1. Teaching Grammar in the EFL classroom

2. Teaching Grammar in the EFL classroom
Presented by:
Abdelaziz Adnani

3. “In the past, a traditional classroom, with its emphasis on grammatical competence and explicit knowledge of language rules, did not provide occasions for learners to communicate…” -Adair-Hauck & Donato, 2002

4. “Unfortunately, many students who spent years learning only the formal properties of the language (sound system, verb conjugations, rules of syntax, vocabulary lists) could not, in the end, exchange information, express ideas or feelings, construct and control problem solving, or develop and nurture a social relationship in a second language.” -Adair-Hauck & Donato, 2002

5. Importance of Communicative Competence
It is through communication that we are able to improve our world, to prosper, and to enjoy it. -Cooper (1993) Communicative competence stresses the need to know how, when, and why to say what to whom. -Standards of FL Learning, 1996

6. How do we focus on form within a communicative framework?
Teachers don’t need to dichotomize language use– pitting form against meaning or meaning against form (Johnson, 1992)
Attention to form is beneficial to language users and critical to improving students’ language proficiency

7. Deductive vs. Inductive
Students learn grammar rule
Use Rule
Inductive:
Use grammar rule
Learn Rule

8. Deductive Approach: General rule Specific examples Practice ( Top-down Approach )

9. Inductive Approach: Specific examples Practice General rule ( Bottom- up Approach )

10. When grammar is taught deductively, the teacher…
Explains the rule to the learners.
Provides NO CONTEXT or COMMUNICATIVE PURPOSE for the grammar.
Focuses on form first and then meaning.
Drills students to learn the rule mechanically.
Assumes all responsibility for student learning.

11. When grammar is taught inductively, the teacher…
Allows the learner to formulate and discover the rule (“to induct”).
Provides a CONTEXT and PURPOSE for use.
Focuses on meaning first and form second.
Helps learners discover the rule through meaningful communication.
Empowers the students to problem solve and learn how to learn a language. Source: Donato, 2002

12. George w. bush Speaking:
“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”
January 11, 2000 From a speech delivered in Florence, South Carolina, and reported in the Los Angeles Times on January 14, 2000.

13. George w. bush Speaking:
“ You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test”
February 21, 2001 From a speech delivered in Townsend, Tennessee. Reported by The New Republic (March 5, 2001 issue).

14. George w. bush Speaking:
“The education issue ought to be discussed about”
December 15, 2000 Speaking to press during a meeting with Louisiana senator John Breaux in Austin, Texas.

15. Main Problems Facing Teachers:
Explaining Grammar rules.
Organizing meaningful grammar practice.
Integrating new grammar with the existing grammar knowledge.
Dealing with grammar errors
Integrating grammar knowledge with teaching communicative skills

16. Grammatical errors:
Transposition. E.g. I'll go to the chicken to fry the kitchen.
Omission. E.g. He a teacher at school.
Redundancy. E.g. Did he went to school last year?
Overgeneralization. E.g. Mom goed to work.
Ellipsis. Went where?
Tag. E.g. Nice fellow. That one.
Anaphoric start. E.g. This guy, he is cool.

17. Stages of teaching grammar logically:
Noticing. (How?)
Deductive / inductive.
Awareness raising.

18. Logic of teaching grammar:
the art of arranging a sequence of teaching actions to take the learners from the state of grammatical ignorance to the state of grammatical knowledge.

19. Grammar Drills

20. Replying with appropriate answers; grammatically correct sentences.
1. Teaching Interrogative Sentences through Writing interviews and dialogues:
Forming questions.
Replying with appropriate answers; grammatically correct sentences.

21. Are you enjoying yourself? What’s the name of this animal?
2. Substitution Drill
Target Sentence
Word
Initial Sentence
Having
Are you enjoying yourself?
called
What’s the name of this animal?
Nobody
Ali is the fastest

22. Are you having a good time? Having Are you enjoying yourself?
Target Sentence
Word
Initial Sentence
Are you having a good time?
Having
Are you enjoying yourself?
What is this animal called?
called
What’s the name of this animal?
Nobody is faster than Ali.
Nobody
Ali is the fastest

23. 3. Teaching tenses (Past Progressive Tense):
What were you doing when….?

24. 4. Headless sentences (Passive Voice):
1. ………… is played by two players.
2. ………… are written by poets.
3. ………… were built in Egypt.
4. ………… was being cooked.

25. 5.Creative Grammar Drill
Listening to songs with the aim of filling in blanks…

26. Conclusion & Recommendations:
When Teaching Grammar there always should be:
Motivational context.
Learner interaction with others.
Learner activity.
A well-structured knowledge base.

27. Personalise the lesson/grammar point.
Gradual introduction with careful steps and plenty of modelling.
Personalise the lesson/grammar point.
Create a meaningful context for language use.

28. The End Thank you