Board Game Group is one of the extracurricular offerings from the English Language Institute, hosted by Shane Dunkle, one of our Language Pedagogy Specialists. By engaging English Language Learners by playing board games, attendees have the opportunity to build confidence in their English speaking skills as well as critical thinking skills. Our Board Game Group meets in the Weston Game Lab on campus, a space dedicated to the research and development of games and organizes collaborative groups for game-based experiments. Playing board games as a mechanism for language learning serves as an opportunity for learners to practice negotiating, leadership, deductive reasoning, logic, team-building, improvisation, and bluffing (it’s also fun!).
President Paul Alivisatos tours the Weston Game Lab with Patrick Jagoda at Crerar Library during Immersion Day with the Division of the Humanities December 3, 2021. (photo by John Zich)
The ELI was pleasantly surprised when a welcomed visitor dropped by our Board Game Group at the end of Autumn Quarter. President Alivisatos took the time to chat with our students about the game they were playing. Students had the opportunity to tell President Alivisatos a little about the game they were playing. About the visit, Shane Dunkle says: “I was glad that our group was able to show the President such a cross-section of our student body from Undergraduates to Graduates and even their spouses. Anyone is welcome to join the ELI’s Board Game Group!”
In addition to Board Game Group, the ELI also holds weekly Conversation Hour and Reading Group. Learn about all our extracurricular offerings on our site.