Bingo

I'm in the midst of giving tests, so today was a review day. I had double periods with almost all my classes, so we did some hefty reviewing for about three quarters of the time, and I thought I'd end with a fun game of bingo. Bingo is easy and fun, right?

HA!

Kids here are used to a very different style of learning than what I am used to teaching. Kids here are accustomed to rote memorization, taking down notes word for word, and writing dictations. Critical thinking, individual thought, and group work are foreign concepts to them. Here's how bingo went.

I asked them to draw a 4x4 bingo board in their notebooks. They proceeded to get out their rulers and very carefully and delicately trace faint pencil lines into their notebooks. They start going over it in pen, slowly and deliberately. At this rate, they'll still be drawing tomorrow morning.

"OK, it doesn't have to be a masterpiece. This isn't art class, it's just a game!" I say.

They stare, and continue with their rulers.

About ten minutes later, half of them are finished and in the interests of time, I decide to move on.

"Ok, here are sixteen words," I tell them, "Each of you should put each word into one of your sixteen boxes, so that each box has a different word in it."

They stare.

"Let me show you." So I do an example. "Now, don't copy this exact arrangement, because everyone should have their words in different places."

I walk around and see them copying exactly what I drew on the board. I erase my drawing and explain again that everyone's should be different.

"So... where do I put each word?" one of my more outspoken students says.

"Wherever. Pick a box, any box. Doesn't matter. Just put each word in a box. Whichever box."

He hesitantly picks up his pen and gingerly writes "to run" in one of his boxes.

"YES!" I say, visibly excited. "Exactly like he is doing!"

I walk around and notice that a handful of people have understood, and the rest of the students are copying. I decide to cut my losses and continue.

I explain the rules, and call out the first verb for them to cross off their bingo sheet.

"You want us to... cross it out? Like, make an x through it?"

"Yes."

"But...in our notebooks?"

"Yes."

They seem visibly upset that I expect them to defile their notebooks in this horrendous manner. I ignore that fact and move on.

"Once you have four in a row, you win, so you need to shout Bingo!" I say. "Let's move on."

I call out the second, third, fourth and fifth verbs. I expect someone to win pretty soon. I mean, statistics are in my favor, here.

I call out the sixth, and seventh words. No one says bingo.

"Does anyone have bingo yet?" I ask "Four in a row? Or four in a column?"

Silence.

I walk around the room and notice that one of the students in the front row has four in a row.

"Look, like this. See? He's got four in a row. He wins! You have to say bingo!"

He stares at me.

"I have a prize for you... but first you have to say bingo and then read your words."

I have no idea what he's thinking, but his expression is blank. A few awkward moments pass and he says absolutely nothing.

"Uh... ok... does anyone else have bingo?"

Finally, one student tentatively raises her hand in the back and whispers "Bingo..."

Finally! I go back and have her read out her words. It takes a good two minutes, since she's talking so quietly that I can barely tell that sound is coming from her mouth. Eventually, she gets through all four words.

"We have our first winner! Congratulations!" I clap for her, expecting others to join in.

They do not join in.

Unfazed, I pull out the roll of stickers from my bata and tell her to choose a sticker.

Suddenly, everyone perks up. If I had to attribute a caption to that moment, it would be "Wait, you never said there were stickers involved!"

Now, everyone has bingo. Students frantically draw a new square and try to fill it in with a winning combo. They cross out words and re-write them to have bingo.

I sigh.

"That's all for now," I say, "We can play again another time."