teaching grammar teaching the language system how to teach grammar a presentation by merle...

Teaching Grammar

Teaching the Language System

“How to Teach Grammar”

A presentation by Merle Oesterschulze & Ann-Kristin Tibo

This presentation is (mainly) based on

Tricia Hedge’s Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, (2000) Chapter 5 pp.158-178

Further material was taken out of

Scott Thornbury‘s How Teach Grammar, (1999)Rosie Tanner‘s and Cathrine Green‘s Tasks for Teacher Education. A Reflective Approach, (1998) (Chap.3)

Teaching Grammar

Overview

Content of our Presentation

1. Introduction1.1 Why teach grammar?1.2 Grammar acquisition – a short revision1.3 Basic principles for grammar teaching

2. Guiding principles in the teaching of grammar2.1 Presenting grammar2.2 Practising grammar

3. How can we suit approach to learner needs?

4. Bibliography

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles inthe teaching ofgrammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Teaching Grammar

Introduction- Why teach grammar? -

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements?

taken from “Tasks for Teacher Education” p. 13

Teaching Grammar

Introduction- Why teach grammar? -

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Presentation of grammar can facilitate learning in a number of ways:

+ it can provide input for noticing language forms

+ it can help to see the difference between the learner’s output and accurate forms of English

+ Without some focus on form, learners run the risk of fossilising

+ it can give information on the stylistic variation of language form “Me Tarzan, you Jane”- kind of language fails to deliver intelligibility

BUT this does not mean that grammar should be the goal of teaching, nor that a focus on form alone is sufficient.

“A language is acquired through practice [communication]; it is merely perfected through grammar” (Leibniz)

On balance, there is a convincing case for grammar teaching

(taken out of “How Teach Grammar” pp.15-17; 23-25)

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Introduction- Grammar acquisition -

We have to be aware of the ...

… developmental sequences or natural order hypothesis = “readiness to learn“

order in which certain features of language are acquired

… variation of the time needed to learn a new structure among Ls implication: to recycle structures

… fact that the process is not a lockstep onee.g. go went *goed

… inductive learning- use of acquired knowledge and knowledge of L1 to “discover” the

language

Consequences for the role of grammar instruction

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Introduction- Basic principles -

Grammar presentation and practice activities should be evaluated according to:

1. How efficient they are

1.1 How time-efficient is it? (its economy) presenting grammar: the shorter the better

1.2 How easy is it set up? (its ease) the easier an activity is to set up, the better it is

1.3 Is it consistent with good learning principles? (its efficacy) try to exclude any distracting or irrelevant details understandable and easy to remember

2. How appropriate they are

2.1 learners’ needs and interests

2.2 learners’ attitudes and expectations

factors: age; level; group size; constitution of the group …

(taken out of “How Teach Grammar” pp.25-28)

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding principles- Presenting grammar -

linking grammarand

vocabulary

degree of explicitness

use of terminology

order of presentation

contextualization

PresentingGrammar

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding principles- Presenting grammar -

“Language is context-sensitive” (Thornbury; p.90)

Context can be created through:visuals; miming/ demonstrating; dialogues; texts; songs; videos; situations …

The context should be useful and appropriate to the learners’ needs

Which forms and in what order?

Experiment

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding principles- Presenting grammar -

Experiment

Consider the set of forms for the present continuous tense to express current actions:

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Presenting Grammar -

- metalanguage may be useful for advanced learners and analytical learners- Sometimes, it is most effective to guide students into seeing the patterns (above all for beginners)

Explicit = deductive approach grammatical explanation and application activityImplicit = inductive approach “discovery learning“ e.g. consciousness-raising

tasks

Compare Material 5A and 5B

Pattern: it + linking verb + adjective + infinitive with “to”

e.g.: “It’s difficult to make up your mind.” “It’s easy to say that.”

Lexical phrases used by native speakers

Teaching grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding Principles in the Teaching of GrammarPresenting GrammarPractising Grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

The PPP model

PRESENTATION

PRACTICE

PRODUCTION

aim: to achieve accuracy

aim: to achieve fluency

See table 5.1; p. 166

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

The PPP model

Pros Cons

has a logic appeal both to teachers and students and reflects the way other skills are learned, e.g. football

Learners will perform the activity with the new learned structure correctly in that lesson, but will then cease to use it, or produce it inaccurately (see also: Ellis; p.166)

allows the teacher to control the content and pace of the lesson and

provides a convenient template

Language is learned in bits and steps

BUT: Language acquisition is more complex and less linear than the PPP model assumes

Controlled practice stage provides conscious focus on form

assumes that accuracy precedes fluency

BUT: learners might be able to speak fluently while still making mistakes

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding Principles in the Teaching of GrammarPresenting GrammarPractising Grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

Alternative Models:

1) Dictogloss Technique

Form of dictation, BUT: students need to hear and reconstruct the whole text

Focus is on language form which is contextually embedded in a situation Learners are encouraged to reflect on grammar

Students need to work collaboratively on reflecting the text which necessitates decision-making

“negotiation of form” (Swain)

Sample Lesson

Sample Lesson

aim: Learn would in its past habitual sense

example: When we lived in Canada we would often

go kayaking.

Instructions

1. Listen and as soon as I have finished write down what you remember of the text.

2. Join up in pairs and compare what you have noted down.

3. Try to reconstruct the text.

4. Compare your version with the original.

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding Principles in the Teaching of GrammarPresenting GrammarPractising Grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

Teaching Grammar

“When I was a child we used to go camping every summer. We‘d choose a

different place each year, and we‘d drive around until we found a beach we

liked. Then we‘d pitch our tent, as near as possible to the beach. We‘d

usually spend most of the time on the beach or exploring the country round

about. We never went to the same beach twice.“

Taken out of “How Teach Grammar” p.83

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding Principles in the Teaching of GrammarPresenting GrammarPractising Grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Teaching Grammar

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

To sum it up…

Order of the dictogloss activities

1. ‘warm-up‘ to the topic and preparation of relevant vocabulary

2. text is read twice, on the second reading students note down the words they catch

3. students try to reconstruct the text in groups they use the grammar they know and consider the possible alternatives

4. when comparing their version of the text with the original, students see the difference

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding Principles in the Teaching of GrammarPresenting GrammarPractising Grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

Teaching Grammar

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

Guiding Principles- Practising Grammar -

Alternative Models:

2) Task-Based Model

focus on: fluency-to-accuracy sequence

1. Learners perform a communicative task

2. Teacher uses this to identify language features learners could have used to communicate more effectively

3. These features are taught and practised

4. Students re-perform the original (or a similar) task

TASK TEACH TASK

Teaching Grammar

Overview

IntroductionWhy teach grammar?Grammar acquisitionBasic principles

Guiding principles in the teaching of grammarPresenting grammarPractising grammar

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

How can we suit approach to learner needs?

• Celce-Murcia: “the more factors the teacher identifies on the left side of the grid, the less important it is to focus on form; the more factors the teacher identifies on the right, the more important the grammatical focus“ (Celce-Murcia 1993: 294)

Teaching Grammar

Bibliography

Green, Catherine & Tanner, Rosie (1998). Tasks for Teacher Education. A Reflective Approach. Longman

Hedge, Tricia (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford University Press

Thornbury, Scott (1999). How Teach Grammar. Longman

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