Methodology of using game technologies in teaching a foreign language at primary school

At present, the need to master a foreign language is dictated by the modern social order of society, which is caused by the growth of intercultural contacts in all spheres of human activity. The study of a foreign language at school begins in the junior grade, and from that moment the whole learning process acquires communicative orientation. The methodology of teaching a foreign language in elementary school is still in its infancy, today the search for effective methods of teaching a foreign language in junior school, which are based on the psychological characteristics of students at this stage is actively carried out. It is already proved that the leading methods of teaching elementary school students are game methods.

English is an international language; it is spoken in many countries, on several continents and in different parts of the world. Nowadays, most people know English and speak it fluently. There are different reasons for this: some people want to travel, others need this knowledge to build a successful career, some learn for the sake of interest, in modern conditions of globalization people want to communicate with people from other countries, etc. Modern society is on the way of humanization of education. Humanization of education implies the organization of the learning process, which would correspond to the unity of social and professional development of the individual, taking into account personal needs. Among the humanistic tendencies of the real learning process, the most important is the orientation to the development of personality. The more harmoniously the personality is developed, the freer a person is in the realization of personal functions.

Interest is the basis of learning activity, as it occupies the main place in the learning process.

Interest is the basis of learning activity, as it occupies the main place in increasing motivation and learning stamina. It is interest that stimulates the student emotionally, cognitively, linguistically, contributing to the effective formation of foreign language communicative competence [1].

Low communicative motivation is caused by the wrong approach to the personality of the pupil, his psycho-emotional construction, and the construction of his personal motivation sphere. This suggests that at the lesson it is necessary to work not at the level of "the student himself", but at the level of his abilities and properties, finding and developing them. Thus, in a modern school the main task of a teacher is to find ways to make greater use of individual abilities, abilities and personal characteristics of students. It is unac- ceptable to ignore the personal characteristics, features of psycho-emotional organization and communicative development of students. Determinants of communicative motivation, acting as the main internal reserves of personality, should be activated in foreign language lessons, they are the main tools of pedagogical influence in teaching and education in modern society.

When children enter school, their leading activity changes from play to learning. But since this change of processes is gradual, junior schoolchildren like to participate in educational games at lessons. To see the unusual in the ordinary, junior schoolchildren like to compose, invent, fantasize, reincarnate. The game, for junior schoolchildren, is a kind of means of self-expression, self-determination, self-testing and self-fulfillment. At the initial stage of learning a foreign language there is a great attraction to this subject, but for a number of objective and subjective reasons, the subject loses its attractiveness, many consider it one of the most difficult and, therefore, unloved. Children of primary school age have great advantages in learning a foreign language: natural curiosity, well-developed longterm and visual imaginative memory, impressionability, emotionality, great activity.

Didactic value of the game proved K.D. Ushinsky [2]:

• -    Game is an independent form of developmental activity for children of different ages.

• -    Сhildren's game is the freest form of their activity, which is the realization, the study of the surrounding world, a wide space for personal creativity, activity of self-discovery, self-expression is opened.

• -    Game is the first stage of a child's activity, the first school of his behavior, normative and equal activity of junior schoolchildren, adolescents, youth, their goals change with the growth of pupils.

• -    Game is practice of development. Children play for the sake of their development, and they develop for the sake of their play.

• -    Game is the freedom of self-disclosure, of self-development, based on the subconscious, on reason and on creativity.

• -    Game is the main sphere of children's communication, it is where interpersonal

problems are solved, human relations get experienced.

Games are a powerful stimulus for language learning and an effective technique in the foreign language teacher's arsenal. The use of a game and the ability to create language situations makes students ready, willing and able to play and communicate.

In a modern school that focuses on activating and intensifying the learning process, game activities are used in the following cases:

• 1.    As an independent method for mastering a certain subject;

• 2.    As an element (sometimes very important) of another method;

• 3.    As an entire lesson or part of it (introduction, explanation, reinforcement, control or practice);

• 4.    In the organization of an extracurricular activity [3].

Thus, it is worth mentioning that a learning game is a specially organized task. It requires the tension of emotional and mental forces. In other words, a learning game is an exercise that helps in consolidation, control and correction of knowledge, skills and abilities, creates pedagogical visibility in the study of specific material. It creates conditions for active thinking. Game is a task containing learning task, stimulating intellectual activity of students, teaching prediction, research, checking correctness of made decisions.

Classification of games in foreign language teaching takes different approaches. All classifications to date have been very conditional. Several classifications of educational games will be considered.

Ж. Piaget distinguishes three main types of games, which he correlates with developing stages of children [4]:

Exercising games – the child's first games related to grasping, acting with toys (the first year of life);

Symbolic games , which are based on the imitation of the adult world by means of a special system of symbols (early preschool age);

Rules-based games , which are roleplaying games.

The following classification of educational games for use in foreign language teaching can also be considered to be successful:

• -    Preparatory games.

• -    Creative games.

Grammar, lexical, phonetic and spelling games contribute to the formation of new skills. Preparatory games "build" the foundation of the language. Without grammatical structures, vocabulary, phonetics and spelling, the language cannot be mastered. And monotonous and unsatisfying training can be replaced by games and playful situations, which will help to make boring work more interesting and exciting.

Further development of language skills and abilities is the purpose of creative games. They are a training tool for the student's ability to use language skills creatively. They can also be used when reviewing material.

Here are list of quick and easy classroom games for teaching English to children [5]:

• 1.    Name Games. Name games are a great way to start a lesson, especially at the beginning of the year to help you remember the names of all your new students! Go around the circle and have the children say their name and one of their favorite things. When the next child introduces themselves, they must first introduce the child who went before them, and so on, until the last child has remembered the names and favorite things of everyone in the group! This can be made harder for older students by having a rule that their favorite thing must start with the same letter as their first name, or easier for younger students by just having them remember the names.

• 2.    Charades. This is a game I've found to be popular with kids of all ages! I've used an envelope full of cut-out words or a set of picture flashcards for younger students to play this game. Secretly show a student a word or flashcard, and then have them act it out silently at the front of the class while the other children call out - in English - what they think the secret word is. The kids get super competitive over this, and the pantomimes can be hilarious! Charades can also be adapted to teach almost any vocabulary – animals, sports, hobbies, emotions - so it is endlessly useful!

• 3.    Stand up if you …This game works best with a larger group, and you will need an open space to play in (it would work well outdoors, if you have an outdoor space!) Get all the children in a large circle with you in the middle. You should then call out a command such as "stand up if you're wearing shorts" and everyone wearing shorts must switch places with each other in the circle while you try to steal one of their places. The child left in the middle then gets to call out the next instruction. This game can easily be adapted to the vocabulary the class is learning, such as appearance, clothing, likes/dislikes, family members, holidays - it's amazing!

• 4.    Guess the flashcard. This game is simple, but very effective. While holding a hidden set of flashcards in your hands, slowly reveal them one by one as the students guess what they are. The child who guesses correctly gets to keep the flashcard - something they absolutely love - and the child with the most flashcards at the end is the winner!

• 5.    Find the colour. This game is a fantastic way to teach colors and is very popular with younger students. The rules are quite simple, gather all the students together and call out "find something....". The kids then have to run around the classroom and touch something that's the same color. This is a great way to get kids moving, active and engaged. Plus, it can be quite funny when they find the color on you!

The analysis of the game showed that the development of learning and language activities depends on the system of educational game: the appropriateness of its use in the classroom, its focus on the subject, on solving learning tasks, the sequence of the use of various types of game within the traditional classroom, the willingness of the students to take part in it.

Game activity in foreign language teaching arouses interest in language learning, increases motivation, reduces fatigue, helps to overcome language barriers, creates a favorable atmosphere in the classroom. We recommend the use of game activities in teaching so that the process of learning a foreign language becomes fascinating and effective for young students.