Teaching Grammar LLT 307

Communicative Competence (i.e., the goal of CLT) Grammatical/Linguistic Competence Sociolinguistic Competence Strategic Competence Discourse Competence Communicative Competence Grammar knowledge is needed for the other areas of CC. You do not want to sounds stupid, incompetent and unknowledgeable. Strategic is using what you know to find what you do know. Register informal and formal form Need to know context of speaking Discuss grammar as a skill, not just the ruels and FORM of a language Is grammar knowledge needed for the other areas of CC? (Pre-Reading Q4) Why? (Pre-reading Q2) What are some concepts/practices you associate with CLT. How will (did) this chapter will bridge them with grammar?

Two Types of Grammar Instruction Structure-Based Instruction Focus on the language (grammar) Structures presented in easy-to-difficult sequence Errors corrected; accuracy over message Learner not surrounded by L2 Limited contact with proficient speakers (T only) Limited contact with different types of discourse Pressure to speak/write correctly Most common type of discourse: IRE Initiation: Teacher asks a question Response: Student answers Evaluation: Teacher evaluates the answer Communication-Based Instruction Communicative, content- and/or task-based Focus: interaction, conversation, and L2 use Input made comprehensible: realia, gestures, etc. Errors not corrected; meaning over form More time for speaking because of group/pair work Limited contact with proficient speakers (teacher only), but a lot of contact with other learners (student-student interaction) Different types of discourse through authentic materials and role-play (Only) implicit feedback through negotiation of meaning and clarification requests Two types of instruction Structure based is focus on language Communicative based is focus on task Think of as a contimuim between these two extremes. Do you really want to be at both extrmems? A little bit of both is necessary 1. What do these two types of L2 classrooms look like? 2. Which one of these more closely resembles your classroom language learning experiences? (Pre-Reading Q1) 3. Which one, in your opinion, handles grammar more effectively? Structure-Based Communication-Based

Three Scenarios Questions: What tasks are used? What is the focus of each episode? Exchange of information or language? How does the teacher respond to errors?

Approaches to Grammar Instruction Focus on meaning Focus on formS Focus on form Meaning is meaning based instruction Focus on forms is the structure based instruction Focus on form is the middle. Gives attention to both.

What Constitutes Grammatical “Form”? Morphosyntax Woof Woofs Woofed Woofing Had woofed ……… Pre-reading Q3? Reading Q2? Post-Reading Q2?

Focus on FormS: Characteristics Teaching of linguistic forms is paramount Language is taught as an end in itself Activities Dialogue memorization Repetition drills Substitution drills Transformation drills Example: Grammar translation Theoretical support: Behaviorism What is lacking in this type of instruction according to Larsen-Freeman? (Reading Q1) At the end of p. 251, L-F writes, …grammar is about much more than form… What does she mean by that? In other words, why is this form-only view of grammar and grammar instruction incomplete?

Focus on Meaning: Characteristics Learners’ attention is not drawn explicitly to linguistic forms Learners only need comprehensible input in a low-stress environment Examples Purely communicative instruction Content-based instruction Theoretical support/claims (Krashen, Truscott) Second language learning is the same as first language learning (e.g., Krashen, 1981) Maximum exposure to authentic materials is essential Language can only be acquired, not learned Language acquisition is subconscious Acquisition leads to implicit knowledge and learning leads to explicit knowledge EC is not helpful and may be harmful to learners (Truscott, 1996, 1999)

Focus on Form Linguistic forms must be taught, but in the context of meaningful, task-based commucation Exposure to language forms is insufficient (i.e., L2A is not the same as L1A Language features learned in mechanical drills are hard to retrieve in real-life situations Negotiated interaction (Gass, 2003) Facilitates comprehension of input Raises learner’s awareness of the gap between his/her own production and the correct form Affords opportunities for output (production) (Loewen, 2004)

Negotiated Interaction NNS: Why they want to sell to the house? NS: Why do they want to sell the house? NNS: Why do they want to sell the house? (later on) NNS: Why does he want to wash the window before he goes to work? (and) NNS: Why he ah why does he want to call the painter? (Philp, 2003)

Research Findings After years of immersion, learners still had serious problems in linguistic accuracy (Swain, 1985) Lack of attention to form Interaction with attention to linguistic form is more effective than interaction alone (Gass & Mackey, 2007). Focus-on-form instruction is more effective than focus-on-formS instruction (Norris & Ortega, 2000)

In a nutshell… Focus on formS Linguistic forms are taught removed from context and as an “object” Focus on meaning Linguistic forms are not attended to Focus on form Primary emphasis is on meaning, but attention is also given to form as needed Structure-Based Communication-Based Focus on Form Focus on FormS Focus on Meaning

Identify whether the provided scenarios should be labeled focus on form, focus on formS, or focus on meaning.

Types of Focus on Form Planned versus incidental Planned: intensive attention to preselected forms. Incidental: attention distributed to a variety of forms in response to sporadic linguistic problems Preemptive versus reactive Preemptive: raising the learner’s metalinguistic awareness (followed by carefully designed tasks that address a particular target form) Reactive Online: providing feedback while students are engaged in a communicative activity Offline: providing feedback after a communicative activity correcting errors and pointing out how the target form was used in context.

Grammar Tasks According to Focus-on-Form Meaning is primary; accuracy is secondary (but not absent or considered unimportant). There is a communication problem of some type to solve. The task has some relationship to real-world events (i.e., it is meaningful and contextualized). The use of a/the/some target structure(s) is indispensible for the completion of the task. (Sound familiar?)

Design a Task Choose one of the following English structures (or a different language and/or structure) and design a focus-on-form task by applying what you have learned. Comparatives/superlatives Present/past progressive (was/were doing something) Direct and/or indirect object pronouns