getting creative with grammar teaching

Getting creative with

grammar teaching

Jo Gakonga

Why does teaching

grammar get a bad press?

Illustrations from Jan, J.M. & Ollúa, R. (1950) El Inglés Práctico; Comercio, Exámenes y Viajes, Buenos Aires: Academias Pitman.

Do we need to teach grammar

at all?

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2011/sites/iatefl/files/session/documents/walter_grammar_iatefl2011_handout.pdf

Catherine Walter

IATEFL Plenary 2011

Should we be planning to teach grammar?

Krashen's Input Hypothesis (1977)

"Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules”

Stephen Krashen

"Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding."

"The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' containing messages that students really want to hear.”

"The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' containing messages that students really want to hear.”

i + 1

Canadian project1965 onwards

French immersion schools

“Practice" is replaced by "creative

construction”. Learners encouraged to experiment with linguistic forms.

Errors are not seen as bad

Canadian immersion studies (Swain 1985; Genesee 1987).

The result?

Immersion students often perform as

well as native French-speaking students

on tests of reading and listening

comprehension in French.

However, they seldom achieve the same

high levels of competence in speaking

and writing as they achieve in comprehension.

Three problems:

Grammar is less complex and less redundant

than that of native speakers.

Their grammar is influenced by English

grammar.

Their use of language is often non-idiomatic

So, what…..

Of significance for

ESOL learners

Common ground

Common ground

Significant amounts of exposure

A real need to communicate

(Paucity of opportunity to speak?)

So, explicit teaching isnecessary….

Do you agree?Why do you teach

grammar?

Pretty much all course books based on it

Learners’ expectations

Seen as very traditional but…

Different / less traditional approaches all include grammar

Task Based Learning

Jane and Dave Willis

Learners do task and rehearse their language to present to group

Learners present what they have practised

Teacher gives input on the ‘gap’.

Dogme

Suggests emergent language but still doesn’t suggest no language teaching

Luke Meddings and Scott Thornberry

Do we need to teach grammar?

YES!

What I am NOT saying…..

If we teach grammar, how

should we do it?

What isn’t so helpful...

• Teacher: I found the book.

• Students: I found the book.

• Teacher: Pen.

• Students: I found the pen.

• Teacher: Bought.

• Students: I bought the pen.

Example of a mindless gap fill..

Use the present perfect to complete these sentences:

1. I _______ ________ (see) the Eiffel Tower.

2. She ________ _________ (eat) snake.

3. They ________ __________ (swim) in the sea.

4. We ________ _________ (fill) in too many of these gap-fill

exercises………

Creative Automaticity

Gatbonton, E. and Segalowitz, N. (1988) ‘Creative automatization: Principles for promoting fluency within a communicative framework’, TESOL Quarterly, 22, 3.

‘The techniques for this approach are designed to provide students with ample opportunities for repetition and practice within a wholly communicative context, without the shortcomings usually characteristic of pattern drills or other more traditional methods’

http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/?s=A+is+for

Activities that promote creative automaticity should be …

• genuinely communicative

• focused

• formulaic

• inherently repetitive

Some common examples…

• A class photo…

• Find someone who…

• What’s my line?

• What kind of animal am I? (“Do you have four legs? Can you fly? Do you lay eggs?” etc).

Creativity

Personalisation

Jill Hadfield’s ‘Creativity in the language classroom’

Modern English Teacher

January 2012

When I am old…When I’m an old woman, I will wear purple

And a red hat that doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me

And I will spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and candles, and say we have no money for butter.

I will sit down on the pavement when I am tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I will go out in slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens

And learn to spit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr1RU4SM2L8

I’ll definitely

I’ll probably

I might

I’ll

I definitely won’t

I probably won’t

I might not

I won’t

When I am old, I won’t be quiet and I’ll bother my neighbours. I might have a toy-boy.

When we are old we will definitely do many crazy and dangerous things,

We will wear full make up from morning and we will spend our money for a face lift.

When I am old, I’ll be a honarable person.

I’ll definitely lede the people and I’ll be self-confident.

• genuinely communicative

• focused

• formulaic

• inherently repetitive

Creativity

Personalisation

Present Perfect for experience

I’ve never been to India, I’ve never been to FranceI’ve never eaten frog’s legsAnd I’ve never learnt to dance.

I’ve always lived in BirminghamI’ve never been abroadI’ve always lived at homeI’m getting rather bored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv7-yCYnAg0

Present Perfect for experience

I’ve never been to India, I’ve never been to FranceI’ve never eaten frog’s legsAnd I’ve never learnt to dance.

I’ve always lived in BirminghamI’ve never been abroadI’ve always lived at homeI’m getting rather bored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqXAwpAtLY

Present Perfect for experience

I’ve never been to India, I’ve never been to FranceI’ve never eaten frog’s legsAnd I’ve never learnt to dance.

I’ve always lived in BirminghamI’ve never been abroadI’ve always lived at homeI’m getting rather bored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqXAwpAtLY

Present Perfect for experience

Homework..

• Write your own….

I've never been in Ireland.But I've been in love with Irish man.

He had a huge talant to gain women's favor, but he was so mean.

He inculcated in me a taste for art and love for adventure.

Our love story was bright and unforgettable, but it finished witha phrase "I'm sorry".

At parting he gave me a kiss with an fragrant of Irish legend.

I've never been in Italy.But I've been in love with Italian.

He's been very clever, he's known many languages, but he's been so nervous and so fault-finding person.Well, we let as part friends.

He gave me as a keepsake the 33 recipes for Italian pasta and one recipe for happiness.

Alan Marsh’s article…

English Teaching Professional

March 2012

The Door to Spontaneity

Simple past tense questions..

Dates game – Did you / Were you..

1952 1989

1999 2010

Also makes a great card game…

1952 1989

1999 2010

Simple present tense questions..

yes 7

Kenya Birmingham

Present perfect questions..

For 2 years Since 2000

Since last night

For 15 years

Creativity

Personalisation

Thrill Drills

Milada Krejewska’s blog http://miladakrajewska.wordpress.com/

A picture paints a thousand words….

few

What is inside?

There is…There are…

What’s happening inside?

Someone is crying……

Creativity

Personalisation

It could be…

It might be..

It definitely isn’t…

It looks like ….

..he has…

..he is -ing….

It looks like ….

..it has… ..it is -ing….

Sources of pictures….

What’s the story?

What are YOUR ideas for grammar practice?

Thank you!

Slideshare- NATECLA 2013 jo.gakonga@elt-training.com