Methods For Grammar TeachingKatie BainEnglish Language Fellow

Objectives• Participants will be exposed to several different theories and

strategies for the reasons for and practice of grammar instruction.

• Exposure to these theories will hopefully help participants to reflect on their own teaching and to make more informed decisions in planning and implementation of grammar instruction.

Order of Presentation

1. Discuss issues surrounding grammar2. Discuss different theories for teaching grammar3. Discuss practical application of grammar teaching theories

Issues Surrounding Grammar• Why is grammar important?• What constitutes “correct” use of grammar?• Is grammar instruction necessary?• How should grammar be taught?

What is grammar?

Grammar encompasses the rules that govern

the way our communication system works. (Stathis and Gotsch, 2011)

Is grammar important? Why or why not?

She want pen blue.

• Is this sentence grammatically correct?• Is the meaning conveyed?• What are the good and bad results of using this

sentence as it is written in different contexts: • With friends• On the job• In academia

Language is a weapon of politicians, but language is a

weapon in much of human affairs. Noam Chomsky

Descriptive Grammar

• Descriptive grammar looks at ways a language is actually spoken or written rather than ranking one style of English as better than another. According to Teschner and Evans(2007), “an utterance is grammatical if a language’s native speakers routinely say it and other native speakers of that language are able to understand it.” (Stathis and Gotsch, 2011)

What is “correct” use of grammar?

The following verbs are regular in British English, but irregularin American English:

divefitwetAll her clothes fit into the suitcase.All her clothes fitted into the suitcase.

She wet her long blond hair before pushing it under her bathing cap.She wetted her long hair before pushing it under her bathing cap.

Then she dove into the pool with all her clothes on.Then she dived into the pool with all her clothes on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv123.shtml

What is “correct” use of grammar?• African American Vernacular English

• Double negation (ain’t … no …)• Verb aspects (been, steady, been done…)• Omission of some form of “to be”

http://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/media/Course_files/anth-350-clare-wilkinson-weber/aaev-for-website.pdf

Is grammar instruction necessary?

• YES! “The research coalesces around a central idea—language learners need direct language practice and support and guidance to develop the social and academic language critical for academic success and life in general. The most recent research suggests that explicit grammar instruction is critically important to address the needs of a growing population of ‘long term English learners’.” (Stathis and Gotsch, 2011, p. 2)

• NO! Many studies have shown that grammar instruction has no value for improving students’ language growth (Krashen, 1998).

Theories of Grammar Instruction• Explicit Instruction• Implicit Instruction• Task-based instruction• Content/Theme-based instruction• Grammar in the context of writing

Things to consider when teaching grammar• Age of students• Literacy level of students• Educational background of students• Multiple intelligences

One size does not fit all!

Explicit Instruction

•Direct teacher interaction with students in which grammatical concepts are explained to students.

Implicit Instruction

• Implicit instruction is a way of teaching grammatical concepts in which the students must learn from implied information. They may be given texts or activities that encourage them to make the discovery of grammar themselves.

Task-based Instruction

• Task-based instruction with grammar is when grammatical concepts are taught and then students use new constructs to perform specific tasks. (interviews, reports, debates, etc.)

Content/Theme-based Instruction• Content Based Instruction (CBI) or Content and

Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is the idea that teachers can use themes and topics from other areas of study to be the platform on which teachers plan for and implement langauge lessons. • While learning about animal classification, for

example, students may be taught the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in order to describe different animals.

Grammar in the Context of Writing• Teaching grammar in the context writing is a way to focus on

certain grammatical concepts and then having students focus on those concepts in their writing. As you correct student writing, you may correct errors only in the area of writing that you focused on for the students.

Teach the terms that students need when they need them and when they will use them. -- Smith and

• Wilhelm

A Balanced Approach to Grammar Instruction• Grammar through meaning and use:• Teaching the past tense so that students can retell

a story.• Teaching comparatives so that students can write

compare/contrast essays.• Teaching modals so that students can practice

conversations about degrees of certainty.

• Grammar in this way has a purpose , a goal, a meaning.

Videos of Grammar Teaching• Watch and discuss these videos:• Explicit Teaching of Advanced Grammar• Board Race for Grammar Practice• The Great Kapok Tree

Practical Application of Grammar Theories• How can you use what you’ve learned today to change or

modify how you teach grammar in your classroom?

Sources

• (2004). Teaching grammar: Goals and techinques for teaching grammar. Retrieved from http://www.nclcr.org/essentials/grammar/goalsgram.htm

• Krashen, S. J. (2003). Free voluntary reading: Still a very good idea. Retrived from http://wwwbcf.usc.edu/~genzuk/Free_Voluntary_Reading.Krashen.FVReading3-Krashen.pdf

• Rayburn, S.E. (2008). Untapped potential: Teaching grammar in the context of writing. Retrieved from https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/srayburn

• Savage, K.L., Bitterlin, G., Price, D. (2010). Grammar matters: Teaching grammar in adult ESL programs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Stathis, R. Gotsch, P. (2011). Explicit grammar instruction: The research basis for grammar gallery. Retrieved from http://www.grammargallery.org