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I have worked with children for more than 10 years and with adults for about 5 years. During this time, I have come to realize that often, we think that using games is something meant just for young learners. And, in my experience over the last few years teaching adult learners, games can be used in both cases and students appreciate the variety of activities done in class. Most adults enjoy playing games in the classroom, and I have noticed a couple of things that make games for adults enjoyable during a lesson. First, playing a game in the classroom is a way to decompress from whatever stressful situation they might have going on outside of the classroom. They are learning in a fun way, practicing their knowledge and, relaxing a little bit. Second, given the fact that everyone nowadays is somehow connected with technology, implementing it in the classroom has been quite a positive turnout. Encouraging adults to use their cellphones, iPads, laptops, etc. during a lesson makes them interested in the topic that’s being covered and reduces the chances of them using their devices to work during the lesson. When it comes to young learners, games can be used in many ways too. I often try to balance between classic games and technology. With classic games, the idea is to get the kids out of their chairs and do several activities that get them excited and motivated. They will do many things that include coloring, cutting, singing, jumping and running while learning a new language. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating new and different games for each class and kids really like the surprise of not knowing what’s going to happen next class. If we use technology with young learners, it´s important to make it our ally inside the classroom. Many kids and teens nowadays have different devices to play with. And, as teachers we should try to adapt to this everchanging world. Using games and technology can be very effective in their learning process. There are countless websites and apps that can be used to practice grammar, vocabulary, reading, and so on. What I often do in class is, instead of forbidding the use of the cellphone during the lesson, I turn the cellphone use to my side. The students will be using their phones in class but not for checking social media or anything related. Instead they use it to research, make presentations and play games, which is the topic of this essay. To close the topic selected, I believe that there is a substantial difference between young learners and adults, which is how fast they can absorb new knowledge. Despite this difference, playing games inside the classroom with both adults and young learners, has proven to be a very effective way to keep them active and engaged throughout the lesson. They are learning and it doesn’t feel as heavy as a traditional class. They are learning and they are having fun in the process.
