grammar teaching method

7/28/2019 grammar teaching method

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Grammar & Language Learning


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Grammar and Its Teaching: Challenging the Myths

Diane Larsen-Freeman, School for International Training (VT)

1. Grammar is acquired naturally; it need not be taught.

2. Grammar is a collection of meaningless forms.

3. Grammar consists of arbitrary rules.

4. Grammar is boring.

5. Students have different learning styles. Not all students

can learn grammar.


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6. Grammar structures are learned one at a time.

7. Grammar has to do only with sentence-level andsubsentence-level phenomena.

8. Grammar and vocabulary are areas of knowledge.

Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the four

skills.

9. Grammars provide the rules/explanations for all thestructures in a language.

10. "I don't know enough to teach grammar."


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The University of ChoiceHistory of methodsof grammar teaching

1. Grammar Translation

2. The Direct Method

3. Audiolingualism

4. Communicative Language

Teaching

FunctionalNotional

5. Task-based Learning

6. Process based (Procedural


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Covert grammar teaching means that grammatical facts are

hidden from the students- even though they are learning the

language. Students may be asked to do any activity where anew grammar is presented or introduced, but their attention

will be drawn to this activity not to the grammar.

Overt grammar teaching means that the teacher actuallyprovides the students grammatical rules and explanations-the

information is openly presented.

With overt teaching grammatical rules are explicitly given to

students, but with covert teaching students are simply asked to

work with new language to absorb grammatical information

which will help them to acquire the language as a whole.


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Discovery Learning is a method of inquiry- based instruction

and is considered a constructivist based approach to

education. It is supported by the work of learning theorists and

psychologists Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, and Seyour Papert.

Although this form of instruction has great popularity, there is

some debate in the literature concerning its efficacy (Mayer,

2004).

Discovery Learning takes place in problem solving situations

where the learner draws on his own experience and prior

knowledge and is a method of instruction through whichstudents interact with their environment by exploring and

manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and

controversies, or performing experiments.


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Grammar teaching should be implicit

In the early 20th

century, Jespersen, like Boas, thoughtgrammar should be studied by examining living speech rather

than by analyzing written documents. By providing grammar in

context, in an implicit manner, we can expose students to

substantial doses of grammar study without alienating them tothe learning of English or other foreign language. I also agree

with this implicit approach of teaching grammar. The principal

manner in which I accomplish this is by teaching short

grammar-based sessions immediately followed by additional

function-based lessons in which the new grammar / structure

is applied in context.


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Acquisition vs. Learning:

The hypothesis is that adult language students have two

distinct ways of developing skills and knowledge in a secondlanguage, acquisition and learning. Acquiring a language is

"picking it up" i.e., developing ability in a language by using it

in natural, communicative situations. Learning language differs

in that it is "knowing the rules" and having a conscious

knowledge of grammar / structure. Adults acquire language,

although usually not as easily or as well as children.

Acquisition, however, is the most important means for gaininglinguistic skills. A person's first language (L1) is primarily

learned in this way. This manner of developing language skills

typically employs implicit grammar teaching and learning.


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Grammar teaching should be explicit

This does not exclude explicit grammar-teaching entirely,

however. In cases where features of English grammar arediametrically opposed or in some other way radically different

from the manner of expression in the student's L1, explicit

teaching may be required.

An exclusive approach using either implicit or explicit

methodologies is not as effective as utilizing one or the other

of these approaches as required. There is no one best way to

introduce and provide practice in them. Young learners have

more natural facility in acquisition, while adults may benefitsubstantially from more "formal" language learning. Learning

styles and intelligence strengths are also a significant factor.


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In a CLT classroom, the teacher pays more attention to enabling

students to work with the target language and communicate in it.

The following is the typical procedure of a grammar lesson

according to a CLT author- Adrian Doff (1981).

1.The teacher uses visual aids to present the grammar structure tobe taught.

2.Students deduce the meaning, the form and the use of it.

3.The teacher checks students understanding by asking yes/no

questions focusing on form, meaning and use.4.The teacher gets students to practice the structure through

Repetition and Substitution Drills, Word Prompts, and Picture

Prompts. The teacher provides maximum practice within controlled,

but realistic and contextualised frameworks and to build students

confidence in using the new language. The teacher providesstudents with opportunities to use new language in a freer, more

creative way. The students can integrate new language with the

previously learnt language and apply what they have learnt to talk

about their real life activities.


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Classroom activities used in CLT

Role play

Interviews

Information gap

Games

Language exchange

Surveys

Pair work Learning by teaching

However, not all courses that utilize the communicative

language approach will restrict their activities solely to these.Some courses will have the students take occasional grammar

quizzes, or prepare at home using non-communicative drills,

for instance


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Grammar for Beginning Level:

Regardless of the fact that the recommended text is

functional, communicative or structural, grammar and

grammar sequencing is in issue.

The scheme would be simple to complex. Typically it deals

with very simply verb forms, pronouns, articles, singular and

plural pronouns in a progression.

For EFL learners, if L1 is same, teacher may use L1 for

explanations.

In an ESL classroom, where teacher must rely on English

language only, grammatical explanation of any complexity

will overwhelm the learners.

An inductive approach with suitable examples and patterns

will be more effective.


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Grammar for Intermediate level:

1. Student can benefit from short, simple explanations of points in

English.

2. Overt attention in grammar can be exceedingly helpful at thisstage.

E.g: she can kept her child. A student, when referring to past

He must paid the insurance. tense, used to say things like.

3. A simple explanation from his teacher about modal auxiliaries

cured him.4. Grammar explanation must be minimum. But it should not be

dominant focus of student attention.

Grammar for Advanced level:

1. At this level grammar teaching is linked with functional

forms, sociolinguistic and pragmatic phenomena.

2. Deductive grammar has its place at this level.


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Teaching Grammar to Young Learners

Presenting the grammatical structure in a child's context,

with humour

Practising the grammatical structure

Drawing and writing on the board

Story telling

Songs and chants

Rhymes and poems

Total Physical Response


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Goals and Techniques for Teaching Grammar

The goal of grammar instruction is to enable students to carry

out their communication purposes. This goal has threeimplications:

Students need overt instruction that connects grammar

points with larger communication contexts.

Students do not need to master every aspect of each grammar

point, only those that are relevant to the immediate

communication task.

Error correction is not always the instructor's first

responsibility.


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Developing Grammar ActivitiesFor curricula that introduce grammatical forms in a specified sequence,

instructors need to develop activities that relate form to meaning and use.

Describe the grammar point, including form, meaning, and use, and give

examples (structured input) Ask students to practice the grammar point in communicative drills

(structured output)

Have students do a communicative task that provides opportunities to use

the grammar point (communicative output)

For curricula that follow a sequence of topics, instructors need to develop

activities that relate the topical discourse (use) to meaning and form.

Provide oral or written input (audiotape, reading selection) that addresses

the topic (structured input)

Review the point of grammar, using examples from the material(structured input)

Ask students to practice the grammar point in communicative drills that

focus on the topic (structured output)

Have students do a communicative task on the topic (communicative

output)


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Using Textbook Grammar Activities

Textbooks usually provide the following three types of grammar

exercises.

Mechanical drills: Mechanical drills are the least usefulbecause they bear little resemblance to real communication.

They do not require students to learn anything; they only require

parroting of a pattern or rule.

Meaningful drills: Meaningful drills can help students develop

understanding of the workings of rules of grammar becausethey require students to make form-meaning correlations. Their

resemblance to real communication is limited by the fact that

they have only one correct answer.

Communicative drills: Communicative drills require students tobe aware of the relationships among form, meaning, and use. In

communicative drills, students test and develop their ability to

use language to convey ideas and information.

- Recognizing Types -Supplementing


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Why to acquire mastery over past perfect?

The past perfect tense is one way to put actions in order. As

has been mentioned, it would feel quite unnatural to

repeatedly refer to the time something happened. In addition,and especially when speaking, the speaker may forget to tell

some information or other information may need

clarification. As a result, the past perfect plays an important

role. Look at the following:

Dave: Yesterday was an absolutely awful day!Ken: Really?

Dave: Yeah! I woke up late. By the time I got out of the

house, I had spilledcoffee on my shirt and realized I didn't

have any clean ones. So I put on a shirt that I had worn a fewdays before. On the way to the station, I realized that I had

forgotten to lock the door, so I ran back home. At work, my

boss yelled at me because I hadn't finishedthe report for the

10:00 meeting with the head of marketing. And that was only

the morning...


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Present Perfect Tense: Answer key

We havent seen Jamal for ages. I do not know what has

happened to him. I didnt seeAhmed in the office yesterday.

Do you know where he was. Theyve known each other sincethey were at school together. Theyve always been very good

friends.

Ive had this dress for ages. Ive worn it many times. I bought it

when I went to Lahore I a few years ago.I love his books. Ive read them all several times. A friend gave

me his first book and since then, Ive bought them all.

I studied Sindhi in school but Ive forgotten most of it now

because Ive never had the chance to practice it.


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Past Perfect Tense: Answer KeyI'm sorry I left without you last night, but I told you to meet me early

because the show started at 8:00. By the time I finally left the coffee

shop where we were supposed to meet, I (have) had had five cups of

coffee and I (wait) had been waiting over an hour. I had to leave

because I (arrange) had arranged to meet Amjad in front of the

theatre.

When I arrived at the theater, Amjad (pick, already) had alreadypicked up the tickets and he was waiting for us near the entrance. He

was really angry. He said he (give, almost) had almost given up and

(go) gone into the theater without us.

Amjad told me you (be) had been late several times in the past. Hementioned that he (miss) had missed several movies because of your

late arrivals. I think you owe him an apology. And in the future, I

suggest you be on time!


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Parallelism means that words used in pairs or groups should all

have the same gram-matical form (verbs and verbs; nouns,

nouns, and nouns; gerunds and gerunds, etc.) When using

words or phrases with coordinating conjunctions or in a series,make sure that they follow the same grammatical structure. For

example,

Terry likes swimming and to dive. (Incorrect: not parallel

Terry likes swimming and diving. (Correct)

Terry likes to swim and (to) dive. (Correct)I'm taking history, math, and chemical. (Incorrect)

I'm taking history, math, and chemistry. (Correct)

Sometimes repeated words, such as auxiliary verbs, can be

deleted in parallel constructions.I have been to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower. (Incorrect)

I have been to Paris and have seen the Eiffel Tower. (Okay)

I have been to Paris and seen the Eiffel Tower. (Better)

Is she coming to the party or go to a movie? (Incorrect)

Is she coming to the party or going to a movie? (Correct)

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grammar teaching method