! Minnesota.!His!research!and!teaching!are!concerned!with!children’s!development!and!children’s!play.!

! 4! !

• It!is!an!active!process!intrinsically!motivated.!

• It! is! about! possible,! alternative! worlds,! which! lift! players! to! their! highest! levels! of! functioning.!This!involves!being!imaginative,!creative,!original!and!innovative.!

• It!involves!reflecting!and!becoming!aware!of!what!we!know!(Metacognition).!

• It! actively! uses! previous! first>hand! experiences,! including! struggle,! manipulation,! exploration,!discovery!and!practice.!

• It!gets!us!to!use!technical!prowess,!mastery!and!competence!that!we!have!previously! developed.!

• It!can!be!initiated!by!a!child!or!an!adult.!

• It!can!be!solitary.!

• It!can!be!in!partnership!or!groups.!

• It! is! an! integrating! mechanism,! which! brings! together! everything! we! learn,! know,! feel! and!understand.! ! I!could!not!help!but!seeing!a!subtle!similarity!between!these!characteristics!and!the!act!of! teaching! a! foreign! language.! And,! in! fact,! if! we! apply! these! nine! features! that! Bruce! puts! forward!to!describe!the!learning/teaching!of!English!they!do!work.!So,!if!the!resemblances! between!the!definition!of!play!and!the!act!of!teaching/learning!are!so!pertinent:!shall!we!not! try!to!bring!the!two!fields!together?!! ! The!purpose!of!this!Action!Research!Project!is!three>fold:!! ! 1. Discover! ‘Playful! Learning’,! regarded! as! the! favourable! combination! of! education! and! entertainment,!and!discuss!the!way!to!reach!it.!Demonstrate!how!it!boosts!creativity!and! adds!value!to!the!T/L!process.! ! 2. Unveil! the! diverse! nature! of! board! games! and! vindicate! their! implementation! in! the! learning!environment!–!the!EFL!class.!Outline!ideas!to!align!specific!board!games!with!

! 5! our!Lessons!Plans,!while!complying!with!educational!standards!and!the!objectives!set!in! the!syllabus.! ! 3. Introduce!and!explore!the!LEGO$Serious$Play!method,!milestone!in!the!development!of! Systematic$Creativity,!as!pathways!to!ameliorate!our!students’!learning!abilities,!develop! their!linguistic!skills!and!enhance!their!social!development.!! ! These!three!areas!of!investigation!(Playful!Learning,!board!games!and!LEGO!Serious!Play)! interrelate!and!constitute!the!structure!of!the!project.!I!will!discuss!the!way!to!achieve!the! above!stated!goals!and!comment!on!three!literary!works!that!deal!with!our!foci!of!interest:!A$ Board$Game$Education,!Libraries$Got$Game!and!Creative$Explorations.!! !

! 6! 1.!Defining!Playful!Learning!

! Plato!asserted:!“You!can!learn!more!about!a!person!in!an!hour!of!play!than!in!a!year!of! conversation”.!When!I!read!this!I!could!not!help!but!wonder:!Is!there!anything!in!play!that! can!lead!straightaway!to!knowledge?!Individuals!are!born!with!an!innate!sense!of!play!as!a! way!to!explore!the!world!around!them!and!yet!the!traditional!school!day!is!designed!with! clear!separations!between!instruction!and!play,!merely!regarding!the!latter!as!pure!form!of! recreation.! As! discussed! above,! the! potential! and! benefits! of! a! non>constrained! play! environment!seem!enough!to!try!and!combine!play!and!learning.!Thus,!have!not!there!been! any!attempts!to!do!so?!! ! The!answer!is:!Yes,!Edutainment.!Edutainment!was!coined!as!a!catchy!term!for!merging! the! words! ‘Educational’! and! ‘Entertainment’.! It! was! firstly! used! in! 1948,! when! the! Walt! Disney!Company!employed!it!for!one!of!its!marketing!campaigns.!The!notion!widely!spread! and!it!now!refers!to!any!kind!of!content!that!is!designed!to!educate!as!well!as!to!amuse;!or! to!all!sorts!of!materials!with!high!educational!and!entertaining!value.!! ! Mitchel! Resnick5,! whose! professional! career! has! always! been! focused! on! integrating! learning!and!play,!formulated!the!phrase!‘Playful'Leaning’!to!fight!back!Edutainment.!As!he! accounts!in!his!article!“Edutainment?!No!thanks”:!!

! There’s!also!a!problem!with!word!itself:!“education”!and!“entertainment”.!New!edutainment! companies!try!to!provide!you!with!both;!that’s!the!distorted!view,!that!you!are!passive!recipient.! Whilst!you!learn!the!most!if!you!are!engaged!as!an!active!participant![…]!So!I!prefer!to!focus!on! “play”!and!“learning”!(things!that!you!do)!rather!than!“entertainment”!and!“education”!(things! that! others! provide! for! you),! “playful! learning.! […]! The! problem! is! that! creators! of! today’s! edutainment! products! view! education! as! a! bitter! medicine! that! needs! the! sugar>coating! of! entertainment!to!become!palatable.!They!provide!entertainment!as!a!reward!if!you!are!willing!to! suffer! through! a! little! education.! Or! they! boast! that! you! will! have! so! much! fun! using! their!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5!Mitchel!Resnick!is!LEGO!Papert!Professor!of!Learning!Research!and!head!of!the!MIT!Media!Lab!Group,!a! laboratory! within! the! MIT! School! of! Architecture! and! Planning! specialized! in! design,! multimedia! and! technology!research.!

! 7! products! that! you! won’t! even! realize! that! you! are! learning! >as! if! learning! were! the! most! unpleasant!experience!in!the!world.!(2004:!1)! ! In! similar! manner,! Howard! Gardner! in! The$ Unschooled$ Mind! affirms! that! schools! have! become!increasingly!anachronistic!institutions!and!claims!for!those!learning!environments! that!“engage!students,!teach!them,!stimulate!their!understanding,!and!help!them!assume! responsibility!for!their!own!future!learning”!(1991:!202).! ! Whilst!it!is!certainly!easier!to!rely!on!Edutainment$to!devise!our!teaching!programme,!it!is! worth!taking!the!time!to!try!to!implement!Playful!Learning.!It!adds!that!XMfactor,!that!extra> value!to!the!learning!of!our!students!and!twists!the!more!traditional!approaches.!Up!to!my! knowledge,!the!transition!from!Edutainment!to!Playful!Learning!entails!switching!focus!from! extrinsic!to!intrinsic!motivation.!As!reported!by!Resnick:!“people’s!best!learning!experiences! come!when!they!are!engaged!in!activities!that!they!enjoy!and!care!about”!(2004:!1).!Edward! Deci6! also! writes! in! Why$ We$ Do$ What$ We$ Do:! “Self>motivation,! rather! than! external! motivation,!is!at!the!heart!of!creativity,!responsibility,!healthy!behavior,!and!lasting!change”! (1996:!9).!Similarly,!the!LLI!reports!that!students!show!greater!concentration!when!they!are! engaged! in! projects! of! their! interest,! finding! their! own! answers,! investigating! new! approaches,! exploring! alternative! ways! of! doing! things! and! taking! their! own! decisions.! Finally,! Johan! Huizinga! claims! (once! again)! that! the! lack! of! everyday! constraints! is! the! optimal!space!to!be!creative!and!the!desired!environment!towards!Playful!Learning.! ! Intrinsic! motivation! seems,! therefore,! the! main! ingredient! in! the! recipe! for! Playful! Learning.! But! in! his! work! Homo$ Ludens:$ A$ Study$ of$ the$ PlayMelement$ in$ Culture!(1955)! Huizinga!mentions!three!additional!ones,!being!necessary!to!make!an!activity!playful:!1)!that! is! fully! absorbing;! 2)! that! it! includes! elements! of! uncertainty! or! surprise! and! 3)! that! it! involves! a! sense! of! illusion! or! exaggeration.! As! the! author! remarks,! these! ingredients! are! intrinsically!linked!and!fuel!the!process!of!learning.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6!Edward!L.!Deci!is!a!Professor!of!Psychology!in!Social!Sciences!at!the!University!of!Rochester.!He!is!well! know!in!the!field!of!psychology!for!his!research!on!basic!human!psychological!needs!as!well!as!for!his! contribution!to!the!study!of!intrinsic!and!extrinsic!motivation.!

! 8! !

1.1.!The!nature!and!purpose!of!play!

! Now! that! the! definition! of! play! has! been! discussed,! there! is! the! need! to! refine! the! concept.!The!LLI!distinguishes!four!aspects!of!play:!communal!play,!free!play,!game!play!and! challenging! play.! They! cover! three! aspects! of! development! in! learning:! the! physical,! the! intellectual! and! the! social! and! emotional! growth.! They! also! present! a! diagram! (Figure! 1,! Appendix!1)!that!displays!the!combination!of!these!four!aspects!of!play!in!relation!to!rules! and!imagination:!Free!play!is!often!advocated!as!healthy!and!inspirational;!Communal!play! help! bring! people! together;! Game! play! is! characterized! by! rules! and! standards;! and! Challenging!play!features!high!levels!of!imagination,!non>account!of!rules!and!(sometimes)! the!inclusion!of!a!disruptive!element.!In!regards!to!the!purposes!of!play,!TLG!identifies!four:! social!bonding,!emotional!expression,!cognitive!development,!and!constructive!competition.! Hence,!it!is!the!task!of!the!teacher!to!balance!these!fours!aspects!and!the!purpose!of!play! when!planning!the!lesson,!considering!his/her!intended!audience,!the!teaching!arena.!! ! However,!and!as!this!master’s!thesis!vindicates,!game!play!(and!more!specifically,!board! game! play)! is! the! most! accurate! form! of! play! in! the! standard! EFL>classroom! setting.! As! disclosed! in! the! forthcoming! section,! board! games! prove! the! perfect! pathways! to! Playful! Learning! due! to! their! dual! nature.! On! the! one! hand,! they! are! structured,! open>ended,! principled,!so!they!allow!us!to!grant!some!rules,!set!methodology!and!fulfil!set!goals.!We!can! orient!play!and!set!boundaries!but!the!students!will!exercise!imagination!anyhow.!On!the! other! hand,! board! games! are! highly! enriching! handsMon! activities! that! provide! creative! learning!and!playful!exploration.!! !

1.2.!The!current!situation!in!the!EFL!class!

! In! the! typical! EFL! class! setting,! both! teachers! and! learning! materials! regard! games! as! warm>ups,!fill>ins!(when!there!is!extra!time)!or!as!a!reward!for!finishing!a!required!task!or!a!

! 9! hard!grammar!lesson.!They!are!always!associated!with!leisure!activities!but!never!part!of!the! actual! work.! As! Mark! Warschauer7! states:! “In! language! teaching! games! have! often! been! conceptualised!as!the!“the!fun!factor”!of!language!learning”!(2000:!172).!! ! Unfortunately,!it!is!often!that!schools!have!resistance!to!embrace!play!as!an!instructional! method.!Although!teachers!tend!to!acknowledge!the!importance!of!leveraging!the!interests! of! students,! most! schools! and! administrators! are! often! sceptical! of! play>based! activities,! because! they! just! see! them! as! “mere! play”.! Even! though! most! of! our! memorable! experiences!are!built!around!the!idea!of!fun!never!appears!in!the!syllabus.!This!worsens!in! the!case!of!adult!students!learning!a!foreign!language.!! !

1.2.1.!Traditional!language!games!!

! Traditional! language! games! can! be! defined! as! those! specifically! developed! to! teach! linguistic! skills! and! to! be! used! for! language! instruction.! Some! instances! are:! crosswords,! matching!flashcards,!word!search,!scrambled!words,!grammar!ladders!(Image!1,!Appendix!2)! or!Hangman.!Author!Lee!Su!Kim8!claims:!“Games!make!learners!use!the!language!instead!of! thinking!about!learning!the!correct!forms,!they!should!be!treated!as!central,!not!peripheral! to! the! FL! teaching! program”! (1995:! NO! PAGE).! Similarly,! Agnieszka! Uberman9! writes:! “Games!encourage,!entertain,!teach,!and!promote!fluency.!If!not!for!any!of!these!reasons,! they!should!be!used!just!because!they!help!students!see!beauty!in!a!foreign!language!and! not!just!problems!that!at!times!seem!overwhelming”!(1998:!20).! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7!Mark!Warschauer!is!a!professor!in!the!Department!of!Education!and!in!the!Department!of!Informatics!at! the! University! of! California,! Irvine.! He! is! also! the! director! of! UCI's! Ph.D.! in! Education! program,! and! founding!director!of!UCI's!Digital!Learning!Lab.!He!has!published!eight!books!and!more!than!100!scholarly! papers!on!the!use!of!technology!for!language!and!literacy!development,!education,!and!social!inclusion.! 8!Lee!Su!Kim!is!a!prestigious!lecturer!in!ESL!at!the!University!of!Kebangsaan!in!Selangor,!Malaysia,!where! she!delivers!courses!on!writing!and!communication!skills.! 9!Agnieszka!Uberman!is!a!PhD.!Graduated!from!Adam!Mickiewicz!University!in!Poznan.!She!is!an!expert!in! the!field!of!Applied!Linguistics!with!worthy!contributions!to!cognitive!Linguistics!and!lexical!Semantics!in! language!teaching.!

! 10! Added!to!the!previous!two,!most!stances!in!favour!of!traditional!language!games!defend! that! their! use! help! learn! vocabulary,! work! on! oral! communication! and! revise! or!recycle! previously!taught!language.!Jill!Hadfield10!in!Intermediate$Vocabulary$Games!(1999)!divides! these!traditional!language!games!into!communicative!games!and!linguistic!games.!Whereas! the!first!type!focuses!on!the!fruitful!exchange!of!information!>!with!a!slightly!loose!sense!of! correctness>!the!second!type!focuses!on!linguistic!accuracy!and!is!more!precise.!She!provides! a!list!of!taxonomies!to!classify!language!games!according!to!the!goal!of!the!game:! ! 1. Sorting,!ordering,!or!arranging!games!(e.g.!card!games)! 2. Information!gap!games!(information!exchange!to!complete!a!task)! 3. Guessing!games!(e.!g.!Yes/no!Questions)! 4. Search!games!(e.!g.!Find$Someone$Who)! 5. Matching!games!(matching!words,!cards!or!pictures)! 6. Labelling!games!(matching!labels!with!photos)! 7. Exchanging!games!(barter!cards,!ideas!or!objects)! 8. Language!board!games!(e.g.!Scrabble)! 9. Role!play!games!(drama!and!simulation)11! 10. Competitive!games! 11. Cooperative!games! ! As! explained! above,! board! games! are! only! one! of! the! eleven! kinds! of! language! game! cited.!It!is!precisely!and!exclusively!the!board!games>kind!that!this!master’s!thesis!examines.! I! disregard! the! other! ten! because! they! are! not! my! focus! of! interest! in! this! occasion.! In! addition,!they!are!so!widely!used!and!accepted!in!EFL!classes!that!I!consider!that!it!is!not!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10!Jill!Hadfield!is!an!active!EFL!teacher!and!ELT!teacher!internationally.!She!is!also!the!author!of!fifteen! resource! books! for! teachers! in! collaboration! with! the! Oxford! and! the! Longman! Series! and! Classroom! Dynamics!Series.! 11!Author!Maria!A.!Kodotchigova,!Russian!professor!at!Tomsk!State!University,!discusses!the!differences! among!these!three!terms!and!clarifies!that!“Role!play!can!involve!students!playing!roles!that!they!do!not! play!in!real!life!(like!being!a!dentist,!for!example)!whereas!simulations!can!involve!students!performing! roles!that!they!already!play!in!real!life!or!might!be!likely!to!play,!such!as!being!a!customer!at!a!restaurant.! […]!Dramas!are!normally!scripted!performances,!whereas!in!roleplays!and!simulations,!students!come!up! with!their!own!words,!although!preparation!is!often!useful.”!!(2002:1)! !

! 11! necessary!to!vindicate!their!use.!Therefore,!the!aim!of!this!thesis!is!to!prove!that!the!use! board!games!(disregarding!other!form!of!play!or!games)!in!EFL!class!improves!the!learning! process!and!results!in!a!fruitful!and!positive!experience!for!both!teachers!and!learners.!! ! 2.!Board!Games!as!pathways!to!Playful!Learning!

!

2.1.!First!evidences!

! Board! games! have! a! long! and! rich! tradition,! being! both! entertainment! and! education! means!in!ancient!cultures.!Their!origins!go!back!to!countries!like!China,!India!or!Nigeria.!The! first!board!game!ever!known!is!Senet!(Appendix!2,!Image!2)!and!dates!back!from!times!of! Nefertari,!the!Egyptian!Queen!who!ruled!until!1237!BC.!Nefertari!was!portrayed!in!one!of! the!wall!paintings!found!in!the!Valley!of!the!Queens!(Image!3).!It!is!also!in!ancient!cities!in! Egypt!that!first!Mancalas,!gaming!boards!made!of!stone!were!discovered,!carved!into!the! roofs!of!ancient!temples!(Image!4).!Pachisi!and!Chaupar!boards!and!tokens!made!of!rubies! and!ivory!were!found!in!India!(Images!5!and!6).!Refined!wooden!boards!for!playing!a!game! similar!to!Go!were!found!in!China!and!Japan!together!with!polished!stones!(Image!7).!It!is! curious!to!see!how!these!early!board!games!have!been!played!for!thousand!years!and!yet! they!still!provide!the!foundation!for!most!classic!and!current!board!games.! !

2.2.!Definition!!

! Even! though! the! realm! of! board! games! is! of! physical! nature,! after! doing! extensive! research,!I!am!surprise!to!conclude!that!most!of!the!information!on!the!topic!comes!from! the! online! world:! databases,! forum! discussions,! articles! in! academic! journals,! gaming! centres,!virtual!stores,!educational!websites,!online!supplementary!resources,!etc.!!It!is!also! the! online! encyclopaedia! that! provides! the! best! definition! for! the! word.! According! to! Wikipedia:!

! 12! !

!A!board!game!is!a!game!that!involves!counters!or!pieces!moved!or!placed!on!a!pre>marked! surface!or!“board”!according!to!a!set!of!rules.!Games!can!be!based!on!pure!strategy,!chance!(e.g.! rolling!dice)!or!a!mixture!of!the!two,!and!usually!have!a!goal!which!a!player!aims!to!achieve.!Early! board!games!represented!a!battle!between!two!armies,!and!most!current!board!games!are!still! based!on!defeating!opposing!players!in!terms!of!counters,!winning!position!or!accrual!of!points! (often!expressed!as!in>game!currency).! !

2.3.!Overall!benefits!of!board!games!

! Ameliorating!our!teaching!practice!by!incorporating!real!board!games!is!equally!beneficial! for!both!teachers!and!learners.!In!order!to!illustrate!this!statement!I!enlist!here!the!benefits! that!outstand:! ! Benefits!to!our!students! ! . Provide!rich!learning!opportunities!and!improve!their!learning!ways.! . Connect!to!real!life!situations.! . Encourage!the!use!of!authentic!materials!and!guarantee!fresh!content.! . Enhance!their!motivation!as!they!perceive!them!as!fun!and!enjoyable.! . Help!them!be!creative.! . Tap!into!the!emotional!side:!students!discover!their!passions!and!reflect!inwardly.! . Satisfy!their!competitive!urges.! . Have!health!benefits:12!help!relax13!and!de>stress.! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 12!A!study!in!the!New$ England$ Journal$ of$ Medicine!found!that!challenging!our!brains!with!mentally! stimulating!leisure!activities!(including!playing!board!games!or!cards,!doing!crossword!puzzles,!reading,! writing,! and! playing! musical! instruments)! “drastically! reduces! the! risk! of! Alzheimer's! disease! and! dementia.”!The!study!also!reflects!that!when!we!take!time!do!something!we!love,!levels!of!dopamine!and! serotonin!rise!in!our!bodies,!causing!calmness!and!inner!peace.!Taken!from:! http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/11/29/the_amazing_health_benefits_of_board_games__for_adul ts_as_well_as_kids.htm! 13!Blair!Justice,!Professor!of!psychology!at!the!University!of!Texas!School!of!Public!Health!remarks! “Playtime!is!also!essential!to!help!adults!relieve!stress”.!Taken!from:! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/diethack/view/whyVplaytimeVisVgoodVforVkidsVandVadultV126!

! 13! Advantages!for!the!teacher! ! . Help!us!get!learners!involved!and!get!a!more!positive!and!proactive!response.! . Enhance! the! students’! motivation! because! >in! contrast! to! regular! class! exercises>! board!games!present!tasks!that!students!are!glad!to!complete.! . They!add!interest!to!what!students!do!not!normally!find!interesting.! . Allow! adaptation! to:! diverse! school! setting,! objectives,! the! needs! and! size! of! our! group,! mixed! learning! backgrounds,! multiple! intelligences! and! learning! styles,! textbook!content,!etc.! . Provide!endless!possibilities!and!kinds!of!materials.! . Improve!our!teaching!practice.! . Help!us!get!insights!and!feedback!from!our!students.! . Help!us!implement!ICT.! . Allow!us!to!put!aside!the!text!book!and!usual!teaching!practices!temporarily.! . Shift!the!focus!from!teacher!to!learners!and!minimizes!the!role!of!the!teacher!(more! of!a!facilitator).! . Cross! generation! gaps.! There! is! a! shared! element! of! play! that! transcends! format,! genre!or!difficulty!and!help!us!connect!with!students.! . Are!fabulous!icebreakers!the!first!day!of!class.! . Help!introduce!cultural!values!as!many!board!games!have!a!strong!cultural!load.! ! In!addition!to!the!reasons!enlisted!above,!there!are!some!other!benefits!that!are!worth! remarking.!One!of!the!most!prominent!is!that!board!games!instil!values!such!as!patience!and! diplomacy,! as! in! many! games! where! students! need! to! make! deals,! convince! partners,! elaborate!plans!or!negotiate!with!each!another.!As!suggested!by!Ersöz14:!“they!encourage! cooperation,! build! team! spirit! and! respect,! as! when! students! respect! turn! taking,! for! instance”!(2000:!NO!PAGE).! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 14!Dr.!Aydan!Ersöz!is!a!Professor,!head!of!the!ELT!Department!at!Gazi!University!in!Ankara.!She!is!also!the! President! of! INGED! Board! (ELT! Association)! and! collaborates! in! the! inVservice! training! programs! and! several!projects!run!by!the!Ministry!of!Education.!

! 14! Board!games!also!improve!the!students’!attention!and!help!them!take!decisions!and!risks.! As!explained!by!B.!Holm!Sørensen:15!!“it!is!important!for!learners!to!be!able!to!act!in!games! when! the! completion! of! the! game! depends! on! their! actions,! strategies,! choices! and! decisions”!(2007:!562).!Her!claim!also!suggests!that!board!games!teach!in!a!lasting!manner:! if!our!students!enjoy!while!learning,!they!will!remember!the!lesson!for!longer.!In!addition,! board! games! grant! meaningful! communication.! According! to! Lee! Su! Kim! this! happens! because!“they!create!a!context!for!language!use![…]!and!they!improve!the!students’!literacy! as! they! provide! language! practice! in! the! various! skills>! speaking,! writing,! listening! and! reading”!(1995:!NO!PAGE).! ! B.!Halpenny16,!a!games!inventor,!once!said!when!interviewed:!“when!you!play!a!board! game,!you!deal!with!every!basic!human!emotion!and!also!have!enough!elements!to!combine! action! with! melodrama.! The! player’s! imagination! is! fired.”17! I! strongly! believe! that! Halpenny’s!statement!portraits!how!large!it!is!the!scope!of!skills!that!board!games!foster;! and!how!great!their!potential!is!if!we!use!them!as!learning!tools.!! ! As! the! forthcoming! section! illustrates,! there! are! board! games! that! help! us! connect! to! Gardner’s!(1999)!Multiple'Intelligences.18!In!fact,!it!is!frequent!that!one!single!board!game! embraces!a!number!of!different!skills.!Lee!Su!Kim!develops!this!view!and!remarks!that!apart! from!refining!our!students’!linguistic!intelligence,!board!games!enhance!all!the!other!six!MIs:! 19! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15! Birgitte! Holm! Sørensen! is! Professor! in! the! Department! of! Educational! Anthropology! at! the! Danish! University! of! Education! in! Aarhus.! She! is! head! of! several! research! projects! supported! by! The! Danish! Council!for!Strategic!Research.!She!has!several!publications!in!the!field!of!Pedagogy.! 16!Bruce!Barrymore!Halpenny!is!a!respected!English!historian,!military,!author,!broadcaster!and!games! inventor.! He! created! a! popular! board! game! in! the! seventies! called$The$Great$Train$Robbery!that!was! formerly!used!a!prize!in!popular!TV!shows.! 17!Cited!in!Wikipedia.!Originally!from:!Stealing!the!Show.!Toy$Retailing$News.!Dec.!1976.!Vol.!2.4!p.!2! 18!In!his!book!Intelligence$reframed:$Multiple$intelligences$for$the$21st$century!(1995)!Howard!Gardner!puts! forward! the! Theory! of! Multiple! Intelligences! (MIs! in! the! forthcoming),! a! model! of! intelligence! that! contemplates!7/9!specific!modalities.! 19!The!Naturalist!and!the!Existential!intelligences!are!not!regarded!below!but!we!could!easily!foster!them! by!using!board!games!such!as!Animalopoly!or!Habitat!Vfor!the!NaturalistV!and!LEGO!Serious!Play!V!for!the! Existential.!!

! 15! • Spatial:!Board!games!>especially!those!that!involve!drawing!and!matching>!help!improve! the!eye>hand!coordination!as!well!as!manual!dexterity!and!visual!perception:!number,! letters,!shape(s)!and!colour!recognition.!To!cite!a!few!examples:!Hide$n’$seek,$Memory,$IM SpyMWithMMyMLittleMEye,$Treasure$Hunting,$Whoowasit?,$Tobago,$Pictureka,$Speechless!or$ Small$World$Realms! ! • Logical:!They!stimulate!the!brain!and!prompt!critical!and!quick!thinking!and!reasoning,! rationalization! and! problem! solving! and! essential! cognitive! skills! like! Who$ am$ I?,$ Checkers!or!Chess! ! • Mathematical:! Many! board! games! involve! grouping,! counting,! and! calculating,! improving!learners’!numerical!understanding.!For!instance:!Fizz$Buzz!or!Rummikub! ! • Intrapersonal:! Probably! the! most! notorious! characteristic! of! board! games! is! the! effectively!way!they!build!up!social!skills.!They!provide!alternative!forms!of!modality!and! prompt!situations!that!are!valuable!for!the!future!working!experiences!of!our!students;! as!to!help!them!handle!delicate!situations!in!real!life.!They!foster!communication!and! interaction,! bring! students! closer,! helping! them! relate! to! others!or!make! new! acquaintances.!Some!board!games!of!this!class!are:!LEGO!Creationary,!Settlers$o$Catan!or! Hedbanz:$Identity$Crisis$Game! ! • Interpersonal:!Board!games!help!develop!learners’!maturity,!their!ability!to!persist!and! be!true!to!themselves.!They!help!students!develop!the!‘socially!acceptable!personality’! that!the!play!requires;!that!is,!manage!frustration,!face!the!idea!of!losing,!never!give!up,! etc.!Some!instances!are:!Who$Am$I,$Never$Ending$Stories!or!LEGO!Serious!Play! ! • Musical' and' bodily' kinaesthetic:! Most! board! games! require! some! sort! of! physical! activity! and! movement:! rolling! the! dice,! moving! pawns,! drawing,! shuffling! cards,! performing,! making! gestures,! placing! tiles,! picking! up! tokens,! etc.! Expression! patterns! are! vital,! as! well! as! the! handsMon! element! that! connect! with! the! bodily/kinaesthetic!

! 16! intelligence.!Examples:!Spontuneous,$Rock$Star$Life,$Touch$….$(it)!,$Simon$Says,$Hubbub:$ The$Game$of$Sound,$Mind$&$Body,$Body$Boggle!or$Tabu$Body$Talk! !

2.4.!Types!and!categories!

! When!it!comes!to!labeling!the!different!types!of!board!games,!I!have!witnessed!that!there! is! absolutely! no! agreement.! Every! author! uses! different! categories! and! it! is! frequent! that! they!overlap.!In!my!understanding,!Wikipedia!and!Board'Game'Geek20!are!the!sources!that! provide!the!best!classification.!! ! Many!are!the!criteria!established!to!clarify!board!games.!One!criterion!is!to!differentiate! board!games!according!to!its!components:!theme,!information,!board,!pieces,!etc.!Wikipedia! and!Board!Game!Geek!separate!board!games!into!categories!and!use!different!taxonomies.!I! have! devised! two! tables! [Appendix! 1]! to! illustrate! these! possibilities.! In! my! view,! it! is! important! to! consider! all! the! different! classifications,! as! it! can! be! very! helpful! when! we! decide!which!are!the!most!suitable!board!games!to!use!in!our!EFL!class.!From!a!close!look!at! both! tables! it! seems! logical! for! us! to! think! that! Educational! games! are! the! perfect! candidates.!In!certain!ways!they!are.!However,!there!is!a!heated!discussion!on!this!topic!as! many!educators!and!teachers!(where!I!include!myself)!believe!these!candidates!should!be! left!out!or!have!only!a!secondary!role!when!used!for!instruction.!! !

2.5.!The!controversy!over!educational!language!board!games!

! Educational!games!have!proliferated!over!the!last!twenty!years.!They!are,!in!my!opinion,! product! of! Edutainment,! as! they! normally! focus! on! developing! and! building! up! a! specific! skill.!It!is!easy!to!notice!that!Great$States!or!Where$in$the$World$Is$Carmen$Sandiego?!are!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20!Board!Game!Geek!is!an!online,!absolutely!upVtoVdate,! gaming! site.! It! has! the! largest! community! of! gamers!in!the!world,!providing!information!on!about!60349!board!games.!More!information!on:!! http://www.boardgamegeek.com!

! 17! specifically!devised!to!teach!Geography;!just!as!Blokus,!Ticket$to$Ride,!Subtraction$Bingo,!or! Hi$Ho!$CherryMO!aim!at!developing!core!mathematic!skills.! ! As!pointed!by!Resnick:!“the!designers!and!educators!that!make!educational!games!try!to! make!things!“easy”!for!learners,!thinking!that!they!are!attracted!to!things!that!are!easy!to!do! whilst!learners!are!more!engaged!with!“hard!fun”>!that!is,!activities!that!are!hard!but!that! connect!deeply!with!their!interests,!are!motivating!and!different!from!the!everyday!activity”! (2004:!3).! ! That!educational'board'games!and!educational'language'board'games,!such!as!Boggle!or! Apples$to$Apples,!have!a!tremendous!learning!value!is!absolutely!indisputable.!However,!this! thesis!does!not!cover!any!of!the!two!types.!And!the!reasons!are!of!diverse!nature:!! ! • First,!and!in!connection!to!Resnick’s!claim,!because!of!most!of!these!educational!board! games!have!not!been!crafted!by!game!designers!but!by!educators!>or!teachers!or!experts! in! education>! whose! experience! in! creating! authentic! game! experiences! are! little! or! none.! They! are! based! on! limited! pedagogical! models,! so! it! is! often! that! they! fail! at! capturing!the!essence!of!play.! ! • Secondly,! because! they! are! scarce,! not! very! popular! (meaning! it! is! not! frequent! that! families!own!them),!expensive,!hard!to!find!in!the!market,!and!perceived!by!students!to! be!“educational”,!which!his!diminishes!the!learners’!interest!and!urge!to!play.! ! • Last!but!not!least,!because!the!play!experience!they!provide!is!masqueraded.!In!contrast,! the!play!experiences!delivered!by!non>educational!board!games!are!authentic.!They!also! boost!our!students’!skills!in!a!much!more!natural!and!integrated!way.!! ! !

! 18! 3.!Choosing!candidates!for!syllabus!alignment!!

! After! discarding! the! –apparently>most! congruous! candidates! (traditional! games,! educational! board! games! and! educational! language! games),! how! can! schools! still! harness! the! power! of! games! for! instruction! and! cling! onto! these! many! benefits! mentioned?! ! The! answer!is:!by!relying!on!(some)!traditional/American!and!(all)!designer/European>style!board! games.! !

3.1.!Praising!A$Board$Game$Education!and!Libraries$Got$Game!

! A!close!look!through!these!two!references!is!well!deserved,!as!these!books!provide!solid! foundations!for!this!Master’s!thesis.!Offering!a!completely!different!view!on!the!use!of!board! games!in!education,!both!vindicate!their!use!as!learning!tools.!Both!works!present!deep!and! sustained!guidance!on!how!to!introduce!them!in!our!class!while!accomplishing!the!demands! of!the!syllabus.!! ! Jeffrey!P.!Hinebaugh!is!the!author!of!A*Board*Game*Education,!a!fabulous!resource!book! that! provides! an! extensive! analysis! of! the! way! traditional/classic! board! games! teach! key! educational! skills! that! can! become! therefore,! excellent! tools! for! the! teacher.! Hinebaugh! revises! those! games! that! we! all! have! played! and! builds! up! a! frame! with! the! educational! values!that!can!be!found!in!them.!As!he!explains:!! ! By! simply! playing! a! board! games,! children! and! adults! alike! have! benefited! for! years! form! “accidental! learning”! […]! the! very! same! skills! that! we! develop! through! board!games! were! the! ones!I!used!through!my!schooling!and!education,!and!in!my!current!profession!as!an!attorney![…]! language,!reasoning!and!thought!processes!are!quite!similar.!(2009:!3)! !

! 19! The! book! is! made! up! of! nine! chapters.! Each! discusses! what! the! author! considers! the$ seven$core$educational$skills,21!grouping!board!games!accordingly.!The!tone!is!very!relaxed! and! Hinebaugh! addresses! the! reader! in! quite!a!friendly!>almost! familiar>! and! humorous! manner.! It! is! “less! serious”! than! Libraries$ Got$ Game;! and! even! the! author! acknowledges! that:!“any!proper!discussion!on!educational!theories!requires!more!space!than!permitted!in! this!pages!>!and!more!intelligence!than!exists!with!this!author!”!(2009:!8).!In!contrast,!it!is! full! of! interesting! facts,! anecdotes! and! curiosities! that! make! the! reading! easy! and! very! enjoyable.!! $ Libraries*Got*Game:*Aligned*Learning*through*Modern*Board*Games!(2010)!is!the!work! of! two! educator>librarians! who! explain! how! designer! board! games! are! far! from! being! educational! products! or! similar! victims! of! the! Edutainment! market.! Contrarily,! designer! games! allow! teachers! to! provide! learners! with! Playful! Learning! and! focus! on! academic! achievements!at!the!same!time.!Basing!their!arguments!on!both!their!experience!as!gamers,! and!their!work!as!developers!of!a!nationally!recognized!program,!Mayer!and!Harris!defend! that!board!games!should!be!a!staple!part!of!the!curriculum,!and!they!give!means!for!aligning! them!to!education!standards.!As!the!back!cover!of!the!book!reads,!it!provides!the!reader! with! “Direct! links! between! board! games! and! curriculum,! suggestions! for! building! a! core! collection!across!grade!levels!and!strategies!for!program!development!and!implementation”.! $ So!up!to!now,!it!seems!that!traditional/classic!board!games!and!designer!board!games!are! the!chosen!ones!to!be!part!of!our!EFL!syllabus.!But,!what!are!the!differences!between!the! two!types?!! !

3.2.!Traditional/Classic/American!board!games22!

!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21!For!Hinebaugh!these!are:!1)!Social!Science,!2)!Mathematics,!3)!Language!Arts,!4)!Economics,!5)!Logic! and!deductive!reasoning,!6)!Strategy,!Planning!and!Negotiation!and!7)!Creative!thinking,!Communication! and!Expression.!! 22!These!tags!will!be!used!interchangeably!in!what!follows!

! 20! It!is!difficult!to!describe!what!qualifies!a!traditional/classic!board!game.!I!can!only!agree! with! Hinebaugh! when! he! says:! “I! am! the! first! to! admit! that! this! is! purely! a! subjective! definition”!(2009:!7).!However,!there!are!four!musts!that!a!traditional/classic!board!game! has!to!follow:!1)!to!be!popular!and!known!across!generations!and!regions!2)!to!be!easy!to! play!3)!to!have!well!known!rules!of!play!and!3)!to!not!address!to!any!particularly!or!defined! educational!benefits;!although,!as!we!have!already!suggested,!distinctive!educational!skills! are!learned!and!developed!by!playing.! ! Most!traditional!board!games!such!as!Trivial$Pursuit!or!Monopoly!come!from!the!US!and! that!is!why!they!are!often!called!‘American’.!Both!terms!are!used!as!synonyms!because!they! bear!little!resemblance!to!designer!games,!which!are!not!traditional!but!rather!modern!and! pretty!new.!! !

3.3.!Designer/Modern/!European!board!games!

! As! explained! in! Libraries$ Got$ Game! designer! board! games! are! also! called! European! or! Eurogames,!not!due!to!their!place!of!origin!but!because!of!their!style,!which!was!born!in!the! “game!design!renaissance”!in!Germany,!around!fifteen!years!ago.23!As!opposed!to!American! games,!these!board!games!feature!the!name!of!the!designer!in!the!box,!and!player!do!care! about!it.!Actually,!it!is!very!common!to!follow!a!particular!board!game!designer,!just!like!a! fan!follows!his/her!favourite!artist.!! ! The!biggest!difference!between!the!two!kinds!is!the!prominence!of!the!luck!component.! American!style!board!games!involve!luck!and!they!are!usually!built!around!closed!systems!or! tracks! where! players! move! around! to! complete! preset! goals.! That! is,! the! mechanic! is! basically!rolling!a!dice,!moving!a!pawn,!and!seeing!what!happens!on!the!square/tile/place! where!the!player!lands.!The!action!predetermined!by!the!roll!of!dice!and!the!subsequent!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 23!Further!information!on!the!topic!in!the!article!“Inside!the!board!game!renaissance”!by!Leon!Neyfakh! (March!11,!2012).!Available!at:!! http://articles.boston.com/2012V03V11/ideas/31138769_1_boardVgameVmouseVtrapVvideoVgames!

! 21! random!movement!make!the!choices!very!limited!for!players.!It!gives!the!feeling!that!there! is! no! need! to! move! beyond! basic! levels! of! thought.! Also,! frustration! is! high! because! it! is! frequent! that! players! bounce! back! and! forth! around! the! spot! they! need! to! reach.! Unfortunately,!luck!trumps!complex!mechanic!and!decision.!! ! On!the!contrary,!designer!games!go!far!beyond!the!“roll!and!move”!mechanic!and!give! players! quite! a! high! level! of! control! over! the! dice! and! over! what! happens! as! a! result! of! rolling!it.!Thus,!the!play!experience!is!richer!and!more!engaging!because!gamers!have!direct! influence!upon!the!game:!they!take!decisions,!negotiate,!interpret,!gather!resources,!work! on!strategies,!etc.!They!normally!provide!a!more!social!environment!than!American!games! because!in!designer!games!players!collaborate!and!interact!more.! !

3.3.1.!What!makes!designer!games!different!

Apart!from!the!lesser!>or!nonexistent>!role!of!luck,!the!more!complex!mechanics,!and!the! higher! intellectual! engagement,! Mayer! and! Harris! explain! that! designer! games! are! characterized!by:24!! ! 1) End>Game!scoring! ! While! in! American! games! players! are! eliminated! along! the! game! until! the! last! player! becomes!the!winner,!in!designer!games!the!winner!is!only!known!in!the!end!of!the!game,!in! a! resolution! phase! when! all! players! score! the! victory! points! they! have! gained,! either! by! completing!goals,!making!wise!pawn>moves!or!gathering!resources.! ! The!completion!of!the!game!is!an!ongoing!development,!and!this!is!only!beneficial,!as!in! the!classroom!environment!players!that!are!eliminated!early!present!a!challenge.!The!play! experience! in! designer! board! games! is! cohesive,! as! they! manage! to! keep! all! learners! engaged.! Unlike! in! elimination>style! games,! there! is! no! room! for! disengagement! because! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24!As!explained!in!the!introductory!chapter!of!Libraries$Got$Game!(2010:!5V10).!

! 22! none!of!our!learners!is!withdrawn!from!the!play!experience,!nor!forced!to!wait!and!become! a!passive!spectator.!! ! 2) Open>Ended!Decisions! ! That! players! can! take! decisions! within! the! game! is! a! positive! thing! because! decision> making!fosters!the!use!higher>order>thinking!skills.!For!example,!in!Puerto$Rico,!players!can! decide!the!role!they!want!to!play!and!these!results!in!a!more!open>ended!play!environment.! ! Also,!a!shifting!game!environment$forces!them!to!consider!options,!inquiry,!evaluate!new! landscapes,!ponder!their!actions!or!consider!the!others’.!As!stated!by!Mayer!and!Harris!“This! use!of!information!literacy!skills!is!the!foundations!upon!which!games/curriculum!alignments! can!be!developed”!(2010:!5).! ! 3) Information>rich!environment! ! Designer!games!are!“perfect!information!games”.!That!is,!both!players!have!access!to!the! same!information!about!the!current!state!of!the!games!and!all!potential!moves!are!known!at! all! times.! This! is! only! positive! because! it! increases! the! students’! concentration! –as! they! normally!want!to!master!their!actions!and!strategies.!Luck,!as!we!have!seen,!reduces!their! wish!for!improvement.!! ! 4) Complex!game!mechanics! ! In!contrast!to!the!American>style!that!merely!involves!rolling!a!dice,!designer!games!tend! to!have!rather!complex!game!mechanics!(the!process!by!which!the!game!proceeds).!They! include:! roll>and>move! but! also! open! movements,! worker! placement,! role! selection,! cooperative!and!competitive!play!and/or!simultaneous!actions.! !!

! 23! Having!complex!mechanics!can!be!perceived!as!a!drawback.!But!the!fact!is!that!that!most! board!games!rely!on!common!mechanics.!Thus,!once!the!students!learn!how!some!of!those! mechanics!work,!they!can!use!them!for!many!other!games.!! ! 5) The!theme!is!the!core! ! The!theme!is!the!concept!behind!the!board!game;!the!sum!of!setting,!characters,!pieces!– and! much! more>! that! make! it! unique.! One! of! the! most! outstanding! characteristics! of! designer!games!is!their!very!rich!and!open!nature,!what!makes!them!worthy!candidates!for! the!syllabus.!As!mentioned,!there!are!60349!board!games!registered!online,!and!17072!of! those!are!of!the!designers’!type.25!This!gives!an!idea!of!the!plentiful!variety!of!themes!at!our! reach.! ! Another!theme>related!characteristic!that!makes!designer!games!perfect!teaching!tools!is! the!intricate!interplay!between!theme!and!mechanics.!The!theme!creates!a!context!for!play! that!supports!or!explains!the!rules.!In!designer!games!‘theme’!normally!equals!‘purpose!of! play’!and!it!justifies!the!mechanics.! ! A!perfect!example!of!this!is!Oregon,!where!pioneer!families!arrive!in!new!land!and!settle,! building!up!farms,!post!offices,!train!stations,!warehouses!and!exploit!coal!reserves!in!the! mountains!and!gold!in!the!river!(Image!8,!Appendix!2).! ! My!favourite!board!game,!Carcassonne!is!also!a!fabulous!example.!Inspired!by!the!real! French! mediaeval! town,! players! become! counts,! kings,! thieves! and! farmers,! gathering! resources!seeking!for!prosperity!(Image!9!Appendix!2).! ! This!is!the!key,!as!it!creates!the!magic:!Playful!Learning.!The!special!immersion!player> context! is! what! makes! designer! games! a! powerful! tool! for! learning! –! whereas! in!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 25!Board!Game!Geek.!Last!checked!on!the!2nd!of!September!2012!

! 24! Edutainment!games!mechanics!are!simple,!constrained!or!sacrificed!to!the!benefit!of!leaning! goals.! !

3.3.2.!Why!designer!board!games!matter!

! Designer! board! games! matter! because! they! enrich! the! learning! process! in! four! fundamental!ways:!1)!They!reinforce!crucial!social!and!life!skills;!2)!they!provide!authentic! experiences!for!students;!3)!they!engage!learners!on!a!familiar!level;!and!4)!they!promote! information! literacy! and! foster! high>order! thinking.! These! reasons,! as! well! as! the! positive! characteristics! numbered! above,! give! us! an! idea! of! the! importance! of! aligning! designer! games!with!the!rest!of!contents!in!our!EFL!syllabi.!! !

3.4.!Board!game!alignment!with!educational!standards!

! The!introduction!of!board!games!into!our!EFL!syllabus!is!a!challenging!task.!First,!because! we! have! to! fight! frequent! misconceptions! –! that! play! means! leisure,! or! that! learning! and! play!are!separate!realms;!also!because!teachers!are!often!backed!by!the!rigid!constraints!of! the!established!goals!and!by!the!lack!of!time.!However,!the!balance!is!in!our!favour!in!some! aspects.! Parents! and! educators! in! the! US! are! in! favour! of! examining! the! more! traditional! approaches!in!education,!trying!to!supplement!them!with!new!experiences.!An!online!survey! in!the!US!found!that!75!percent!of!the!respondents!(parents)!claimed!to!see!“educational! benefits!for!their!children!when!playing!games”.26!It!seems!that!this!view!is!slowly!reaching! Spain.!! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 26!RealNetworks,!Inc.!is!the!games!developer!that!carried!on!the!survey.!Further!information!in:! http://investor.realnetworks.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=207363!

! 25! In!fact,!traditional!board!games!have!found!their!ways!in!the!curriculum!in!quite!a!large! number!of!schools!worldwide.!It!seems!quite!illustrative!that!in!North!America27!there!are! over!1600!Scrabble!clubs!in!schools.!Checkers!is!part!of!the!curriculum!in!elementary!and! secondary!schools!there.!It!happens!the!same!in!Japan!with!Go.!Similarly,!Chess!is!part!of!the! school! curriculum! in! other! forty! other! countries! including! France,! Argentina,! Canada,! Quebec,!Zaire!and!Venezuela.! ! This!widespread!popularity,!the!acceptance!by!students,!and!the!great!academic!results! has! lead! to! an! astonishing! growth! in! the! number! of! websites! and! blog! sites! that! discuss! board!games!in!home!school!curricula,!as!well!as!the!number!of!educational!board!games! publishers,!both!in!the!US!(A$Beka,!Rainbow$or!Bob$Jones)!and!in!Europe.28!

3.4.1.!Designer!board!games!in!the!EFL!class!!

Many! are! the! authors! who! claim! that! traditional! language! games! should! constitute! a! more!substantial!part!of!EFL!syllabus:!Agnieszka!Uberman,!Andrew!Wright,!David!Betteridge,! Michael! Buckby,! Aydan! Ersöz,! Lee! Su! Kim! or! Birgitte! Holm! Sørensen.! As! we! have! seen,! J.! P.Hinebaugh! details! how! to! align! classic! board! games! with! core! skills,! as! we! will! see.! However,! and! apart! from! the! one! and! only! reference! on! the! topic! >Libraries$ Got$ Game>,! there!is!absolutely!no!sign!of!presence!of!designer!board!games!in!any!instance!of!syllabus! content.! Unfortunately! >and! surprisingly>! designer! games! had! found! no! room! in! the! education! sphere.! If! we! add! this! drawback! to! the! fact! that! in! the! current! educational! landscape!in!Spain!learning!is!subdued!by!high>stake!testing,!it!seems!quite!a!challenge!(and! a!very!high!burden!of!proof)!to!try!to!incorporate!designer!games!into!our!syllabi.!! ! Nevertheless,!Mayer!and!Harris!have!found!a!solution!to!this!challenge.!They!clarify!that! the!issue!is!not!finding!more!time!or!room!in!our!syllabus!because:!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 27!Minneapolis!has!incorporated!Monopoly!and!Checkers!into!the!curriculum!to!enhance!the!students’!math! skills.!Schools!in!Michigan,!Massachusetts,!Texas,!Ohio,!New!Hampshire!and!New!York!have!done!the!same! with!Checkers!and!Chess.!And!in!states!like!Florida,!North!Carolina,!Belmont!and!New!Hampshire!these! two!are!included!in!extracurricular!activities.! 28!Board!Game!Geek!mentions!about!fortyVthree!publishers!for!educational!products.! http://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgamepublisher&q=educati onal&B1=Go!

! 26! ! The! answer! is! not! to! make! extra! time! for! play,! but! rather! to! use! the! inherent! learning! potential!of!game!play!as!part!of!the!regular!instructional!program”.![…]!By!selecting!games!with! embedded!curricular!content!and!skills,!educators!can!model!how!to!locate!and!interact!with!this! complex!web!of!information!while!continuing!to!address!the!classroom!curriculum.!(2010:!11,!27)! ! ! As!argued!by!Mayer!and!Harris,!designer!games!provide!multiple!entry!points!to!the!ELA! curriculum.! For! the! authors,! it! is! the! teacher’s! task,! to! pick! up! the! right! board! game! that! allows! the! renegotiation! of! form! and! content! in! order! to! consider! and! reference! syllabus! content,!and!to!foster!information!literacy!skills.!According!to!what!they!say,!it!should!be!is! to!adjust!a!board!game!to!a!particular!unit.!For!instance,!if!we!are!working!on!a!Unit!entitled! “The!Body”!or!a!Lesson!about!describing!people!it!seems!quite!coherent!to!use!Portrayal!> because!this!game!deals!with!physical!appearance,!facial!descriptions,!complexion!and!other! features.!The!authors!put!emphasis!on!the!many!parallels!to!literature!that!designer!games! hold.!They!believe!this!makes!it!easy!to!meet!many!of!the!traditional!ELA!curricular!needs! while! providing! a! unique! approach! and! experience.! They! claim! these! games! give! us! opportunities!to:!! ! • To!build!and!deconstruct!stories! • To!explore!story!elements,!characters,!plots!and!settings;!! • To!establish!the!basic!literacy!skills!needed!for!reading!and!writing!! • To!develop!and!strengthen!students’!vocabulary!base!and!! • !To!explore!emotional!nuances!of!language!and!work!on!critical!evaluation.! ! This!is!a!very!helpful!piece!of!advice;!but!the!authors!do!not!really!provide!much!more! direction.!In!the!section!that!follows!I!attempt!at!giving!clues!to!align!designer!board!games! with!the!EFL!syllabus!in!a!relevant,!playful!and!meaningful!manner.! !

3.5.!Suggestions!for!board!game!implementation!

!

! 27! We!have!already!explained!the!why.!Now!the!challenge!is!to!find!answers!for!all!the!other! Ws>questions:!Which!designer!(and!traditional)!board!games!foster!Playful!Learning?!Which! have! themes! that! provide! context! for! learning! about! mainstream! syllabus! content! and! support!instruction?!How!can!we!manage!to!merge!complex!mechanics,!engagement!and! themes!and!make!enriching!experiences!for!both!teachers!and!learners?!!When!shall!we!use! them?!Who!is!the!desired!target!group?!What!are!the!skills!they!develop!and!reinforce?! ! First,!it!is!the!teacher!>as!usual>!who!needs!to!ponder!all!the!different!factors!that!come! together!within!the!class,!such!as!the!size!of!the!group,!average!age!and!overall!behaviour.! That!said,!here!are!some!hints!that!can!help!us!use!board!games!to!reach!Playful!Learning!in! our!class.!! !

3.5.1.!Hints!to!tailor!board!games!to!classroom!use!

Tip' 1' \' Ensure! that! the! board! game! that! you! pick! grants! the! completion! of! Rod! Elli’s29! Principles!of!Instructed!Learning!in!SLA30! ! Rod!Ellis!formulated!a!set!of!principles!for!instructed!language!acquisition.!Their!nature!is! general!and!their!goal!is!to!provide!reflection!and!help!teachers!with!instruction!both!in!FL! and! SL! classes,! but! also! in! any! other! learning! setting.! These! principles! can! be! useful! indicators! as! to! confirm! whether! a! board! game! is! a! good! learning! tool.! If! we! ask! “Does! it…(Px)?”!and!we!tick!every!box,!then!the!answer!is!that!the!board!game!is!optimal.!!

!

Principle! Does!the!board!game!comply?!

P1! Ensure!that!learners!develop!both!a!rich!repertoire!of!formulaic!expressions! √! and!a!rule>based!competence! P2! Ensure!that!learners!focus!predominantly!on!meaning.![…]!in!contextualized! √! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 29!Rod!Ellis!is!a!Professor!in!the!Department!of!Applied!Language!Studies!and!Linguistics!at!the!University! of!Auckland,!New!Zealand.!He!is!worldwide!famous!because!his!works!on!Grammar!and!Second!Language! Acquisition!are!fundamental!to!TESOL!and!to!programs!in!Linguistics.! ! 30!Taken!from!http://asianVeflVjournal.com/sept_05_re.pdf!

! 28! meanings!that!arise!in!acts!of!communication.!“Engaging!learners!in! activities!where!they!are!focused!on!creating!pragmatic!meaning!is! intrinsically!motivating”!(2005:!3)! P3! Ensure!that!learners!focus!on!form! √! P4! Be!predominantly!directed!at!developing!implicit!knowledge!of!the!L2!while! √! not!neglecting!explicit!knowledge! P5! Take!into!account!the!learner’s!‘built>in!syllabus’! √! P6! Require!extensive!L2!input! √! P7! Provide!opportunities!for!output! √! P8! Provide!opportunities!to!interact!in!the!L2!to!develop!proficiency! √! P9! Take!account!of!individual!differences!in!learners! √! P10! Provide!opportunities!for!assessing!learners’!L2!proficiency!in!both!free!and! √! controlled!production! ! ! Tip'2'\'Dig!up!your!students’!MIs!and!select!the!board!game!accordingly! ! In!the!previous!section,!we!mentioned!how!board!games!help!develop!MIs.!Measuring! our!students’!skills!and!checking!how!homogenous!or!heterogeneous!the!MIs!in!the!group! are!help!us!select!the!right!board!game.!As!announced,!J.!P.!Hinebaugh!captures!his!view!by! matching!classic!board!games!with!(in!the!author’s!words)!the!core$skills$they!develop.!!! ! Core!Skills’!Domain! Board!games! Social!science! Candy$Land,$Chutes$and$Ladders,$Mouse$Trap$ Language!Arts! Scrabble,$Boggle$ Economics! Monopoly,$Life,$Pay$Day$ Logic!and!deductive!reasoning! Clue,$Battleship,$Mastermind$ Strategy,!Planning!and!negotiation! Risk,$Stratego,$Checkers,$Sorry!,$Checkers$ Creative!thinking,!Communication! Scattergories,$Pictionary$ and!Expression! Mathematics! Chess,$Game$Theory,$Logistello$ ! ! Tip'3'\'Come!up!with!your!own!tags!and!label!your!games' !

! 29! Using!tags!for!labelling!our!games!is!a!clever!trick!as!it!helps!us!align!them!with!the!goals! that! appear! in! the! syllabus.! Author! B.H.Sørensen! presents! a! list! of! concepts! that! she! considers!central!as!to!mark!her!‘learning!board!games’.!Some!of!the!tags!she!puts!forward! (2002:!563)!are:!! !

• Challenges!–!to!be!confronted!with!a!problem!you!have!to!solve!!

• Reification!–!to!create,!produce!and!make!experiments!!

• Socialites!–!to!communicate!and!take!part!in!communities!

• Achievements!–!to!get!acknowledgment!and!enjoy!respect!!

• Pleasure!–!to!interact!in!sensitive!and!pleasurable!situations!!

• Exploration!–!to!explore!and!act!on!basis!of!curiosity!!

• Self!interpretation!–!to!search!and!experiment!identities!! ! In!similar!manner,!it!can!be!handy!to!make!use!of!Bloom’s!taxonomies,31!as!we!can!pick! up!our!board!games!depending!on!the!abilities!we!want!to!enhance.!! ! Bloom’s! Abilities! Games! Taxonomies! Argue,!assess,!compare,!judge,! Chicago$Express,$Battlestar$ Evaluation! predict,!support! Galactica,$Max$ Arrange,!collect,!create,!develop,! Puerto$Rico,$Once$Upon$a$Time,$ Synthesis! manage,!organize,!plan! 1960:$The$Making$of$the$President$ Appraise,!calculate,!criticize,! Bolide,$Citadels,$Shadows$over$ Analysis! examine,!question! Camelot$ Choose,!illustrate,!dramatize,!solve,! Charades,$Portrayal,$Numbers$ Application! use! League$ Classify,!explain,!locate,!recognize,! Pictureka,$Monopoly,$Lost$Cities$ Comprehension! select! Memorize,!define,!arrange,!list! Trivial$Pursuit,$Sorry!,$10$Days$in$ Knowledge! the$USA$ ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 31! In! 1956,! Benjamin! Bloom,! together! with! a! committee! of! educators,! put! forward! a! classification! of! learning!objectives!within!education.!It!was!designed!to!improve!communication!between!educators!on! the!design!of!examinations!and!curricula.!It!will!be!later!referred!to!as!‘Bloom’s!Taxonomy’.!! !

! 30! Tip'4'\'Cogitate!on!competitive!games!!! ' Competition! may! be! positive! in! the! sense! that! it! implies! attention,! persistence,! motivation!and!the!players’!interest!and!strong!desire!to!win.!But,!depending!on!the!board! game!we!use,!competition!may!result!in!classroom!conflict,!harm!the!class’!atmosphere!or! have!negative!effects!on!the!learning!process.!Thus,!it!is!very!important!that!we!evaluate!the! situation! in! the! classroom! and! the! nature! of! our! students.! As! warned! by! B.! H.! Sørensen! “competition!may!be!problematic!in!a!pedagogical!context!because!the!winner!is!celebrated! or!the!loser!is!degraded”!(2002:!563).!! ! We!can!avoid!this!risk!by!relying!on!board!games!of!the!cooperative!type:!those!when! players! need! to! work! together! against! the! game! itself.! The! nature! of! this! type! of! games! forces!the!students!to!find!common!ground!and!to!develop!a!quick!synergy!if!they!want!to! beat!the!game.!They!are!perfect!for!the!EFL!class!because!these!cooperative!games!demand! high!levels!of!communication!and!prompt!conversation.! ! If,!on!the!contrary,!we!resolve!to!bring!in!competition,!we!must!ensure!that!learners!are! asked!to!create!knowledge!and!that!they!do!in!an!environment!that!is!protected;!that!we! perceive!as!safe.!On!top!of!this,!we!need!to!manage!to!internalize!fair!play!(the!importance! of!playing!by!the!rules)!and!ensure!that!winnings!and!penalties!are!both!fair.!! ! Tip'5'\'Care!for!your!target!group! ! It!is!important!that!we!create!a!framework!to!work!on!Playful!Learning!across!groups!of! different!ages,!because!a!child’s!play!is!not!precisely!the!same!as!the!adult’s.!A!simple!way!of! facing!this!fact!is!to!select!board!games!relying!on!the!age!range!that!is!suggested!in!the!box.! However,!if!we!notice!that!the!literacy!skills!of!our!students!are!lower!than!the!expected,!we! can! consider! Junior! versions,! spin! offs,! and! bilingual! games.! For! instance:! Boggle$ Junior,! Boggle$Flash,!Scrabble$Junior,!Scrabble$Delirium,!Bilingual$Zingo,!Monopoly$Junior,!Apples$to$

! 31! Apples$ Junior,! The$Kids$of$Carcassonne,! Catan$ Junior,! Buzz$ Word$ Junior,! Consensus$ Junior,! Hedbanz$Kids,!etc.! $ When! teaching! children! we! should! select! board! games! that! have! a! more! of! a! childish! component;!that!they!involve!movement!and!physical!action!and!have!colours!and!shapes,! such!as:!Speed$Grammar,!POP$for$Sight$Words$Game,!Ditto!,!Guess$Who,!The$Mother$Goose$ Game,! Labyrinth,! Alphabet$ Circus!or!Alphabet$ Squiggle.! But! to! choose! the! right! game! at! every! age! is! a! bit! more! complex! than! this.! As! explained! in! The! Future! of! Play:! ! “as! play! develops! from! childhood! into! adulthood! it! inevitably! becomes! more! complex,! as! do! its! psychological!purposes![…]!The!predominant!driving!psychological!purpose!of!game!playing! in!adults!appears!to!be!enjoyment!of!intellectual!challenge”!(2010:!23,!25).! ! Hence,!we!should!not!ignore!the!fact!that!whilst!children’s!play!is!loaded!with!imagination! and! creativity,! adult! playfulness! is! mostly! concerned! with! rules! and! realities.! Adults! dissociate!>or! sequence>!the!constructive,$performative,$and!makeMbelieve$ aspects!of!play,! but! children! don’t! distinguish! them.! Instead,! integrate! the! different! forms! of! play! in! the! creative! process! because! they! are,! simply,! engaged.! As! written! in! The$ Science$ Behind$ the$ LEGO$Serious$Play$Method:32!“Adult!play!is!often!undertaken!with!a!specific!goal!in!mind,! whereas!in!children!the!purposes!of!their!play!are!less!conscious![…]!When!adults!play,!they! play! with! their! sense! of! identity! and! their! play! is! often,! though! not! always,! competitive”! (2012:!1).! ! As! adults’! play! nearly! always! involves! competition! we! have! to! beware! of! its! disruptive! potential!and!try!to!play!down!the!competitive!aspects!of!the!board!games!we!pick,!as!we! explained.! A! good! way! of! solving! this! potential! problem! is! to! change! their! role! from! “participants”! to! “observers”! as! adults! “enjoy! discussing! and! watching! playful! activities!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 32!Available!at:!! http://www.rasmussenconsulting.dk/storage/The%20Science%20Behind%20the%20LEGO%20SERIOU S%20PLAY%20Method.pdf!

! 32! almost!as!much!as!taking!part!on!them”.33!Contrarily,!we!should!help!children!become!more! self>confident,!ambitious!and!cooperative.! ! Tip'5'–'Mind!the!fun!factor!! ! J.!P.!Hinebaugh!remarks!that!a!large!part!of!the!effectiveness!of!traditional!board!games! as!educational!tools!stems!from!the!fact!that!learners!do!not!perceive!them!as!part!of!the! lesson,!but!rather!as!entertainment.!As!he!claims:!“the!potential!for!using!board!games!to! teach!is!diminished!if!the!manner!in!which!they!are!used!loses!sight!of!the!games’!original! intent:!to!generate!fun!and!enjoyment”!(2009:!12).! ! So!the!idea!is!that!we!keep!in!mind!that!the!learning!has!to!be!playful.!If!we!customize!the! board!game!making!it!too!educational,!if!we!play!down!the!fun,!or!if!we!overuse!them,!the! learning!magic!is!lost.! !

3.5.2.!Problems!that!may!arise!

Nobody! said! it! was! easy.! There! are! some! difficulties! that! we! may! encounter! when! we! bring! board! games! into! our! class,! and! it! is! important! that! we! know! what! to! do! in! every! situation.!Here!are!some!ideas!on!how!to!overcome!these!pitfalls:! ! Case'1:!Some!students!find!games!childish!! ! This!tends!not!to!be!an!issue!with!designer!board!games,!as!everyone!perceives!them!as! adults’.!But!if!it!was!the!case,!we!could!challenge!these!students!to!modify,!propose,!or!even! create!their!own!board!game.! ! Case'2:!We!have!a!large!group!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 33!Ibid.!

! 33! We!can!use!social!board!games,!because!their!mechanics!are!of!the!simultaneous>action! kind.!For!instance,!Werewolves$of$Miller’s$Hollow!allows!up!to!eighteen!players.!However,! we!should!bear!in!mind!that!these!games!tend!to!require!a!high!level!of!conversation!and! the!class!can!get!too!noisy.!! ! Case'3:!We!do!not!know!where!to!start!from! ! We!certainly!have!to!be!very!careful!when!selecting!the!games!for!our!EFL!class.!As!we! have! seen,! we! can! pick! those! that! ensure! the! completion! of! Ellis’! Principles;! we! can! also! follow!J.!P.!Hinebaugh’s!table!or!Bloom’s!Taxonomy.!! ! We!can!also!evaluate:!1)!what!we!want!our!students!to!do:!role>play,!work!with!a!pre> established!narrative,!build!up!a!story,!interact!with!peers,!be!proactive!or!reactive;!and!2)! what!we!want!the!board!game!to!do:!have!mechanics!that!improve!literacy,!build!up!specific! abilities,! develop! a! certain! way! of! acting,! reinforce! inquiry,! improve! strategic! analysis,! develop! problem! solving,! boost! critical! thinking,! enrich! or! solve! issues! in! the! classroom,! promoting! personal! growth,! bound! together! students,! provide! real! language! interaction,! ensure!the!students’!engagement,!or!practice!social!and!life!skills.!! ! A!good!idea!is!to!surf!the!net!to!get!information!about!the!board!game!publishers.!Board! Game!Geek!enlists!12551!game!publishers.!Most!have!their!own!website:!Hasbro,!Hans!Im! Glück,!Rio!Grande,!Borrás,!Educa,!Diset,!Mattel,!etc.!We!can!investigate!if!the!products!do! have!educational!values:!if!they!offer!contemplate!language!production,!boost!meaningful! communication!and!foster!academic!skills!and!abilities.!If!we!hesitate!about!how!serious!a! board!game!is!we!can!rely!on!most!German!manufacturing!companies,!as!most!produce!high! quality!games,!for!all!ages,!like!HABA.!In!the!U.S.,!Playroom!Entertainment!and!Blue!Orange! Games!have!a!great!reputation.! ! !Another!good!idea!is!to!check!Board!Game!Geek!as!it!provides!lots!of!useful!information.! For! instance,! it! mentions! the! awards! a! board! game! has! received.! The! label! ‘Spiel! des!

! 34! Jahres’34!(Game$of$the$Year)!is!one!of!the!most!reliable!criteria!to!ensure!the!in>game!values! and!ethics.!! ! It! is! also! wise! to! be! faithful! to! those! board! games! that! have! ever! provided! us! with! a! trustful!and!play!experience;!as!well!as!to!follow!the!designer!who!made!them,!if!that!was! the!case.! ! Case'4:!We!face!the!prejudice!that!gaming!is$“freak,!violent!and!content!is!warlike”! ! This!idea!is!quite!stale!and!very!much!a!cliché.!While!it!is!true!that!violence!is!present!in! many!videogames,!board!games!are!a!completely!different!world.!As!proved,!>and!especially! in!the!designers’!kind>!the!variety!of!contents!and!themes!is!plentiful:!Geography,'Science' and'Medicine,!as!in!Pandemic;!Kingdoms'and!medieval!worlds,!as!in!Shadows$Over$Camelot;! Literature,'movies'and!media,!as!in!Lord$of$the$Rings,$Harry$Potter!or!Battlestar$Galactica;! Mythology,! as!in!Ghost$ Stories;! and! Politics' and'World'History,' as! in! Antike,$ 1960:$ The$ Making$of$the$President,$Virgin$Queen,$Sword$of$Rome!or!Black$Death.! ! We! can! challenge! educators,! parents! and! institutions! to! find! a! board! game! that! is! of! violent!nature.!War!is!common,!but!only!as!a!pretext!to!provide!plot!or!to!justify!mechanics! within!the!game.!! ! Case' 5:! The! difficulty! level! of! the! game! is! high! and! we! fear! that! our! students! feel! discouraged! ! We!have!several!options!to!try!to!solve!this!situation.!We!can:! ! • Demonstrate! how! the! game! is! played! giving! step>by>step! directions;! not! explaining! all! rules!in!one!go.! • Use!board!games!only!to!revise!previously!taught!content.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34!Award!criteria!and!valuable!information!on!the!topic!is!available!at:! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiel_des_Jahres!!

! 35! • Adapt!and!modify!the!game!to!make!it!easier!and!increase!difficulty!progressively.! • Use!games!already!known!to!students!or!those!they!like.! • Rely!on!junior!versions!or!bilingual!spin!offs,!as!already!suggested.! • Arrange!groups!that!are!heterogeneous!in!terms!of!language!proficiency!and!cheer!peer> help.! • Put!a!wide!range!of!resources!at!the!students’!disposal:!dictionaries,!flashcards,!links!to! online!tutorials,!the!original!instruction!booklets,!etc.! • Give!out!a!list!of!concepts,!key!vocabulary,!useful!expressions!and!game>phrases;!lexicon! of!the!board!game$world.!For!example:!! ! o Useful!nouns:!piece,!counter,!token,!space,!square,!cell,!tile,!hex,!card,!deck,!bit,! meeple,!mover,!pawn,!man,!playing;!! o Useful!verbs!for!commands:!jump,!leap,!capture,!move,!shuffle,!roll,!move,!draw,! place,!pick!up,!etc.!! ! • Teach!the!basic!terminology!that!is!required!to!play,!which!is!easy!because!many!board! games!have!a!jargon!of!their!own.!! • Balance!chance!and!strategy!to!get!to!the!right!complexity.! • Lessen!the!level!of!background!knowledge!and!information!processing!that!is!required!by! the!game.!! ! Case'6:!We!believe!that!getting!our!students!to!learn!the!game!takes!too!long! ! If!we!invest!some!time!in!teaching!the!basic!moves,!it!will!not!take!long!for!our!students! to!learn!a!different!game!the!next!time,!because!mechanics!and!basic!moves!are!common!to! nearly!all!games.!We!can!also!consider!expansions!as!they!bring!fresh!content!but!have!the! same!mechanics!as!the!original!game,!so!can!use!reuse!it!again!and!again!with!no!need!to! learn!new!rules.!Similarly,!we!can!also!benefit!from!the!fact!that!most!of!our!students!are! familiar! with! games.! We! can! claim!peer>mentors,! asking! the! more! experienced! gamers> students! to! initiate! the! ones! who! are! not!or! have! scarce!knowledge.! It! is! also! highly!

! 36! advisable!to!listen!to!them,!because!if!they!show!a!high!level!of!expertise!they!can!have!very! worthy!suggestions.! ! In!addition,!there!are!games!with!rules!that!can!be!picked!really!fast.!For!example,!Ticket$ to$Ride!can!be!learned!in!three!minutes.!Alan!R.!Moon,!the!designer!of!the!game!claimed! that! the! rules! are! simple! enough! to! be! written! on! a! train! ticket.!Surprisingly,!the! play! experience!it!offers!is!fantastic!with!intense!strategy!making!and!tactical!decisions.!! ! Case'7:!Students!feel!anxious!because!the!game!is!in!English! ! As! suggested! in! Libraries$ Got$ Game:! “Many! designer! games,! showing! their! European! heritage,!are!built!to!be!language!independent”!(2010:!50).!Therefore,!we!can!ask!students! to! communicate! in! English,! but! the! fact! that! the! board! game! materials! are! languageMfree! may!reduce!their!anxiety.!It!is!also!a!plus!that!we!can!share!these!games!with!teachers!of! other!subjects.!! ! Case'8:!We!believe!it!is!too!difficult!to!get!designer!and!educational!games! ! As!these!games!are!growing!more!and!more!popular,!the!most!famous!can!be!found!in! local!toyshops!and!toy!stores.!Nevertheless,!the!best!idea!is!to!purchase!online,!as!there!are! many!board!game!shops!on!the!Internet!that!provide!great!service.!Some!stores!that!work! wonderfully!are:!Funagain.com,!juegosdemesa.com,!masqueoca.com!and!lunabia.es,!etc.!! !

! 37! 4.!The!LEGO!Serious!Play!method:!My!favourite$candidate!

4.1.!My!LEGO!experience!

! In!the!time!I!worked!for!the!TLG!in!Billund,!Denmark,!I!had!the!chance!of!collaborating! with! different! divisions! within! the! company:! the! LLI! (LEGO! Learning! Institute),!NBG!(New! Business!Group),!E&I!(Experience!&!Innovation)!and!with!LP4B!(LEGO!Play!for!Business).!I! realized!that!all!across!these!departments!corporate!values!were!strongly!present!and!at!the! core!of!all!business!activity.!The!brand!was!proud!of!its!strong!association!with!the!concepts! of!creativity,!learning!and!play.!It!was!in!LP4B!where!they!first!thought!they!could!use!these! associations! to! create! a! consultancy! process! for! business! stakeholders! and! external! organizations:!LEGO!Serious!Play!was!born.35! ! From! 2007! to! 2009! I! witnessed! how! companies! from! the! five! continents! came! to! participate!in!the!LEGO!Serious!Play!process36.!These!organizations!used!LEGO!bricks!to!build! their!identities!and!experiences!in!imaginary!scenarios.!The!results!were!outstanding:!they! solved! strategic! issues,! improved! planning,! ameliorated! project! management.! Generally! speaking:!they!got!better!results!in!the!businesses.!Back!then,!I!could!not!help!but!wonder!if! the!experience!(and!the!great!results)!could!be!transferred!to!the!educational!sphere.!Later! that! year! the! method! was! brought! into! schools,! developed! with! kids! from! six! years! old! onwards;! the! objectives! and! the! mechanics! were! the! same.! And! the! method! showed! outstanding!results.37!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 35!As!David!Gauntlett!explains:!“LEGO!Serious!Play!developed!out!of!a!problem!within!the!LEGO!Company! itself.! In! 1996/7! Kjeld! (the! present! owner! of! the! company)! was! feeling! disappointed! that! his! staff! meetings!did!not!seem!to!be!able!to!generate!imaginative!strategies!for!the!future!of!the! company.! He! knew!that!his!employees!were!talented!people,!so!he!felt!that!some!kind!of!tool!was!needed!to!unlock! their!imagination!and!creativity.![…]!He!had!discussions!with!Bart!Victor!and!Johan!Roos,!both!professors! and! consultants! from! the! Swiss! business! School! IMD.! Together! they! realized! that! a! solution! might! be! found!in!the!LEGO!product!itself:!just!as!LEGO!had!been!telling!children!to!‘build!their!dreams’!for!decades,! so! adults! could! be! asked! to! build! their! visions! for! future! strategy,! perhaps.! […]! The! idea! was! to! invite! individuals! to! build! symbolic! or! metaphorical! representations,! in! a! nonVjudgmental,! freeVthinking! –and! therefore,!playfulV!kind!of!environment.”!(2007:129)! 36!From!now!on,!I!will!refer!to!LEGO!Serious!Play!as!LSP.! 37!Appendix!4!records!the!statements!of!an!English!social!worker,!and!two!American!teachers!who!tried! out!LSP!in!their!classes!and!bore!witness!to!its!success.!!

! 38! 4.2.!Why!I!see!LEGO!as!the!perfect!alley!

! In!my!understanding,!LSP!set!off!with!a!big!advantage:!the!backing!of!TLG,!a!company! with!a!long!history!of!trust!and!a!great!reputation!and!affection!worldwide.!So,!why!shall!we! regard!LEGO!as!our!alley?! ! Because!of!its!values:!Starting!from!the!name,!which!is!an!apocopated!form!of!the!Danish! phrase!‘leg!godt’!(that!means!‘play!well’),!the!history!of!TLG38! shows!that!brand!values!are! firm! and! solid,! proving! that! its! products! >either! for! the! general! or! for! the! educational! market>!cater!for!creativity,!solid!education!and!Playful!Learning.! ! Because!it!is!a!system:!As!LEGO!bricks!have!studs!on!top!and!hollows!in!the!bottom,!it!is! possible!to!stack!them!upon!each!other,!as!well!as!to!pull!them!apart.!Additionally,!apart! from! these! construction! elements! there! are! motors,! wheels! and! gears! that! allow! motion.! This! variety! of! shapes,! functions,! colours! and! building! techniques! sets! no! limits! to! the! imagination.39!! ! Because!of!the!endless!possibilities!of!play:!When!the!first!LEGO!minifigure!was!born!in! 1978!playing!themes!were!developed:!town,!castle,!pirates,!space,!etc.!Role>play!formed!the! basis!of!the!interlocking!system,!and!playing!scenarios!opened!up!with!no!limits.!The!system! even!fits!in!today’s!digital!world,!as!many!of!the!products!work!with!new!technologies!as! LEGO!Mindstorms,!Robotics,!Apps!and!virtual!platforms!like!LEGO!Digital$Designer.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 38!The!LEGO!Group!is!a!Danish!Toy!Manufacturer,!the!fourth!largest!in!the!world!nowadays,!and!one!of!the! most! recognized! brands.! The! owner,! Kjeld! Kirk! Kristiansen,! is! grandson! of! the! founder,! Ole! Kirk! Christiansen.! The! company! grew! from! humble! origins! in! a! carpentry! workshop! in! Billund! in! 1916.! Ole! started!making!wooden!toys!in!1932.!And!the!company!began!producing!plastic!toys!after!Second!World! War,! when! plastic! became! available! in! Denmark.! In! 1949! the! first! LEGO! brick! came! to! life,! named! “automatic!building!brick”!by!the!time.!In!1953!it!changed!its!name!to!“LEGO!Brick”!and!the!shape!to!the! form! it! has! today.! Its! popularity! grew! during! the! following! decades,! especially! in! 1978! when! the! first! LEGO! minifigure! was! introduced! and! themes! appeared.! In! 2000,! Fortune! Magazine! (and! the! British! Association!of!Toy!Retailers!later)!claimed!the!LEGO!brick!“Toy!of!the!Century”.!! The!story!is!nicely!told!in!this!clip:!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdDU_BBJW9Y!! 39!Two!eightVstud!bricks!of!the!same!colour!can!be!put!together!in!24!ways.!Three!eightVstud!bricks!of!the! same!colour!fit!together!in!1600!ways.!And!there!are!102,!981,!500!different!ways!to!combine!six!eightV stud!bricks!of!the!same!colour.!The$Imaginopedia,!(2001:10)!

! 39! !

4.3.!LEGO!Serious!Play!and!how!it!works!for!education!

4.3.1.!What!is!LEGO!Serious!Play?!

LSP!is! a! process! where! students! build,! reflect,! and! share.! They! build! metaphorical/symbolic! models! using! their! creativity! and! playfulness,! they! reflect! on! their! creations!and!they!share!their!stories!and!work!together.!! ! A! building! challenge! is! linked! to! a! unit! or! lesson,! or! topic! at! hand.! For! example,! the! teacher! can! say:! “Build! a! model! that! illustrates! the! main! character! in! the! story”.! The! students!will!build!and!share!their!creations!after.!The!idea!might!look!too!simple!at!first,!but! the!power!of!in!the!LSP!sessions!lies!on!the!underlying!psychology!and!the!use!of!metaphors! created! by! those! participating! in! the! process.! As! TLG! explains:! ! “it! is! a! groundbreaking! process! because! it! unlocks! […]! participants! come! away! with! skills! to! communicate! more! effectively,! to! engage! their! imaginations! more! readily,! and! to! approach! their! work! with! increased!confidence,!commitment!and!insights”.40! ! As!it!name!indicates,!the!idea!is!to!“play!with!a!purpose”,!to!develop!the!skills!that!sustain! and!grow!the!students’!learning.!As!the!process!requires!deep!reflection!and!constructive! dialogue,!it!fosters!creative!thinking!and!teamwork.!Bricks!are!used!to!think,!speak,!visualize,! understand! and! communicate.! And! players! are! engaged! in! a! playful! handsMon,$ mindsMon! experience!that!grants!a!more!meaningful!learning.!!

4.3.2.!The!process!step!by!step!

Our!role!as!teachers!moves!from!‘instructor’!to!‘facilitator’!as!to!follow!these!steps:! ! 1. Explain!the!students!what!the!process!consists!of!and!help!them!become!acquainted! with!LEGO!bricks.!As!an!icebreaker,!we!can!ask!them!to!build!up!a!tower!and!arrange! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 40!From!the!LSP!Website.!http://www.seriousplay.com/11400/THE%20PROMISE!

! 40! a! contest! to! test! stability;! or! ask! students! to! break! them! apart! –!which!usually! demonstrates!how!our!students!emotionally!connect!with!something!they!have!built.!! ! 2. Do! warm>up! activities,! as! they! are! necessary! to! help! students! tackle! the! idea! of! metaphor!before!getting!into!more!complex!tasks.!We!can!ask!them!to!build!a!small! model!of!how!they!think!they!are,!or!see!themselves,!and!to!share!what!they!have! build!with!the!rest!of!the!class.!By!doing!this!we!dig!into!significant!aspects!of!their! identities,!rendered!as!small!metaphorical!representations.!! ! 3. Then,!we!ask!them!to!build!a!model!that!shows!how!they!feel!in!our!class!and!what! they! bring! to! the! group.! We! can! add! some! humour! and! ask! them! to! build! “the! teacher! from! hell”,! for! instance.! As! they! do! not! representing! ‘the! actual’,! the! vast! majority!of!answers!are!honest!and!straightforward!and!they!do!not!feel!fearful!of! expressing!themselves.! ! 4. Finally,!we!ask!students!to!place!all!the!individual!models!together!and!connect!them! (using!connectors!or!bricks!of!a!similar!kind.!This!makes!the!landscape!model!that! represents! our! class.! Then! we! ask! them! to! place! agents! in! it.! As! explained! in! The$ Imaginopedia!(2004:!23)!agents!are!things!or!factors!that!have!influence!on!the!class.! They!can!be!physical!or!psychological,!abstract!or!concrete,!subtle!or!obvious,!large! or!small.! ! Note! that! >because! we! work! with! brick>metaphors>! there! is! no! need! to! use! the! word! ‘agents’!with!our!students.!We!can!simply!ask!them!to!build!and!place!in!things!that!have!an! impact!in!the!class.!Even!though!some!bricks!can!have!connotations!(golden!coins,!a!spider,! a!dragon,!a!star,!etc.)!it!is!the!students!who!attribute!meaning!to!them.!So!the!same!element! can! be! either! positive! o! negative.! For! example,! a! magic! wand! can! be! used! to! represent! “happiness”!but!it!can!also!adopt!a!completely!different!–and!not!so!positive>!meaning!like!“I! wished!I!had!a!magic!wand!to!change!these!certain!things!in!the!class”.! !

! 41! Agents!help!us!evaluate!connections:!how!the!students!see!and!position!the!teacher!or! how!they!relate!to!their!classmates:!if!they!feel!alone!or!stressed!out,!if!they!find!difficulties,! if! they! can! count! on! friends,! etc.! And! because! this! reflection! process! comes! out! through! play,!it!is!a!very!natural!and!smooth,!and!it!minimizes!risk>taking.! ! As!explained!above,!in!the!last!step!we!build!up!a!shared!identity:!our!landscape!model.!It! reflects!how!we!are!perceived!and!our!aspirations.!It!facilitates!diagnosis:!it!gives!us!insights! and!reveals!the!problems!the!class!faces.!It!can!help!us!set!guiding!principles!for!the!future.! !

4.4.!Creative$Explorations!and!the!principles!of!LSP!!

! In!Creative$Explorations!David!Gauntlett!presents!empirical!research!to!discuss!the!strong! connection! between! identity! and! creativity.! He! studies! the! LSP! process! and! claims! that! is! based!around!a!set!of!core!ideas:! ! 1. Systematic!Creativity! 2. Flow! 3. Constructivism!&!Constructionism! 4. A!HandsMOn,$MindsMOn!approach! 5. Building!identity!through!metaphors! !

Systematic!Creativity! ! Mihály! Csikszentmihalyi41!(1997:!78>81)! disdains! the! traditional! view! of! creativity! described! as! a! five>step! process! >preparation,! incubation,! insight,! evaluation! and! elaboration>!arguing!that!it!is!too!simple!and!linear.!Together!with!H.!Gardner!(1993,!2001)!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 41!Mihály!Csíkszentmihályi!is!a!Hungarian!psychology!professor!who!immigrated!to!the!United!States!at!an! early!age,!where!he!finally!became!Head!of!the!Department!of!Psychology,!at!the!University!of!Chicago.!He! is!known!for!his!studies!on!creativity!and!happiness;!and!for!inventing!the!notion!of!Flow.! !

! 42! he!proposes!a!theory!that!describes!creativity!as!a!triangle!that!connects!three!dimensions:! the!individual,!the!domain!(the!particular!symbolic!system!in!which!the!individual!works)!and! the!field!(the!other!people!working!in!the!domain).! ! The!three!dimensions!in!Csikszentmihalyi’s!triangle!correspond!to!the!domains!where!the! LSP!method!navigates.!This!adds!and!extra!value!because!it!proves!why!the!process!unlocks! ideas!that!are!especially!insightful,!beautiful,!useful,!original!and!unique.!! !

Flow! ! A!simple!definition!of!Flow!is!to!say!that!it!is!the!experience!of!being!enjoyably!immersed! in!a!challenging!task.!Moments!of!Flow!are!the!positive!experiences!we!remember,!those! imbued!with!social!or!personal!meaning,!with!pleasure,!or!with!‘fun’.!! ! Csikszentmihalyi!writes:!“The!best!moments!usually!occur!when!a!person’s!body!or!mind! is! stretched! to! its! limits! in! a! voluntary! effort! to! accomplish! something! difficult! and! worthwhile”! (2002:! 3).! This! idea! led! him! to! enlist! (2002:! 48>67)! the! elements! that! an! activity/experience!needs!to!make!individuals!reach!a!state!of!Flow:! ! . Be!challenging!activity!and!require!skills!! . Merge!action!and!awareness!in!complete!concentration!! . Have!clear!goals!and!feedback!! . Make!us!feel!complete!control!over!the!task!in!hand!! . Make!us!lose!self>consciousness! . Make!us!lose!track!of!time! ! Hence,! Flow! encompasses! the! mastery! of! external! materials! and! ideas! with! the! individual’s! own! mental! processes! and! attention.! This! parallels! Playful! Learning,! which! is! Flow!in!more!than!one!level.!As!the!LLI!explains:!“Flow!is!about!creating!meaning!by!ordering!

! 43! and!integrating!the!different!elements!of!ideas,!activities!or!creative!processes!so!that!they! become!part!of!a!coherent!experience,!unified,!absorbing.”42!! ! The!LSP!method!was!devised!following!Csikszentmihalyi’s!principles,!aiming!at!being!an! experience!that!helps!students!be!in!Flow;!and!it!is!easy!to!see!it!when!they!start!building.! !

Constructivism!&!Constructionism! ! LSP!makes!use!of!the!idea!of!constructivism!developed!by!the!psychologist!Jean!Piaget.! Piaget! argued! that! intelligence! grows! from! the! interaction! of! the! mind! with! the! world! through!connected!physical!activity,!such!as!making!with!the!hands.!This!idea!was!formerly! developed!by!Frank!Wilson,43!who!explained!that:!“when!you!make!something!using!your! hands,! an! extremely! complicated! process! takes! over! that! endows! the! experience! with! a! powerful!emotional!charge”!(1998:!6).! ! Seymour!Papert,!a!student!of!Piaget!based!his!ideas!(1991)!on!the!Swiss’!psychologist!and! crafted! his! own! definition! of! constructionism,! resulting! in! a! literal! implementation! of! the! idea! of! building! knowledge;! defining! it! as! ‘learning>by>making’.! As! Gauntlett! explains:! “Papert!noticed!that!when!students!were!making!something!with!their!hands,!they!were!in!a! deeply!engaged!state,!whereas!when!they!were!making!something!rather!abstract!in!their! minds!alone!they!were!much!less!engrossed.![…]!The!level!of!fascinated!engagement!that! Papert!noticed!was!that!state!which!Csikszentmihalyi!would!later!call!Flow”!(2008:!131).! ! In! similar! manner,! psychologist! Margaret! Boden44! (2003)! argues! that! nothing! is! more! natural!than!playing$around!with!materials!and!constraints!“at!hand”!to!gauge!the!potential! and!the!limits!of!a!given!way!of!thinking.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 42!The$Future$of$Play!p.34! 43!Frank!Wilson!is!a!respected!neurologist!known!internationally.!He!is!regarded!as!respected!authority! for!his!more!than!twenty!years!of!study!of!the!neurological!basis!of!skilled!hand!use.!! ! 44!Dr.!Margaret!A.!Boden!is!Research!Professor!of!Cognitive!Science!at!the!Department!of!Informatics!at! the!University!of!Sussex.!She!holds!a!Ph.D.!in!social!psychology!from!Harvard!University.!

! 44! ! A!solid!principle!of!LSP!is!Give$the$mind$a$hand,$and$the$hand$a$system,!a!motto!that!Edith! Ackermann,!from!the!LLI,!explains!as!follows:45!! !

Giving!the!mind!a!hand!suggests!that!systematic!creativity!is!both!mental!and!physical!>!think! and!act!at!the!same!time.!Giving!the!hand!a!system!further!suggests!that!the!building!materials!> in!this!case!LEGO!bricks>!offer!a!rich!repertoire!of!patterned!elements!(parts!and!connectors),!the! constraints!of!which!(a!visual>tactile!language!with!a!“logic”)!help!sustain!mindful!engagement! through!playful!exploration.!(2009:!56)! ! Using! the! hands! to! explore! opens! up! a! different! channel! for! the! communication! of! an! experience.!The!developers!of!LSP!realized!this!and!used!the!idea!that!we!can!use!our!hands! to!construct!models!of!knowledge.!The!LEGO!brick!works!as!a!catalyst,!and!uses!the!hand> mind!connection!to!give!visual!and!metaphorical!shape!to!things,!emotions!and!relationships! we!care!about.!Building!representation!of!ideas!and!feelings!opens!up!a!new!path!for!free,! creative!and!expressive!thinking,!and!triggers!processes!we!were!previously!unaware!of.! !

Building!identity!through!metaphors! ! It! is! a! general! belief! that! a! metaphor! is! a! poetic! device,! a! clever! figure! of! speech! in! literature.! But! the! truth! is! that! metaphors! are! present! in! daily! life! and! add! meaning! in! a! unique!way.!In!Metaphors$we$Live$By!George!Lakoff!and!Mark!Johnson46!confirm!the!above:! “A!Metaphor!is!for!most!people!a!rhetorical!flourish![…]!We!have!found,!on!the!contrary,! that!metaphor!is!pervasive!in!everyday!life,!not!just!in!language!but!in!thought!and!action! […]!how!we!both!think!and!act,!is!fundamentally!metaphorical!in!nature”!(2003:!3).!Their!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 45!Taken!from!LLI’s!report:!Defining!Systematic!Creativity.! 46!George!P.!Lakoff!is!an!American! cognitive! linguist! and! Professor! of! Linguistics! at! the! University! of! California,! Berkeley.! He! is! famous! for! his! ideas! of! metaphors! being! central! to! human! thinking.! Mark! L.! Johnson!is!Knight!Professor!of!Liberal!Arts!and!Sciences!in!the!Department!of!Philosophy!at!the!University! of!Oregon.!He!is!known!for!his!contributions!to!cognitive!linguistic!and!science!as!well!as!for!his!articles!on! several!philosophical!issues.!!

! 45! thoughts!are!based!on!I.!A.!Richards’s47!Philosophy$of$Rhetoric,!that!asserts!that:!“metaphors! frame!the!way!we!perceive!the!world”!(1936:!108>9).! ! Even!Aristotle,!when!he!set!out!the!principles!of!metaphors!2350!years!ago,!argued!that! they!convey!knowledge!in!a!way!that!produces!surprising!mental!images.!The!idea!is!also! common!to!Paul!Ricoueur’s48!(2003)!who!sees!metaphors!as!common!tool!in!communication! and!believes!that!every!time!we!make!use!of!them!new!meaning!emerges;!as!they!are!living$ language! that! allow! us! to! create! new! knowledge.! In! an! interview! with! Reagan! he! even! declared:!“metaphor!is!the!most!creative!part!of!everyday!speech”!(1998:!107).! ! In!Creative$Explorations!D.!Gauntlett!recounts!his!research49!on!creativity!and!identity.!He! asked!participants!to!build!metaphorical!representations!of!their!identity!using!LEGO!bricks,! and!reflect!on!them!after.!In!the!LSP!sessions!he!arranged,!he!found!something!important:! “Hands! and! mind! seemed! to! be! working! together! in! unison,! playing! with! different! pieces! until!conscious!or!previously>not>quite>conscious!ideas!emerged!in!the!formations!of!LEGO! shapes,!figures!and!animals”!(2007:!196).! ! What! is! more,! building! a! metaphorical! model! of! one’s$self! using! bricks! is! a! perfect! instance!of!Anthony!Giddens’!narrative$of$self;50!that!is,!an!unusually!deliberate!meditation! of! identity,! with! a! prefiguration,$ configuration$ and$ refiguration! phase.! Indeed,! all! the! participants! in! the! LSP! experience! represented! their! identities! building! models! that! were! solid!and!attractive.!And!they!al!seemed!pleased!and!proud!of!them.!Thus,!if!we!combine!the! value! and! power! of! metaphors! and! of! identity,! we! cannot! but! acknowledge! that! the! outcomes!of!a!LSP!session!have$to!be!startling.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 47!Ivor!Armstrong!Richards!was!an!influential!English!rhetorician!and!literary!critic.!His!books!(including! The!Philosophy!of!Rhetoric)!were!foundations!for!modern!literary!criticism.! 48! Paul! Ricœur! was! a! French! philosopher! known! for! combining! hermeneutics! with! phenomenological! description.!His!thought!is!in!the!same!line!as!Heidegger’s!and!Gadamer’s.! 49!Appendix!5!provides!careful!detail!of!Gauntlett’s!project.!! 50!Anthony!Giddens!is!regarded!as!one!of!the!most!prominent!modern!sociologist.!He!is!British!and!he!is! known! for! his! holistic! view! of! modern! societies.! ! He! had! published! thirtyVfour! books! in! almost! thirty! languages,!so!he!is!internationally!recognized.!Giddens!argues!that!individuals!in!contemporary!Western! societies!have!to!construct!and!maintain!a!personal!biographical!narrative!of!the!self,!in!order!to!enjoy!a! coherent!and!stable!existence!(1991,1992).!LEGO!identity!models!are!a!public!and!private!reflection!of! one’s!identity.!

! 46! !

4.5.!Further!reasons!for!bringing!LSP!in!the!EFL!class!

! At!first,!everybody!thinks!that!LSP!is!awkward.!But!once!they!try!it!they!realize!it!works! and,!what!is!more,!they!really!enjoy!it.!The!nature!of!the!process!is!both!simple!and!intricate,! and!that!is!what!makes!it!an!absolutely!rich!teaching!tool.!LSP!has!many!advantages.!Some! are!enlisted!below:!! ! • It! is! a! collaborative! process:! All! participants! get! an! equal! opportunity! to! express! their! feelings!and!ideas.!All!contributions!are!embraced!within!a!broader!common!vision.! ! • It! is! innovative! and! creative,! an! alternative! approach! to! traditional! language>driven! qualitative!methods.!In!LSP!there!is!no!wrong/right!answer!because!it!is!experiential,!and! it!starts!with!the!idea!that!“the!answers!are!already!in!the!room.”51! ! • It!boosts!the!three!types!of!imagination52:!descriptive,!creative,!and!challenging.! ! • As!revealed!by!D.!Gauntlett!in!his!identity>experiment:!“I!found!LEGO!to!be!a!colorful,! appealing!and!straightforward!medium,!which!almost!all!of!the!participants!loved!>!and! which,!unusually!for!an!art!or!craft!material,!meant!that!everybody!was!able!to!produce! something!with!which!they!felt!satisfied”!(2007:!195).! ! • It! prompts! out>of>the>box! thinking:! Whereas! formal! education! trains! us! to! follow! protocols! and! to! think! firmly! inside! the! box,! LSP! reminds! us! that! creativity! is! about! divergent!thinking.!“Our!minds!learn!best!and!retain!most!when!we!are!actively!involved! with! what! we! are! trying! to! learn,! as! opposed! to! passively! listening! to! instructions”53! (2004:!11).!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 51!LSP$The$Science$of$LEGO$Serious$Play,!2006.! 52!As!described!by!Johan!Roos!in!“Towards!a!New!Model!of!StrategyVMaking!as!Serious!Play”.! 53!Taken!from!The$Imaginopedia.!

! 47! ! • It! grants! Playful! Learning:! thinking! freely! and! without! constraints,! trying! out! different! things.! ! • It!taps!into!the!world!of!literature!through!notions!like!metaphors,!narrative$identities,54! telling!stories,!etc.!And!it!allows!playing!the!What$if/Would$it$be$different$if!game.! ! • It! constructs! a! shared! identity! for! our! class,! which! transmits! the! students! a! sense! of! belonging!and!makes!class!environment!flexible!and!reliable.! ! • It! raises! motivation,! increases! interaction! and! inculcates! respect:! Students! always! feel! proud!of!their!creations,!so!they!do!want!to!share!and!tell!about!them,!as!well!as!to!see! and!listen!to!their!classmates’.! ! • It!boosts!Metacognition!>reflections!upon!the!learning.! ! • It!facilitates!content!alignment:!helps!the!teacher!guide!instruction,!devise!Lesson!Plans! and!improve!teaching!techniques!for!the!future.! ! • It!works!perfect!with!groups!of!all!sizes.! ! • It!is!flexible:!It!does!not!matter!if!a!student!cannot!build!a!particular!thing!he/she!has!in! your!mind!because!he/she!can!use!anything!to!represent!anything.! ! • It! fully! discovers,! locates! and! relocates! or! students’! capabilities,! competences,! skills,! abilities!and!aptitudes.! ! • It! allows! us! to! adopt! either! a! more! primary! or! secondary! role! –acting! more! as! an! instructor!or!as!a!facilitator.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 54!Paul!Ricoeur,!in!his!discussion!of!the!‘narrative!identity’!claims!that!meaning!comes!alive!when!stories! are!made.!

! 48! ! • Its!potential!is!fully!exploitable:!Building!challenges!can!be!base!for:!practicing!all!aspects! of! the! linguistic! and! the! communicative! competences.! For! instance,! changing! the! landscape!model!allows!us!to:!arrange!debates,!practicing!whMquestions,!work!with!the! conditional!form,!etc.!! ! • It! is! easy! to! adapt.! Depending! on! the! age! and! building! skills! off! our! students! we! can! change,!combine!or!modify!building!challenges!to!the!task!with!all!sorts!of!alternatives.! We!can:!!! ! o Create!models!so!that!they!interpret!or!comment!on!them! o Build!premade!models!and!ask!students!to!copy!them,!as!to!develop!their!building! skills! o Limit!the!number!of!bricks!and!choosing!a!simple!object! o Provide!them!with!a!premade!building!landscape!and!work!together!with!them!to! role!play!potential!situations!that!could!befall!the!class! o Play!the!Who$Made$It!game:!Students!analyze!the!identity!models!their!peers’!and! guess!who!is!the!author!of!each! o Provide!white!bricks!to!write!concepts;!it!plays!down!the!metaphor! o Decide!on!the!kinds!of!bricks!we! give! out:! include! more! connectors,! more! basic! elements,!less!colours,!a!larger!or!shorter!amount,!etc.! o Include!minifigures,!knowing!they!make!metaphors!more!concrete.!It!is!frequent! that!students!interpret!that!‘a!minifigure’!equals!an!individual’! ! • It! makes! our! students! familiar! with! LEGO! bricks,! which! makes! it! easy! to! use! other! board!games!with!similar!mechanics!such!as!LEGO!Creationary!(Image!10!in!Appendix! 2)!or!any!of!the!LEGO!Games!Series.! !

! 49! 5.!Linking!ideas!to!the!lessons!learned!in!this!Master’s!

! I!believe!it!is!clear!to!see!a!feasible!and!successful!way!of!linking!the!use!of!board!games! for!EFL!teaching!with!the!techniques!that!we!have!learned!in!the!diverse!modules!of!this! Master’s!program.!! ! For!instance,!when!Dealing!with!Grammar,!Vocabulary!and!Pronunciation,!word!games! become! fabulous! icebreakers! to! get! into! more! complex! explanations.! Additionally,! all! the! aspects!of!grammar!can!be!improved!by!a!board!game!if!we!pick!the!right!one;!for!instance,! using!Guess$Who!to!practice!Yes/No!questions!with!kids.! ! LSP! can! help! us! explain! vowel! quantity! and! quality.! For! example,! a! one>stud! brick! can! represent! a! short! vowel! whereas! a! two>stud! brick! represent! a! long! vowel! or! a! diphthong! (Images!11,!12!and!13!in!Appendix!2).! ! Reading! skills! are! clearly! improved! through! board! game>based! activity.! As! John! H.! Underwood!points:!“Learners!may!voluntarily!read!more!than!they!would!if!assigned!a!linear! text,! and! their! comprehension! can! be! expected! to! increase! with! each! repetition”! (1987:! 217).! ! Poetry!in!the!Language!Class!is!enhanced!by!any!word!game!we!play.!Magnetic$poetry!is! specific!to!help!our!students!write!their!own!compositions;!but!any!board!game!that!makes! use!of!refrains!or!rhyming!sentences!can!work.!! ! High$ School$ Drama!,$ Gesstures,$ Soccer$ Drama,$ CoMotion:$ The$ Competitive$ Game$ of$ Communicative$Gestures!or!Charades!can!help!us!bring!in!Drama!in!Language!Learning.!!

However,!it!is!not!always!necessary!that!the!board!games!are!that$specific.!We!can!use! Pictionary!to!illustrate!a!poem,!Film$Frenzy!to!activate!the!students’!dramatic!skills,!use!LSP! to!make!them!build!with!LSP!a!metaphor!of!their!interpretation!of!a!play!or!a!poem,!etc.!Any!

! 50! board!games!can!become!the!optimal!source!for!material!development!if!we!plan!carefully! the!way!to!align!it!with!our!teaching!goals.!! !

5.1.!Cultural!Aspects!of!Foreign!Language!Teaching!

! Cultural! values! can! also! be! taught! through! board! games,! especially! through! designer! games!because!their!content!is!culturally!loaded.!As!explained!by!Gunther!Kress55!(2001)!the! board!game!creates!a!context!where!communication!is!seen!as!dynamic!processes!that!take! place! in! a! socially! and! culturally! constructed! world.! For! example,! Magic$ Tate$ Ball,! Tate$ Trumps!or!Race$ Against$ Time! are! downloadable! applications! developed! by! the! Tate! Museum.56!They!all!show!to!our!students!–!and!through!Playful!Learning>!that!art!is!exciting! and!present!our!everyday!lives.!Similarly,!board!games!like!London’s$Burning,!Virgin$Queen! or! 1761:$ From$ Canal$ to$ Rail! teach! English! history! and! idiosyncrasy! in! a! very! entertaining! manner.! !

5.2.!Befriending!the!digital!world!

! As! we! saw! in! Computer$ Assisted$ Instruction,! the! use! of! ICT! (TIC)! in! the! EFL! class! is! becoming!more!and!more!present!and!important.!The!fact!that!our!students!react!positively! to!the!use!of!board!games!makes!ICT!implementation!easier;!because!board!games!and!the! digital!world!are!closely!connected.!Online!supplement!resources!on!the!use!of!board!games! are!plentiful:!social!networks,!discussions,!forum!on!specific!games,!websites,!strategies,!rule! sets!in!different!languages,!ratings,!reviews!online,!databases!such!as!Board!Game!Geek,!and! many!more.! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 55!Gunther!Kress!is!Professor!of!Semiotics!and!Education!in!the!Department!of!Learning,!at!the!Institute!of! Education!of!the!University!of!London.!He!is!also!an!MBE!(Member!of!the!Order!of!the!British!empire)!due! to!his!services!to!scholarship.! 56!Further!information!at!http://www.tate.org.uk/contextVcomment/apps/magicVtateVball!!

! 51! These!open>sources!of!information!allow!the!teacher!to!design!a!wide!range!of!activities! to! practice! L2! in! an! authentic! environment:! design! webquests,! set! up! weblogs>based! activities,! or! evaluate! online! discussion.! In! addition,! there! are! specific! sites! that! connect! gamers! worldwide,! providing! interactive! gaming! experiences! in! a! safe! environment;! what! allows!planning!mail>exchanges>tasks!with!other!game>peers.! !

5.3.!The!Place!of!Literature!in!the!Teaching!of!English!

! The! sparkly! nature! of! board! games! and! the! Playful! Learning! experiences! they! provide,! mirror! John! McRae’s! What$ If! approach.! Though! unaware! of! this! fact,! the! LLI! draws! a! parallelism!between!the!two:57! !

“Curious$ minds! seek! evidence,! ask! why>questions,! and! offer! causal! explanations! (“if! then”! statements)![…]!Playful$minds,!in!contrast,!subvert!“realities”!into!fantasy!or!fiction!and!ask!what> if!questions,!turning!the!familiar!into!the!incongruous.!When!successful,!both!curious!minds!and! playful!spirits!create!and!inspire,!yet!they!do!so!in!different!ways,!engaging!different!parts!of!a! person’s!mind!in!an!enriched!dialogue.”! !

!5.4.!Storytelling!and!story!making!

! As! we! saw! in! Short$ Stories$ for$ Creative$ Language$ Teaching,! when! we! share! stories! we! open! up! a! new! world! that! combines! creativity,! imagination,! role! play! and! meaningful! communication.! The! atmosphere! is! very! similar! to! the! one! when! we! play! board! games.! Indeed,!there!is!no!need!to!go!too!far!to!find!elements!of!storytelling!within!board!games,! and! especially! in! those! of! the! designer! kind:! characters,! backgrounds,! plots,! subplots,! problems,!resolutions,!etc.!As!in!the!LSP!method,!it!is!all!about!exploiting!the!storytelling!and! story>making! component,! and! about! sharing! experiences! that! are! meaningful! to! all! of! us.! Claudia!Ferradas!insisted!on!how!powerful!and!magic!stories!are.!If!we!use!board!games!that!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 57!Defining$Systematic$Creativity,!p.48!

! 52! entail!stories,!we!will!soon!realize!that!they!unlock!leaning!in!a!very!different!and!special! way.! ! The$Imaginopedia$acknowledges!this!fact!and!explains:! ! A!story!probably!does!more!to!impress!itself!on!you!than!just!hearing!the!dry!facts!takeover.! The!story!may!be!fanciful,!but!it!engages.!It!puts!you!right!there,!where!the!action!is.!You!can! imagine!what!happens!next…!or!what!you!might!have!done!differently!…!or!what!action!you! would!take!if!it!happens!again.!In!the!story’s!ability!to!capture!the!imagination!lies!its!potency:!its! meaning!can!forever!impact!your!actions.!(2004:!8)!! !

5.5.!Classroom!Management!and!Motivation!!

! I!completely!believe!that!LSP!ameliorates!classroom!management.!As!we!have!seen,!if!we! ask! our! students! to! build! a! metaphorical! model! of! how! they! feel! in! our! class,! we! gain! precious! insights! on! many! aspects! of! their! identity,! their! personality! and! even! of! their! learning!styles.!As!explained,!the!network!of!our!students’!interdependent!models!results!in! the!class’!Landscape!model!(Images!14,!15,!16!and!17!in!Appendix!2).!By!connecting!all!the! models!together,!we!are!building!a!shared!identity,!reinforcing!class!bonds!and!nurturing!a! sense!of!community!and!belonging.!!This!Landscape!model!is!also!an!X>ray!of!the!state!of! affairs:!it!helps!us!evaluate!the!needs!of!the!students.!It!also!permits!to!manage!conflict!and! disruption! in! a! safe! way,! because! working! with! metaphors! avoids! the! possible! and! troublesome!misuse!of!words.! ! Utilizing! the! Landscape! model! is! a! way! of! working! together! with! our! students! >making! everyone!participant>!in!a!common!effort!to!improve!the!T/L!process.!For!example:! ! • We!can!create!cards!with!challenges!that!can!arise!and!ask!our!students!to!change!the! model!or!adapt!it!to!the!new!situation.!This!helps!them!visualize!and!ponder!the!best! possibilities!for!action!and!interaction.! !

! 53! • We!can!ask!students!to!do!a!role>play!of!how!they!will!solve!a!critical!issue,!or!confront!a! touchy!situation.!! ! • We!can!also!use!it!to!negotiate!classroom!rules! ! As! the! landscape! model! is! like! a! photograph! of! our! class,! it!helps!us!anticipate,! plan,! hypothesize,!and!take!effective!decisions!in!regards!to!group!dynamics,!with!confidence!and! commitment.! !

! 54! Final!Considerations!

! I!would!like!to!start!this!closing!section!by!sharing!the!wise!words!of!Mayer!and!Harris:! “With!each!game!experience,!students!are!building!and!refining!literacy!skills!so!critical!to! their!academic!success!that!to!dismiss!gaming!because!of!prejudice!is!inexcusable.!Our!goal! as! teachers! is! to! inspire! students! to! develop! their! mastery! over! the! English! language! regardless!of!the!format”!(2010:!71).! ! As,!we!have!seen!board!games!and!creative!methods!as!LSP!grant!Flow!and!experiences! full!of!Playful!Learning,!which!translates!in!a!great!involvement!on!the!part!of!the!students.! As!explained!by!Holm!Sørensen!“Games!are!a!framework!for!providing!a!meaningful!context! for!language!acquisition!so!they!can!become!significant!models!for!the!design!of!educational! material!for!language!teaching!and!learning”!(2007:!561).!! ! To!bring!out!the!value!of!board!games!is!exactly!the!aim!of!this!project.!And!I!have!tried! to! defend! such! claim! all! throughout! its! pages:! Board' games! have! the! potential! to! complement! (and! in! some! cases! even! replace)!drill>based! educational! material! and! traditional! instructional! methods.! EFL! teachers! should! regard! them! as! a! new! type! of! tool/resource' capable! of! addressing'twenty\first\century' learning' skills' with'rigor'and' relevance.!! ! As!discussed,!LSP!and!designer!games!prove!to!be!our!best!alleys!because!>as!argued!by! Mayer!and!Harris:!“they!are!unique!in!their!ability!to!gather!players!around!a!common!board! face>to>face!play!that!is!so!critical!for!social!development![…]”!(2010:!16);!but!also!because! of!their!complex!mechanics,!real!content!and!rich!themes!provide!authentic!experiences!and! a!learning!that!is!lasting!and!memorable.! ! Either!American,!of!the!modern!type,!products!of!Edutainment,!or!the!ones!we!have!at! home!every!board!game!can!serve!to!us.!But!we!should!never!forget!that!they!only!work!if! we!make!them!work.!They!can!inspire!us!but!it!is!ultimately!us!who!select!or!discard.!!

! 55! ! This! Master’s! thesis! has! tried! to! give! some! clues! to! master! board! game>syllabus! alignment.! But! in! the! end,! and! as! it! often! occurs! in! education,! it! all! comes! down! to! the! teacher.!Because!one!can!think!that!the!above!is!easier!said!than!done,!I!have!configured!my! own!table58!with!the!board!games!that!I!consider!the!most!suitable!for!EFL!teaching!and!for! classroom!use.!It!is!obviously,!very!subjective.!But!I!hope!it!provides!guidance!and!supports! my!arguments,!to!prove!that!learning!and!play!are!not!antagonists!but!a!merry!couple!that! live!happily!ever!after.! !! This!project!started!with!Playful!Learning,!followed!with!board!games!and!finished!with! Serious! Play;! and! all! along! its! pages! my! claim! has! been! the! same:! their! rich! nature,! their! great! value,! their! tremendous! great! potential.! Thus,! I! can! consider! myself! happy! if! any! teacher,! after! reading! this,! feels! curious! or! tempted! to! bring! a! board! game! or! try! LSP! in! his/her!class.!I!just!say:!we!should.!Why?!Because!I!am!sure!that!the!first!teacher!to!bring!in! a!song!or!a!real!newspaper!article!for!teaching!grammar,!to!play!a!Listening!with!an!accent! that!was!not!RP,!or!to!set!a!reading!that!was!not!mainstream!literature!probably!did!not!find! it!easy!either.!! ! ! ! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 58!Appendix!5.!Please!note!the!games!in!purple!are!recommended!for!adults!whereas!the!ones!in!green!are! more!suitable!for!kids.!Note!that!almost!all!the!games!are!of!the!designer!kind! !

! 56! References!

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! 57! Giddens,! A.! (1991).! Modernity$ and$ SelfMIdentity:$ Self$ and$ Society$ in$ the$ Late$ Modern$ Age.! Cambridge:!Polity.! Giddens,!A.!(1992).!The$Transformation$of$Intimacy.!Cambridge:!Polity.!! Hadfield,!J.!(1999).!Intermediate$Vocabulary$Games.!Harlow:!Longman.!! Hinebaugh,! J.! P.! (2009).! A$ Boardgame$ Education:$ Building$ Skills$ for$ Academic$ Success.! Plymouth:!The!Rowman!&!Littlefield!Publishing!Group.! Huizinga,!J.!(1955).!Homo!Ludens:!A!study!of!the!play>element!in!culture.!Boston:!Beacon! Press.! Kane,!P.!(2005).!The$Play$Ethic:$A$Manifesto$for$a$Different$Way$of$Living.!London:!Pan.!! Kodotchigova,! M.! A.! (2002).! Role! play! in! teaching! culture:! Six! quick! steps! for! classroom! implementation.!Internet$TESL$Journal,$8$(7).!Retrieved!from:! http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kodotchigova>RolePlay.html! Kress,! G.,! &! Van! Leeuwen,! T.! (2001).! Multimodal$ Discourse.$ The$ Modes$ and$ Media$ of$ Contemporary$Communication.$London:!Cappelen.!! Lakoff,!G.,!&!Johnson,!M.!(2003).$Metaphors$We$Live$By.!Chicago:!UCP.! Lee!Su!Kim.!(1995).!Creative!games!for!the!language!class.!Forum,!33!(1),!35.!Retrieved!from! http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol33/no1/P35.htm! LEGO!Learning!Insititute.!(2009).!Defining$Systematic$Creativity.!Retrieved!from:! http://learninginstitute.lego.com/en>us/research/systematic>creativity/! LEGO!Learning!Institute.!(2010).!The$Future$of$Play:$Defining$the$role$and$value$of$play$in$the$ 21st$century.!Retrieved!from:! !http://learninginstitute.lego.com/en>us/research/future>of>play/! LEGO!Serious!Play.!(2001).!The$Imaginopedia$for$The$Enterprise.$Real$Time$Strategy.!Enfield,! CT:!LEGO!System,!Inc.!! LEGO!Serious!Play.!(2004).!The$Imaginopedia$for$LEGO$Serious$Play$Applications.!Billund:!The! LEGO!Group.!! LEGO!Serious!Play.!(2006).!The$Science$of$LEGO$Serious$Play.!Billund:!The!LEGO!Group.!! Mayer,!B.,!&!Harris,!C.$(2010).!Libraries$Got$Game:$Align$Learning$Through$Modern$Board$ Games.!Chicago,!IL:!American!Library!Association.! Millar,!S.!(1968).!The$Psychology$of$Play.!Harmonsworth:!Penguin!Books,!Ltd.!

! 58! Papert,! S.! &! Harel,! I.! (1991).! Situating! Constructionism.! Constructionism.! Norwood:! Ablex! Publishing.!Available!at:! http://www.papert.org/articles/SituatingConstructionism.html! Pellegrini,!A.!D.!(2009).!The$Role$of$Play$in$Human$Development.!Oxford:!Oxford!University! Press.! Piaget,! J.! (1980).! Conversations! with! Jean! Piaget.! Interviews! by! Jean>Claude! Bringuier.! Society,$17(3),!56>61.!doi:!10.1007/BF02694634! Reagan,!C.!E.!(1998).!Paul$Ricoeur:$His$Life$and$His$Work.!Chicago:!UCP.! Resnick,! M.! (2004).! Edutainment?! No! thanks.! I! Prefer! Playful! Learning.! Retrieved! from:! http://llk.media.mit.edu/papers/edutainment.pdf! Richards,!I.!A.!(1936).!The$Philosophy$of$Rhetoric.!Oxford:!OUP.! Ricoeur,!P.!(2003).!The$Rule$of$Metaphor:$The$Creation$of$Meaning$in$Language.!R.!Czerny,!K.! McLaughlin!&!J.!Costello!(Trans.).!London:!Routledge!Classics.! Roos,! J.,! &! Victor,! B.! (1999).! Towards! a! New! Model! of! Strategy>Making! as! Serious! Play.! European$Management$Journal,!17.4,!348>355.! Sørensen,!B.!H.,!&!Meyer,!B.!(2007).!Serious!Games!in!language!learning!and!teaching!–!a! theoretical!perspective.!Situated$Play,!559>566.!Tokyo:!University!of!Tokyo.! Uberman,! A.! (1998).! The! use! of! games! for! vocabulary! presentation! and! revision.! Forum,$

36(1),!p.20.!Retrieved!from:!http://www.teflgames.com/why.html! Underwood,!J.!H.!(1987).!Artificial!Intelligence!and!CALL.!Modern$Media$in$Foreign$Language$ Education:$ Theory$ and$ Implementation.! Lincolnwood,! ILL:! National! Textbook! Company.!! Warschauer,! M.,! &! Shetzer,! H.! (2000).! An! electronic! literacy! approach! to! network>based! language! learning.! In! M.! Warschauer! &! R.! Kern! (Eds.),$ NetworkMbased$ Language$ Teaching:$Concepts$and$Practice,!(pp.!171>185).!Cambridge:!CUP.! Wilson,!F.!R.!(1998).!The$Hand:$How$Its$Use$Shapes$the$Brain,$Language$and$Human$Culture.! New!York:!Pantheon!Books.!! Winnicott,! D.! W.! (1975).! Playing$ and$ Reality.! (Reprinted! in! 2005).! London:! Routledge! Classics.!!

! 59! Wright,!A.,!Betteridge,!D.,!&!Buckby,!M.!(2005).!Games$for$Language$Learning!(3rd!ed.).!New! York:!CUP.!

! 60! Appendices!

Appendix!1!

Figure!1:!The!four!aspects!of!play!in!relation!to!‘rules’!and!‘imagination’!(from!The$Future$ of$Play,!2010:!28)

Board'game' Kinds' Board'Game' components'

Representation!of!real!life!situations! $ THEME! With!no!inherent!them! Checkers$ With!a!specific!theme/narrative! Cluedo$ Simple!Rules! TicMTacMToe$ RULES! Complex!rules,!game!universe! Dungeons$&$Dragons$ Profound!strategy!but!simple!rules! Chess,$Go$ STRATEGY/! Simple!or!no!strategy.!Luck!is!decisive!and!can! Candy$Land,$Chutes$and$ LUCK! be!introduced!into!a!game!by!several!methods:!a! Ladders,$Monopoly,$Risk$ ! dice,!a!deck!of!shuffled!cards,!spinners,!timers!or! by!randomly!picking!components! Information!game!(complete!info!available)! Chess$ INFORMATION! Little!information!available,!or!totally!hidden.! Tigris$and$Euphrates$ Estimate!probability.! Standardized!and!unchanging!board! Chess,$Go,$Backgammon$ Modular!board,!component!tiles!or!cards! Carcassonne,$Settlers$of$ BOARD! assume!varying!layout!every!time! Catan,$Taluva,$Fjords$ Role!Play,!the!board!is!a!scenario! Dungeons$&$Dragons,$Tibet:$ The$Roleplaying$Game$ PIECE!! Multiple!kind!of!pieces!for!all!players! Monopoly$

! 61! (also!called!counter,! Same!pieces!for!all!players! DixIt$ token,!bit,!meeple,! Different!colour,!equal!shape!in!every!player!! Carcassonne,$Ludo,$Chess,$ mover,!man,!pawn,! TicMTacMToe$ etc.)! Equal!colour,!different!shape!for!all!players! Battleship$

! Table!1.!Board!game!types!based!on!its!components! !

Board'game'Category' Board'Games' Abstract!strategy! Chess,$Checkers,$Go,$Reversi,$Abalone,$Stratego$ Dexterity!Game! Pitch$Car,$Tumblin’$Dice,$Big$Brain$Academy$ German!Style/!Eurogames! The$Settlers$of$Catan,$Puerto$Rico,$Carcassonne$ American!Games! Monopoly,$Hotels,$Party&Co$ Cleopatra$and$the$Society$of$Architects,$Shakespeare:$The$ Educational!Games! Bard$Game,$Arthur$Saves$the$Planet$ Family!Games! Roll$Through$the$Ages,$For$Sale,$Birds$on$a$Wire,$Identik$ Historical!Simulation! Through$the$Ages,$Railways$of$the$World$ Large!Multiplayer!Games! Swat,$Take$it$Easy$ Musical!Games! Simon,$Spontuneous,$Rock$Star$Life$ Race!Games! Pachisi,$Worm$up,$Hippos,$Backgammon$ Roll>and>move! Monopoly,$Life$ Share>buying!games! Pay$Day,$Imperial,$Stock$Market$ Spiritual!development!games! Transformation$Game,$Psyche’s$Key$ Two>player!only! En$Garde,$Dos$de$Mayo$ Trivia! Trivial$Pursuit,$Cranium$ Train!Games! Ticket$to$Ride,$Union$Pacific,$Steam$ War!Games! Risk,$Conquest$of$the$Empire$ Language!and!Word!Games! Boggle,$Scrabble,$What’s$My$Word$ ! Table!2.!Board!game!categories!according!to!Wikipedia!and!Board!Game!Geek!

! 62! Appendix!2!

! Image!1! !

! Image!2! !

!

! 63! Image!3!

!!!!!! ! ! ! Image!4! ! ! ! ! ! Image!5! !

! ! ! ! Image!6! ! ! ! ! ! Image!7! !

! ! ! Image!8! ! ! ! ! ! Image!9! !

! ! ! !

! 64! Image!10! ! ! ! ! ! Image!11! ! ! !

! ! Image!12! ! ! ! Image!13! !

! ! ! Image!14! ! ! ! ! Image!15! !

! ! Image!16! ! ! ! ! ! Image!17! ! ! ! !

! 65! !

! 66! Appendix!3!

! LEGO!Serious!Play!Testimonials!

From!the!LEGO!Educators!Website,!U.S.59! ! Erin!Hardy,!2nd>grade!teacher!at!East!Richland!Elementary!School!in!Olney,!IL!! “I!enjoy!what!my!classroom!is!like!during!LEGO!Serious!Play.!Students!are!100%!on!task! and!engaged.!LEGO!Serious!Play!helps!students!build!relationships!and!find!their!voice!!In!a! very!diverse!classroom,!ALL!students!have!success!with!LEGO!Serious!Play,!and!LEGO!bricks! level!the!playing!field.!Students!answer!their!building!challenge!at!their!own!level!and!with! endless!possibilities.!They!are!confident!and!show!leadership!when!sharing!their!stories!with! others.!Ethan!loved!LEGO!Serious!Play!because!“there!is!no!right!or!wrong!answers!and!you! think!with!your!hands.”!The!communication!skills!that!students!acquire!through!the!use!of! LEGO! Education! products! are! phenomenal.! Evy,! one! of! the! students,! was! great! at! communicating!through!her!LEGO!model!and!said,!“It!doesn’t!have!to!be!fancy.!When!you! build!your!model!it!can!just!be!one!brick.!One!brick!can!show!a!HUGE!story.”!Using!LEGO! bricks!in!my!classroom!has!added!a!new!depth!and!excitement!to!learning,!not!just!for!the! students!but!for!me!as!well!”! ! Justin!Osterstrom,!A.B.!Combs!Leadership!Magnet!Elementary!in!Raleigh,!NC! ! Justin!took!part!in!a!project!to!test!the!LEGO!Serious!Play!classroom!solution!during!its! development.!He!has!now!used!the!method!with!his!10!and!11>year>old!students!for!almost! two!years!and!he!is!convinced!that!it!deeply!enriches!their!learning.!Justin!reports:!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 59!Taken!from:!the!LEGO!Education!Website!for!Professional!Development! http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/ProfessionalDevelopment/what_is_lsp.cfm?paID=4485! And!from!LEGO!Education!Elementary!Trifold! http://c10645061.r61.cf2.rackcdn.com/pdf/catalog/2012legoelementarytrifold.pdf! ! !

! 67! ! “The!LEGO!Serious!Play!initiative!brought!a!huge!interest!to!the!students!learning.!The! idea!of!using!bricks!created!intrinsic!motivation.!The!method!includes!a!set!of!rules!such!as:! Think!with!your!hands;!explain!meaning!rather!than!looks;!everyone!must!participate.!All!of! this!changes!the!norms!in!a!classroom.!! ! I! want! a! resource! that! deepens! higher! order! thinking,! communication! skills! and! imagination! and! this! method! answers! that! need.! It! expands! on! the! art! and! science! of! teaching! by! adjusting! our! practice! and! offering! a! method! that! meets! student! needs! and! interests.!! ! When!they!build!they!tend!to!go!deeper!...I!might!say!read!the!first!three!chapters!of!a! book.! Then! I! will! have! them! build! a! model! that! represents! the! main! character! and! a! particular!event.!So!instead!of!just!having!a!verbal!discussion!about!what!we’ve!read,!we’ll! have!a!discussion!based!on!the!model!they!each!build.!! ! This!is!asking!students!to!make!something!abstract!into!something!concrete.!If!you!look!at! Bloom’s!model!for!higher!order!thinking,!applying!knowledge!is!in!the!middle.!So!just!having! them!build!a!model!is!a!higher!skill.!The!idea!that!they!can!build!a!model!from!their!reading! is!above!the!grade!level!test!criteria.!! ! LEGO!Serious!Play!works!across!the!board,!even!the!students!who!don’t!enjoy!reading! love!to!build!LEGO!models.!Before!I!had!the!LEGO!kits!I!was!pulling!out!my!hair!to!get!some! of!them!to!talk,!but!when!they!build,!they!talk.!! ! After! months! of! using! the! bricks! and! merging! ideas! from! other! teachers,! my! students! developed! stronger! verbal! skills! than! in! the! five! months! prior! to! this! program.! Students! didn’t!feel!intimidated!to!speak!because!they!were!talking!about!a!model.!! !

! 68! I! had! a! student! from! China,! who! at! the! beginning! of! the! year! didn’t! speak! a! word! of! English,!and!who!by!the!end!of!the!year!could!use!his!LEGO!bricks!to!build!a!model! that! described!an!author’s!purpose.!! ! Students!know!how!to!use!symbolism!in!their!expression,!for!example!by!using!colors!to! describe!different!moods!and!emotions.!Their!LEGO!models!allow!me!to!better!understand! their!thinking!at!a!much!deeper!level.!! ! It!also!supports!my!highest!readers!because!they!are!capable!of!bringing!a!higher!level!of! thinking!into!the!process.!They!are!questioning!things!at!a!higher!level.!They!enjoy!digging! deeper! into! another! person’s! interpretations.! It’s! empathic! ...! it’s! not! just! listening,! but! beyond!that.!! ! There! is! still! that! ‘Yes!! Factor’.! I! have! done! a! lot! of! cool! things! with! my! kids,! but! the! novelty!of!LEGO!building!never!wears!off.”! ! Female,!26,!social!care!worker!from!Winchester!! !“I!liked!the!idea!of!building!because!it!helped!to!form!words!ad!thoughts!that!I!might!not! have!been!able!to!come!up!with.”!! (Creative$Explorations,!2010:276)!

! 69! Appendix!4!

! David!Gauntlett’s!experiment!as!recounted!in!Creative$Explorations60$ ! D.!Gauntlett!carried!on!his!research!over!a!year,!from!2005!to!2006.!He!invited!seventy> nine! people! to! his! workshop.! He! grouped! them! and! asked! them! to! build! metaphorical! models! of! their! identity! using! LEGO! bricks.! David! wanted! to! investigate! how! creativity! projects! into! the! three! aspects! of! identity! of! a! person:! the! ‘core’,! the! ‘external’! and! the! ‘possible!you’.!! ! As!he!explained!(and!knew!from!the!LLI)!‘the!core’!identity!is!that!unique!something!that! defines!our!essence,!the!spring!from!which!our!values!flow.!The!‘external!us’!is!how!the! others!see!us,!and!the!way!we!interact.!And!the!‘possible!us’!consists!of!those!parts!of!us! that!can!serve!to!the!group,!but!which!we!have!not!yet!shared.! ! So!Gauntlett!asked!participants!to!build!models!depicting!their!identity!and!organised!a! series!of!building!challenges.!As!he!explains:!“!A!participant!would!typically!pick!up!certain! parts! from! the! LEGO! boxes! without! really! knowing! at! that! point! how! they! were! going! to! come!together!to!have!metaphorical!meaning!–!but!the!meanings!would!emerge!when!the! building!began.!Metaphors!would!often!appear!by!‘accident’!in!this!way”!(2007:184)! ! The!result!of!his!experiment!was!that!participants!portrayed!128'different'themes,!and! hardly!any!elements!were!common.!He!found!interesting!how!many!included!other!people! as!part!of!their!own!identity.!And!it!was!frequent!to!find!groupings!of!‘self>worth’!elements.! ! However,! he! identified! common' themes! as:! the! sense! of! moving! through! a! journey,! having!goals,!uncertainty,!life!stages,!the!private!and!public!sides!of!identity,!the!individual! and!the!social,!etc.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 60!Chapter!8,!pp.!151>157,!and!Chapter!10,!pp.!182>196.!

! 70! ! This!idea!have!been!previously!discussed!by!George!P.!Lakoff!and!Mark!L.!Johnson!(2003).! These!authors!assert!that!there!is!a!limited!list!of!common!metaphors,!but!that!the!list!of! expressive! phrases! and! concepts! at! hand! to! create! them! is! infinite.! As! he! recounts! (2007:152)!he!got!“many'hundreds'of'metaphors.!Some!being!more!straightforward…! ! o A!dinner!table!representing!family! o A!bird!on!the!ground!representing!responsibilities! ! …!than!others:! ! o A!huge!spider!climbing!on!top!of!an!entire!model,!representing!a!general!fear!and! something!that!went!wrong! o A!female!figure!holding!a!snake!representing!a!former!boss! o A!wobbly!ambulance!representing!health!problems!! o A!man!skiing!around!the!other!concerns!in!the!model,!representing!a!ski!trip!that! was!a!changing!point!in!the!participant’s!life! ! When! it! comes! to! the! influences! on! their! identities,! the! answers! of! the! participants! included!notions!that!were!represented!in!similar!manner:!! ! o Supporting!or!protecting!others:!represented!by!an!elephant!carrying!people!and! animals,!a!person!behind!a!shield,!a!safety!net,!a!fence,!a!platform!and!food! o Learning:!a!tower!expanding!as!it!goes!up,!a!staircase,!a!bookcase,!an!umbrella! o Work:!a!crocodile,!a!wheelbarrow!filled!with!many!items,!a!heavy!trailer!resting!on! the!person’s!shoulders,!a!witch! o Dreams!and!the!future:!a!salad!bowl,!a!tunnel,!a!door,!a!rainbow!and!a!tunnel! o Life!experiences:!steps,!a!steep!slope!up,!animals! o Isolation!and!loneliness:!a!desert,!a!figure!stuck!between!four!walls!

! 71! o But!he!found!also!very!curious!that!the!same!objects!were!used!very!differently,! having!various!metaphorical!meanings:!! ! But!sometimes!the!same!elements!were!used!to!convey!diverse!meanings:!! ! . An!elephant!was!used!to!represent:!travel,!friends,!fears,!strength!and!wisdom! . A!boat!on!the!sea!for:!freedom,!adventure,!pride!and!work!! . A!bridge!was!used!for:!challenges,!fears,!being!a!good!manager,!openness,!travel! and!friendship.!

!

Appendix!5!

! Please,!see!below.

! 72! Optimal! Sub! ! Benefits! Description/Plot! Players! board!game! category! >%Develop%constant% The% There%is%simultaneous%break%out%of%several%virulent%diseases%all%over% Pandemic) Strategy% communication,% progression%of% the%world.%Players,%being%a%team%of%scientist%in%Atlanta,%need%to%find%a% 2>4% Adventure% strategy%and% the%plot%and% cure%that%prevents%a%pandemic%outbreak%% cooperative% tension%built% Players%become%Knights%of%the%Round%Table%through%a%journey%to% Shadows)Over) Thematic% planning% prompts%a% defeat%the%game%itself.%Things%complicate%with%the%ever>present% 3>7% Camelot) Fantasy% >%Foster%teamwork% shared% possibility%of%a%traitor%waiting%to%strike%and%betray%the%Order% and%provide% community%of% Lord)of)the) Players%(hobbits%with%individual%and%unique%powers)%cooperate%to% memorable% play.%Students% fight%Sauron’s%army%and%destroy%the%Ring%in%the%fires%of%Mount% Thematic% Rings) 2>5% moments% struggle% Doom.%Action%takes%place%in%very%diverse%venues,%as%several%scenario% Adventure% ! >%Teach%and% together% boards%are%controlled%by%a%master%board% enhances%social% throughout% Players,%Taoist%monks,%have%to%work%together%to%protect%the%village% Strategy% Ghost)Stories) 1>4% skills:%work%for%the% the%course%of% from%Wu>Feng,%the%Lord%of%Hell,%and%exorcise%his%legion%of%ghosts% Fantasy% good%of%a%group,% the%game% Battlestar) Players%work%together%to%save%humanity%from%Cylon’s%attack.%One% Cooperative take%turns,%talk% player%secretly%becomes%Cylons’%agent%and%sides%with%him.%The%rest% Thematic% Galactica) 3>6% about%decisions,% of%players%must%expose%the%traitor%while%food%contaminations,%fuel% Fantasy% solve%problems%and% shortages%and%political%unrest%threatens%Planet%Earth% respect%different% Orchard) Players%work%together%to%harvest%fruits%(cherries,%apples,%plums%and% Kids% 2>8% ideas%and%views% pears)%and%prevent%that%the%raven%snitches%them% (Food)% Max) Players%become%responsible%for%the%journey%home%of%the%four% animals%in%the%game.%But%Max,%the%cat%is%a%threat%as%he%is%a%natural% Kids% 1>8% hunter%and%chaser.%Thus,%they%need%to%work%together%to%ensure%the% (Animals)% animals%get%home%safe% >%Boost%story>crafting%skills%through% Nanofictionary) A%game%in%three%rounds:%first,%players%construct%the%stories,% the%mechanical%combination%of%story% % (collecting%four%plot%elements%of%setting,%characters,%problem,%and% 3>6% Cards% elements% resolution);%then%they%tell%their%stories%and%finally%they%vote%the%best%% ! >%Sharp%wit%and%hone%imagination% Once)Upon)a) Students%create%a%story%using%cards%that%show%typical%fairy>tale% >%Enhances%creativity%and%ingenious% elements,%what%prompt%that%they%can%construct%their%own%tales.%All% Cards% Time) 2>6% telling

< problem%solving% players%can%interrupt%to%become%the%new%storyteller%and%take%over%by% Family% % using%the%suitable%card% Story DixIt) Looking%at%six%random%cards,%players%become%storytellers%in%turns,% making%up%a%sentence%and%saying%it%out%loud,%without%showing%the% Social% ) 3>6% cards.%The%other%players%must%guess%which%is%the%card%that%matches% Family% the%sentence% Language! Linguistic! Competitive! ! Independent! m and%spelling%patterns%to%deduce > > > phonetics > vocabulary > restricted%by%the learning%experienc > considered%role%play%games) environment interactions%with%the%game% develop%characters%through% > environme within%a%constantly%changing%game% > % %Help%students%work%on %Strengthen%deduction%patterns %Improve%letter%recognition%skills %Improve % %Give%o %A %Develop%i Reinforce%English%language%skills% ystery%words llow%students%to%invest%in%and% pportunities%to%participate%in% %word % nquiry%and% nt % %(so%they%can%also%be% % % > building% %language%barrier es%without%being% problem%solving %word%families% and% % % % % % % and% % Amun the)Earth The) Antike Prophecy President M 1960:)The) ) Cubes Rory’s)Story) (+%Junior) Boggle Bilingua)Zingo) Zingo Spill)and)Spell Word? What’s) My)Word! Quiddler) Ticket)to)Ride aking)of)the) Pillars)of) ) O ) ) Re ) ) My) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) for%drawing%attention%to%event%cards%that%benefit%their%candidate their%historic%1960%campaigns.%Each%side%has%to%develop%a%strategy% Pla "Once%upon%time..." a%narrative%with%those%9%elements.%The%story% roll%and%get%nine%random%images%that%they%will%have%to%use%to%create% The%game%consists%of%54%images%shown%in%the%sides%of%9%dices.%Players% cards% words%co dice; Word% in%North%America%and% Train%cards%of%several%kind%are%collected%so%that%players%build%routes% it% Nile%as%possible.%To%do%so%they% Players%become%pharaohs%trying%to%erect%as%many%pyramids%on%the% the%13 craftsmen%and%recruit%workers% S kingdoms%and%enrich%their%lands create%temples,%conquer%seas%and%spread%legions against%Greeks,%Romans,%and%Germanic%tribes%and%Phoenicians.% board:%Carthaginians,%Persians,%Arabs,%Egyptians,%and%Babylonians% Players%team%up%as%ancient%civilizations%to%compete%in%a%two realms artefacts%guarded%by%evil%creatures%and%horrible%monsters%in%faraway% In%th while%burying%those%that%would%prove%damaging tudents and%get%building%stones yers%take%on%the%role%of% is%Talisman %come%up%with% on%the%table creation%games.%Students%find%words%for%letters%in%a%ca th % % c. %need%to% mbining%the%letter%on%the%dices; % > style%game% produce%raw%materials,%buy%and%sell%goods,%find % objects%beginning%with%that%letter;%build%up% % % fulfil % %destination%tickets John%F.%Kennedy%and players%need%to%collect%five%hidden% should%acq to % %build%Kingsbridge%cathedral % or%match uire%a%province,%trade,%farm% should%always%start % %Richard%Nixon%during% % %to%win%new% %letters%with% > rd%or% sided% ,%back%in% the% They% %with% , % % 2%(+) 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 2 > > 2 > > > > > > > > > 10 12 8 8 6 8 5 5 4 6 5 % % % % % % % % % % % % % Diplomacy Economic Role Thematic Strategy Strategy Strategy Nautical Fantasy Family games Action Action Action Coop.% Coop. Word Train Dice Dice > % play % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % A)Bis)Z) % 2>5% % Alphabet)Soup) 1>8%

! Players%take%turns%and%ask%question%in%the%search%for%the%letters%that% LetterFlip) 2% reveal%the%secret%word.%It%works%like%Who)is)Who% Scattergories) Players%fill%out%category%lists%with%answers%beginning%with%the%same% 2>6% (+%Junior)) letter%

! Develop%the%same%skills%as%traditional% Word)Warp,) Game%mechanics%are%the%same%as%in%word%games%(explained%right% word%board%games%but%they%allow% Words)Free,) above)%but%the%channel%is%a%screen%instead%of%a%board% individual%play%in%computers,% Hangman,) smartphones,%iPads%and%similar% Word% devices.%% Angry)Words,) 1>∞% game% !Online!Apps Words)with) % Friends,)What’s) Digital: My)Word?% % !