Approaches to Teaching Grammar
"Should Grammar still be taught in the EFL classroom and if so - how?"
Interview with Prof. Dr. phil. Torben Schmidt
Outline
incorporate several grammar teaching approaches
Task-based Language Teaching
"there should always be an orientation and an explicit explanation of why you need a certain tense or certain grammatical construction"
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"explicit grammar instruction is important but, it should always be connected to meaningful, challenging tasks and communicative scenarios"
"teach grammar explicit but embedded in a communicative setting"
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1. What is Grammar?
2. Statements by Students about Grammar Learning
3. Should Grammar be taught in the EFL Classroom?
4. How should Grammar be taught?
4.1 The Explicit Approach
4.2 The Implicit Approach
5. Interview with Prof. Dr. phil. Torben Schmidt
6. Conclusion
7. Discussion
8. Sources
"explicit grammar instruction is important but, it should always be connected to meaningful, challenging tasks and communicative scenarios"
Focus on Form
Focus on FormS
"teach grammar explicit but embedded in a communicative setting"
"there should always be an orientation and an explicit explanation of why you need a certain tense or certain grammatical construction"
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Should Grammar be taught in the EFL Classroom?
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no Grammar in the EFL Classroom
Grammar is necessary in the EFL Classroom
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- Krashen's Acquisition Theory
- Noticing is a necessary condition for language learning
- Chomsky's Idea of Universal Grammar
- Learners cannot process input for meaning and form at the same time
- The Knowledge-How-Argument
some type of focus on grammatical forms is necessary
current research shows that those hypotheses are no longer sustainable
What is Grammar?
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Conclusion
"The whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections) and sometimes also phonology and semantics."
"There may be no single best approach to grammar teaching that would apply in all situations to the diverse types of learners a teacher can encounter. However, teachers' familiarity with different approaches to grammar instruction and language learning can allow them to apply to their particular situation the most effective blend of features that each has to offer" (Hinkel, E., & Fotos, S, 2002, P. 1)
(Oxford Dictionary)
Comparison
Explicit
Implicit
- Explicit knowledge is generally accessible through controlled processing
- Implicit knowledge is available through automatic processing
- Limits to acquire implicit knowledge for most learners
- Declarative and learnable for almost every individual learner
"Grammar (as well as vocabulary) is the backbone of language. One can only master a language if he/she has the words to express it and knows the rules, how those words should be put together in order to make sentences."
- Tactic, intuitive and procedural
- Conscious operation of learning such as the making and using of hypotheses
- Learning is mostly memorizing a series of successive facts - brain areas involved - working memory = conscious
- Acquisition of knowledge about underlying structure of a complex environment by a natural and unconscious operation
- More studies proved explicit learning to be more successful (N. Ellis, 1993; Rosa and O`Neill, 1999; Gass and al, 2003)
- There are only few studies that ever proved implicit learning to be more successful
(Prof Dr phil Torben Schmidt)
How should Grammar be taught?
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2
The Explicit Approach
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1. The Explicit Approach
- Explicit grammar instruction is conducive for “knowing the rules” of a language
- It provides a solid knowledge and syntax
- Logical, mathematical and verbal types of intelligence seem to be more readily inclined to learning grammar explicitly.
• explicit grammar instruction becomes more relevant as we get older L2
- Explicit grammar teaching can make students more profoundly understand the grammatical rules of a language
- more studies proved explicit learning to be more successful
Audiolingual/-visual Method
2. The Implicit Approach
- Method was developed by Charles Fries
- Method follows the principles of Behaviourism (Skinner)
- Language is viewed as a formal system of sounds, words and sentences
- Listening and speaking in dialogues is the central focus
- Stimulus-response-reinforcement serves as the basis for teacher feedback
- Learners repeat and practice specific utterances
Example: Chain drills
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The Implicit Approach
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- Learning-centred method with focus on meaningful interaction
- Inducing grammar rules through a communicative use of the language
- Natural acquisition of grammatical knowledge
- The modern conception of implicit teaching is closely related to Communicative Language Teaching
Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT)
“The learner is seen as a social agent, who wants to communicate, solve problems, and achieve goals in particular situations.”
(Grimm, Meyer, Volkmann 2015: p. 69)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
- Learning process is based on tasks that promote authentic communication
- Teacher provides the learners with natural language input and speaking opportunities
- Learners acquire and integrate new grammatical features in their internal grammar
- Developed between 1970 - 1980 by pragmatic linguists and sociolinguists
- Focusses on the ability to interact meaningfully and appropriately within cultural norms
- Communicative competence serves as the main aim of language learning
Research Findings
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- Study conducted in 2017 in grade 8 (32 students) in Turkey
- Hypothesis: Students that are taught with TBLT will have better grammar knowledge than students that were taught traditionally. - TRUE
- Significant difference between the two groups better results with TBLT
- Explanation:
- lower levels of anxiety
- focus on completing the task rather than on accuracy
- interesting and meaningful
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Statements by Students
Discussion
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"I like grammar lessons because I am very good in grammar and because of that I can always raise my hand and get a good grade."
:
"I do not like grammar, because we always do the same thing: our teacher presents the rule, then we have to do exercises and in the end we have to be able to use it. But often after a few weeks I forget everything we have learned."
:
"I hate grammar. Often I know what I want to say, but the teacher always corrects me, although everybody understands what I am saying. Why do I have to speak perfect English, when everybody understands what I want to express in my own words?"
Pro Grammar
30 %
70 %
Contra Grammar
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3
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Sources
- Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (cf. esp. Chapter 5)
- Cowan, R. (2008). The teacher’s grammar of English: A course book and reference guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 3)
- Ellis, N.C. (2002). Frequency effects in language processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 24, 143–188.
- Ellis, R. (2008). Explicit form-focused Instruction and second language acquisition. In B. Spolsky & F. Hult (Eds.), The handbook of educational linguistics (pp. 437–455). Malden: Blackwell Publishing
- Ellis, R. (2002). The place of grammar instruction in the second/foreign language curriculum. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classrooms (pp. 17–34). Manwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Grimm, N., Meyer M. & Volkmann L. (2015). Teaching English. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co.KG: Tübingen.
- Haight, C. E., Herron, C., & Cole, S. I. (2007). The effects of deductive and guided inductive instructional approaches on the learning of grammar in the elementary foreign language college classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 40(2), 288–310.
- Hinkel, E., & Fotos, S. (2002). From theory to practice: A teacher’s view. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classrooms. Manwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques & principles in language teaching (3rd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. (cf. esp. Chapter 9)
- Loewen, S. (2011). Focus on form. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning, Volume II (pp. 576–592). Routledge: New York/London.
- Nassaji, H., & Fotos, S. (2011). Teaching grammar in second language classrooms. Integrating form-focused instruction in communicative context. New York/London: Routledge. (cf. esp. Chapter 1) (personal copy)
- Nassaji, H., & Fotos, S. (2004). Current developments in research on the teaching of grammar. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 126–145.
- Rodríguez-Bonces, Mónica; Rodríguez-Bonces, Jeisson (2010). Task-Based Language Learning: Old Approach, New Style. A New Lesson to Learn. In: Profile Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development 12.2, 165-78.
- Thornbury, S. (1999). How to teach grammar. Harlow: Longman.
- Ur, P. (2011). Grammar teaching. Research, theory and practice. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning, Volume II (pp. 507–522). Routledge: New York/London.
a presentation by Lina Habich, Magalie Herdes, Marei Lienau and Yasmin Rohlf
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