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Telltale is Teaching My Kids English

divisiontendivisionten
edited August 2011 in General Chat
Not my biological kids, mind you.

IRL, I'm an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor. I used to teach college level while living in Japan, now I teach elementary though high school while in the US.

One thing I've quickly noticed is how much games engage people, and how useful they are at teaching language, because the participants are so involved. One of my girls has a hard time speaking up, but she lights up when I play Sam and Max with her, and we use some of the phrases to practice grammar (This week we made a massive map of New York City and I had her giving me directions while driving a toy DeSoto around the city to practice locations, place names, and provinding road information).

Anyone else use video games to teach, and if so what for/ how?

Comments

  • FalancaFalanca
    edited August 2011
    I taught MYSELF English through videogames.
  • coolsomecoolsome
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me how to be a man!
  • RibsRibs
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me what a 'Superball' was!
  • ted12ted12
    edited August 2011
    Telltale helped me pass AP german!
  • lattsamlattsam
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me what love is!
  • mightypiratetmmightypiratetm
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me that sheer stupidity can be used to solve everything.
  • MolokovMolokov
    edited August 2011
    divisionten wrote: »
    Not my biological kids, mind you.

    IRL, I'm an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor. I used to teach college level while living in Japan, now I teach elementary though high school while in the US.

    One thing I've quickly noticed is how much games engage people, and how useful they are at teaching language, because the participants are so involved. One of my girls has a hard time speaking up, but she lights up when I play Sam and Max with her, and we use some of the phrases to practice grammar (This week we made a massive map of New York City and I had her giving me directions while driving a toy DeSoto around the city to practice locations, place names, and provinding road information).

    Anyone else use video games to teach, and if so what for/ how?

    So how easy it is to get elementary kids to understand Sam's long-winded exclamations? Or Max's non-sequitur and absurdist humour?
  • TjibbbeTjibbbe
    edited August 2011
    I hope you didn't get to the 'pennies??'-joke towards the end of 305. That would take some explaining.
  • coolsomecoolsome
    edited August 2011
    Tjibbbe wrote: »
    I hope you didn't get to the 'pennies??'-joke towards the end of 305. That would take some explaining.

    When a Woman and a Monument love each other very much...
  • SillyStellSillyStell
    edited August 2011
    Videogames have introduced me to interesting art styles and concepts, such as TF2 and Psychonauts. Although TV, mostly american kids shows, gave me an american twang in my voice, busy parents and not many friends ment lots of TV. Of course my friend who lives in America can't hear it, she thinks I'm a real proper Brit, but everyone in the UK will always ask if I'm American. I pick up accents to easily D:
  • Alex IDVAlex IDV
    edited August 2011
    Pokémon Crystal taught me English :)
  • RibsRibs
    edited August 2011
    Alex IDV wrote: »
    Pokémon Crystal taught me English :)

    Hopefully you weren't playing the Vietnamese version...
  • FriarFriar
    edited August 2011
    The only language I've ever learnt from a game is the ancient language of the monkeys. Oop Ack Chee.

    To continue the trend: Telltale taught me that laptop gaming is better than console gaming!
  • Chyron8472Chyron8472
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me to beware of evil DeSoto's.


    Friar wrote: »
    To continue the trend: Telltale taught me that laptop gaming is better than console gaming!
    Indeed. Telltale got me back into PC gaming (though Steam has firmly cemented my interest in it.)
  • divisiontendivisionten
    edited August 2011
    Ditto to that. Haven't bought a console game since... um.. Okami in college, I think.
  • FriarFriar
    edited August 2011
    divisionten wrote: »
    Ditto to that. Haven't bought a console game since... um.. Okami in college, I think.

    Mine's back In October 2009, when Metroid Prime Trilogy came out. There's been plenty of games I would have gotten that have been out since then, (i.e. Mario galaxy 2, NSMB Wii, Metroid Other M. All games I looks forward to untill I discovered Telltale (at that point, I was still buying monkey island on wiiware) and the awesomeness of downloadable games.

    Which reminds me, I never finished Strongbad or Wallace and gromit...
  • ted12ted12
    edited August 2011
    Scandalous!!!
  • Chyron8472Chyron8472
    edited August 2011
    Friar wrote: »
    Which reminds me, I never finished Strongbad or Wallace and gromit...

    Never finished Strong Bad? Shameful.
  • DAISHIDAISHI
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me... to love.
  • FriarFriar
    edited August 2011
    Chyron8472 wrote: »
    Never finished Strong Bad? Shameful.

    I never even finished the first episode. In my defence, I encountered a game-breaking glitch in which an item wouldn't appear, 3/4s of the way in. After that, I never felt the motivation to finish the series.
  • der_ketzerder_ketzer
    edited August 2011
    Friar wrote: »
    I never even finished the first episode. In my defence, I encountered a game-breaking glitch in which an item wouldn't appear, 3/4s of the way in. After that, I never felt the motivation to finish the series.

    You are going back to play TTGs best season ever right now. :mad:

    :D
  • MermaidMermaid
    edited August 2011
    When I started learning English at school I had somewhat of a broader vocabulary than the others thanks to several video games I had played.

    Unlike books or movies, video games are interactive - and language is vital. It's like a role play in class, but minus the (negative) excitement. You learn new words by reading / hearing them or hovering your mouse cursor over an object (I remember having learned the word "firefly" from Curse of Monkey Island. :))
  • der_ketzerder_ketzer
    edited August 2011
    Super Mario Bros. taught me the word "castle" because the princess was always in another one.
  • SilverwolfpetSilverwolfpet
    edited August 2011
    Telltale taught me that, even if my voice sucks, I can still sing my heart out. ^.^
  • der_ketzerder_ketzer
    edited August 2011
    Silverwolfpet wrote: »
    Telltale taught me that, even if my voice sucks, I can still sing my heart out. ^.^

    I learned that from Curse of Monkey Island.
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