Unit 7 Teaching Grammar Objectives: Know the importance and role of grammar in ELT Know how to present grammar Know how to guide students to practice grammar

Task 1 Factors to consider: learner variables: children vs. adults skill variables: listening and reading vs. writing (Celce–Murcia, 1991)

7.1 The role of grammar in language learning Cited ideas: Recent years have seen a return to a focus on language in the communicative classroom. (Patreidge, 1994, p. 71) Language features may be explained to learners. The “explanation” must be conducted properly so that it can raise the learners’ consciousness of the grammar feature and form explicit knowledge of it. (Paltridge, 1994, p. 72) Insufficient explanations are detrimental in teaching grammar. (Ellis, 1999, p. 18) Pair work or role play are ideal for work on pragmatics but they may not be suited for teaching the meaning or form of the grammatical structures. (Larsen–freeman, 2003, p. 40)

7.2 Grammar presentation methods Deductive method rules are explained (with the help of examples sometimes) comparisons are made between native language and target language or between learned structures and new structures students practice according to the rules △ Advantages and disadvantages (p. 104)

Inductive method specific examples are presented for students to realize the rules students use the realized rules to produce new language teacher sums up the rules △ Sometimes a blend of the two

The guided discovery method similar to the inductive method discovery is carefully guided and assisted by the teacher rules are elicited and explicitly taught model: contextualized scenario students are guided to discover rules practice Procedures for teaching grammar using listening as input suggested by Ellis: Listening to comprehend Listening to notice Understanding the grammar point Checking Trying it out Task 3

7.3 Grammar practice Factors contributing to successful practice by Ur (1988, p. 108) Pre-learning Volume and repetition Success orientation Heterogeneity (variety) Teacher assistance Interest

Mechanical practice aimed at form accuracy substitution drill transformation drill

Task 4 Purpose, advantages and disadvantages of mechanical practice deeper understanding and impression of the structure know better about how the structure is formed isolated, no context focused on form, not on meaning or communicative functions boring, but not interesting

Meaningful practice focused on production, exchange of meaning students “keep an eye on” structures following mechanical practice

Task 5 meaningful and closer to real use of language more interesting, students are more easily motivated in production, students may become unconscious of the structures

Using prompts for practice (pp ) pictures mime or gestures information sheet key words or phrases chained phrases created situations

7.4 Conclusion Suggestions about grammar teaching: Teach rules which are simple and do not have many exceptions Not spend too much time on less useful or less important grammar points Teach grammar in context Use charts, tables, diagrams, maps, drawings and realia to aid understanding Avoid difficult terminology Enough opportunities for practice Not frustrated by students’ mistakes

References: Paltridge, B. (1994). Focusing on language in the communicative classroom. The New Zealand Language Teachers, 20(1), Ellis, R. (1999). The place of grammar instruction in the second / foreign language curriculum. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics, 5(1), Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching language: from grammar to grammaring (pp ). Boston: Thomson Heinle. Chapter 4. The three dimensions.