Essay Sample: Playing World of Warcraft vs Content and Language Integrated Learning

Based on the three studies conducted by Syleven 2004/2010, Sunqvist 2009, and the joint study aimed at young learners and their extramural English habits, the underlying similarities between playing World of Warcraft (WoW) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) are established. The studies tend to examine the potential impact on the learners’ oral proficiency and vocabulary, establish the relationship between what the students do in English when they are free and the learning outcomes in school, and focus on the CLIL and non-CLIL students on the effects of CLIL on their acquisition of vocabulary. The fundamental L2 learning determinants of immersion, authenticity, and motivation all are interconnected in one way or the other.

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Immersion is used in both computer game theory and in the L2 acquisition theorem. With regard to the computer games theorem, it encompasses the successful nature of computer games in creating experiences of escapism for the gamer. These games provide a content rich immersive environment as the gamer needs to comprehend and be able to communicate in the English language, which is the default language in WoW (Walters, 2007), in order to make significant progress in the games. CLIL involves the introduction of the French language to English L1 children who want to learn French.

Authenticity is the core for both CLIL and WoW to L2 acquisition and is intended to create a language situation in the classroom, which is considered dependable by all the students (Nikula, 2007). This fundamental principle ensures that the amount of TL (Target Language) exposure is significantly increased. The students, therefore, are recipients to maximum input and they make progress in their communicative abilities.

Motivation is considerably important for successful L2 language learning (Dornyei, 2001). The teachers, students, and the gamers are motivated to achieve good grades and have good results so as to boost their moral in doing so. They are motivated to understand the basic rules of practice with the significant aim of achieving better results. The students need motivation in order to acquire the TL in passing while teaching the specific subject (Dalton, 2007).

The similarities between playing WoW and CLIL include:

i. Active, Critical Learning Principle. This elaborates how the computer games make the gamers active and be able to critically and creatively think about how to solve different puzzles during the game. The WoW gamers become more active on the uses of authentic materials. The CLIL instructions promotes critical thinking to all the learners and strives to make them more active. The active and critical engagement heightens the level of the required authenticity and would motivate the learners and the gamers to achieve higher performance levels.

ii. Psychosocial Moratorium Principle. The learners and the gamers are unlimited to their thinking capacity and can, therefore, try out different ways to solve puzzles and give better and alternative ways of solving issues. They have the sole responsibility in taking the risks and are even able to guess the next procedures or steps to take or make. The WoW players acquire the important skill of guessing, a significant L2 language learning strategy. This facilitates the process of learning to the students and the gamers (Naiman et al, 1996).

iii. Identity Principle- in WoW, the players have the abilities to create their own virtual game personas and be able to play different roles as individuals or groups. In CLIL, students are able to come up with the desirable atmosphere in the classroom where every stakeholder in the classroom feels safe. This is a common identity to both CLIL and WoW. The learners and the students, therefore, have the ability to a create personalities that differ from their real-life personalities in order to have a peaceful co-existence with others. They, therefore, have the ability to hide their real identities based on the powerful juxtaposition of their real-world identities. The students thus have an alternative way of expressing their feelings and points of view on a given topic or subject of discussion.

iv. Practice Principle- the gamers and the students have the ability to put into practice what they have learned in the virtual environment. They spent a significant time on the tasks to achieve the objects that may be required during the gaming process. These on tasks and activities in immersion school motivate the students to use TL. Since both WoW and CLIL have high degrees of authenticities as they involve the use of authentic materials, they make the contents to the learners very simple and easy to understand effectively. They make games and studies be more practical in nature and applicable in different areas (Broner & Tedick, 2011).

v. The regime of Competence Principle- this principle encourages every learner and gamer that no task or challenge is deemed undoable. The gamer, therefore, has the ability to critically think and come up with numerous ways to solve a particular problem as there is always a solution to every problem as long as the right resources and the energy are channeled in the right direction. The learners, therefore, have strong convictions to solve puzzles. However, this principle necessitates that the learners and gamers are given some motivation as this encourages them to look for the ways to counter the given problem. These developments are very significant in explaining the L2 developments in the students and gamers.

vi. Subset Principle- it expresses that from the earliest starting point learning "happens in a (streamlined) subset of the genuine space" For instance, amateur players in WoW begin taking in the game mechanics in rather straightforward missions in an obliged domain, by and large all alone utilizing an experimentation approach, before proceeding onward to coordinated effort with others in additionally difficult attempts. There is an incremental configuration as far as game mechanics, which accordingly helps players who need past PC diversion experience to progress in the game. So also, CLIL instructors will give their learners a chance to begin from the level they are at and bit by bit present errands that are more troublesome. In a gaming environment, once began, interest expands on the inspiration to gain ground. So as to do as such, it is important for gamers to work together, mingle, and get to be individuals from societies. Players are relied upon to perform different errands, which are fundamental for the society to progress.

vii. Transfer Principle recommends that gamers and learners are given numerous odds to work on exchanging what they gain from the game-related issues to take care of new issues that emerge in the diversion – or somewhere else, for example, in a CLIL classroom. The Transfer Principle is exceedingly pertinent additionally to CLIL (Darn 2006), since what is found out as far as the TL in the CLIL classroom are concerned ought to be conceivable to use in extramural and true connections.

viii. Affinity Group Principle. Concentrates on the social and subjective sides of gaming. WoW offers a virtual reality specifically – every last bit of it to any player entering WoW; i.e., while the game mechanics are presented incrementally, the social world is instantly made accessible in its entirety, personal correspondence). The tight relationship that develops among players sharing common objectives in WoW is underlined. Stenberg truth be told properties a great part of the prominence of WoW to the Affinity Group Principle (Stenberg, 2011).

The underlying principles show the similarities between WoW and CLIL. These principles are co-relative and are exhaustive in their applications.