A presentation by Merle Oesterschulze & Ann-Kristin Tibo

Teaching Grammar

Teaching the Language System

How to Teach Grammar

This presentation is (mainly) based on

Tricia Hedges Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom, (2000) Chapter 5 pp.158-178
Further material was taken out of
Scott Thornburys How Teach Grammar, (1999)
Rosie Tanners and Cathrine Greens Tasks for Teacher Education. A Reflective Approach, (1998) (Chap.3)

Overview
Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Content of our Presentation

1. Introduction
1.1 Why teach grammar?
1.2 Grammar acquisition a short revision
1.3 Basic principles for grammar teaching
2. Guiding principles in the teaching of grammar
2.1 Presenting grammar
2.2 Practising grammar
3. How can we suit approach to learner needs?
4. Bibliography

Introduction
- Why teach grammar? Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar

To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements?

How can we suit

approach to learner
needs?

taken from Tasks for Teacher Education p. 13

Introduction
- Why teach grammar? Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles

Presentation of grammar can facilitate learning in a number of ways:

+ it can provide input for noticing language forms
+ it can help to see the difference between the learners output and accurate
forms of English
+ Without some focus on form, learners run the risk of fossilising

Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar

+ it can give information on the stylistic variation of language form

Me Tarzan, you Jane- kind of language fails to deliver intelligibility

How can we suit

approach to learner
needs?

BUT this does not mean that grammar should be the goal of teaching, nor that a
focus on form alone is sufficient.
A language is acquired through practice [communication]; it is merely perfected
through grammar (Leibniz)
On balance, there is a convincing case for grammar teaching
(taken out of How Teach Grammar pp.15-17; 23-25)

Introduction
- Grammar acquisition Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

We have to be aware of the ...

developmental sequences or natural order hypothesis
= readiness to learn
order in which certain features of language are acquired

variation of the time needed to learn a new structure among Ls

implication: to recycle structures

fact that the process is not a lockstep one

e.g. go went *goed

inductive learning
- use of acquired knowledge and knowledge of L1 to discover the
language

Consequences for the role of grammar instruction

Introduction
- Basic principles Teaching Grammar

Grammar presentation and practice activities should be evaluated

according to:

Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

1. How efficient they are

1.1 How time-efficient is it? (its economy)
presenting grammar: the shorter the better
1.2 How easy is it set up? (its ease)
the easier an activity is to set up, the better it is
1.3 Is it consistent with good learning principles? (its efficacy)
try to exclude any distracting or irrelevant details
understandable and easy to remember
2. How appropriate they are
2.1 learners needs and interests
2.2 learners attitudes and expectations
factors: age; level; group size; constitution of the group
(taken out of How Teach Grammar pp.25-28)

Guiding principles
- Presenting grammar Teaching Grammar

contextualization

Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar

linking grammar
and
vocabulary

How can we suit

approach to learner
needs?

degree of
explicitness

order
of presentation

Presenting
Grammar

use of
terminology

Guiding principles
- Presenting grammar Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Language is contextsensitive (Thornbury; p.90)

Context can be created
through:
visuals; miming/
demonstrating; dialogues;
texts; songs; videos;
situations
The context should be
useful and appropriate to
the learners needs

Which forms and in what order?

Experiment

Guiding principles
- Presenting grammar Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Experiment
Consider the set of forms for the present continuous tense to
express current actions:

Guiding Principles
- Presenting Grammar Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

- metalanguage may be useful for advanced learners and

analytical learners
- Sometimes, it is most effective to guide students into
seeing the patterns (above all for beginners)

Explicit = deductive approach

grammatical explanation and application activity
Implicit = inductive approach
discovery learning e.g. consciousness-raising
tasks
Compare Material 5A and 5B

Pattern: it + linking verb + adjective + infinitive with

to
e.g.: Its difficult to make up your mind.
Its easy to say that.
Lexical phrases used by native speakers

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding Principles in
the Teaching of
Grammar
Presenting Grammar
Practising Grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

The PPP model

PRESENTATION

PRACTICE
aim: to achieve
accuracy

PRODUCTION
aim: to achieve
fluency

See table 5.1; p. 166

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar The PPP model

Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Pros

Cons

has a logic appeal both to teachers

and students and reflects the way
other skills are learned, e.g. football

Learners will perform the activity

with the new learned structure
correctly in that lesson, but will then
cease to use it, or produce it
inaccurately
(see also: Ellis; p.166)

allows the teacher to control the

content and pace of the lesson and
provides a convenient template

Language is learned in bits and

steps

Controlled practice stage provides

conscious focus on form

assumes that accuracy precedes

fluency

BUT: Language acquisition is more

complex and less linear than the
PPP model assumes

BUT: learners might be able to

speak fluently while still making
mistakes

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching Grammar

Alternative Models:
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding Principles in
the Teaching of
Grammar
Presenting Grammar
Practising Grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

1) Dictogloss Technique
Form of dictation, BUT: students need to hear and reconstruct the whole
text
Focus is on language form which is contextually embedded in a situation
Learners are encouraged to reflect on grammar
Students need to work collaboratively on reflecting the text which
necessitates decision-making
negotiation of form (Swain)

Sample Lesson

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching Grammar

Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding Principles in
the Teaching of
Grammar
Presenting Grammar
Practising Grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Sample Lesson
aim: Learn would in its past habitual sense
example: When we lived in Canada we would often
go kayaking.
Instructions
1.

Listen and as soon as I have finished write down

what you remember of the text.

2.

Join up in pairs and compare what you have

noted down.

3.

Try to reconstruct the text.

4.

Compare your version with the original.

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching Grammar

Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding Principles in
the Teaching of
Grammar
Presenting Grammar
Practising Grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

When I was a child we used to go camping every summer. Wed choose a

different place each year, and wed drive around until we found a beach we
liked. Then wed pitch our tent, as near as possible to the beach. Wed
usually spend most of the time on the beach or exploring the country round
about. We never went to the same beach twice.

Taken out of How Teach Grammar p.83

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching Grammar

To sum it up

Overview

Order of the dictogloss activities

Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles

1.

warm-up to the topic and preparation of relevant

vocabulary

2.

text is read twice, on the second reading students note

down the words they catch

3.

students try to reconstruct the text in groups they

use the grammar they know and consider the possible
alternatives

4.

when comparing their version of the text with the

original, students see the difference

Guiding Principles in
the Teaching of
Grammar
Presenting Grammar
Practising Grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Guiding Principles
- Practising Grammar Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Alternative Models:
2) Task-Based Model
TASK

focus on:

TEACH

TASK

fluency-to-accuracy sequence

1. Learners perform a communicative task

2. Teacher uses this to identify language features learners could have
used to communicate more effectively
3. These features are taught and practised
4. Students re-perform the original (or a similar) task

How can we suit approach to

learner needs?
Teaching Grammar
Overview
Introduction
Why teach grammar?
Grammar acquisition
Basic principles
Guiding principles in
the teaching of
grammar
Presenting grammar
Practising grammar
How can we suit
approach to learner
needs?

Celce-Murcia: the more factors the teacher identifies on the left side
of the grid, the less important it is to focus on form; the more factors
the teacher identifies on the right, the more important the
grammatical focus (Celce-Murcia 1993: 294)

Bibliography
Teaching Grammar

Green, Catherine & Tanner, Rosie (1998). Tasks for Teacher Education. A
Reflective Approach. Longman
Hedge, Tricia (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford
University Press
Thornbury, Scott (1999). How Teach Grammar. Longman
http://www.songtext.net/A/Adams_Bryan/Summer_Of_69.html