LHE3207: Teaching Grammar to Learners of English as a Second Language B.Ed. TESL UPM PPL Semester 1, 2011/12
Items to pay attention to What kinds of attitudes do teachers and students have towards the teaching and learning of grammar? What are the arguments for and against the teaching of grammar? What are the major theories underlying the teaching of grammar? What are the issues raised concerning these theories or approaches to teaching grammar?
Items to pay attention to What are some of the teaching approaches or methodologies of the past and how have they treated the teaching of grammar? What does present day teaching of grammar emphasise? What is the difference between Focus on Form and Focus on FormS? What are present day techniques and approaches to teaching grammar?
Items to pay attention to What are the advantages and disadvantages of inductive and deductive presentation of grammar? What do the following terms refer to? – input, intake, proceduralization, negotiation of meaning, negotiation of form, consciousness raising, restructuring.
Arguments for the Teaching of Grammar Sentence-machine argument Fine-tuning argument Fossilisation argument Advance-organiser argument Discrete item argument Rule-of-law argument Learner expectations argument
Arguments against the Teaching of Grammar Knowledge-how argument Communication argument Acquisition argument Natural order argument Lexical chunks argument Learner expectations argument
Short history of Grammar in language teaching Classical Method (One-to-one tutoring; to read great books) Grammar Translation (First institutionalised method; translate into and back) Direct Method (Berlitz; no grammar) Audiolingualism (Behaviourism; drills) Communicative Language Teaching (Chomsky; Prabhu; Krashen; Language vs. Acquisition) Communicative Approach Designer Methods (Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response, Community Language Learning etc.)
Present Day Grammar Teaching Covert and overt teaching of grammar Fluency vs. accuracy Grammar revival Focus on form – what does it mean? Consciousness raising – attention and noticing Basic Principles (Thornbury) – E factor (Eficiency –economy, ease, efficacy); A factor (Appropriacy)