Pedagogical Grammar Focus on form

Key concepts Synthetic / Analytic syllabuses Focus on meaning / Focus on FormS (FonfS) / Focus on Form (Fonf) Positive / negative evidence The Interaction Hypothesis

Focus on forms (similar to PPP) Their objections: No sudden complete acquisition Doesn’t accord with Natural Order Doesn’t take into account ‘up-and-down’ learning;

Consciousness-raising – input enhancement Don’t expect systematic progress: just provide for ‘awareness’ of rules Or encourage noticing by ‘input enhancement’

Focus on meaning In favour: Natural seems rational grammatical syllabi have ‘failed’ facilitates unfolding of learner’s internal syllabus; 4 problems: older learners can’t achieve nativelike norms only through positive evidence fossilization, not like NSs unlearnability of some structures through positive evidence alone inefficient

Focus on form Takes into account: Beneficial effect of instruction Attention is important Interaction hypothesis (learn through negotiation of meaning, with occasional focus on form)

Focus on form is… ‘Time out’ for occasional focus on a grammatical form, within (before/after) a communicative task, and growing out of it.

Ways you can focus on form Teacher initiates noticing, having noticed a consistent error Design of task to facilitate noticing of a particular form Teacher explains, based on consistent error Negative feedback (recasts) Also: something brought up by a learner

In what way does this approach correspond with that of the National Curriculum?

Problems? Advantages? Implications?