An I ntroduction to How to Teach Grammar

1. An Introduction to How to Teach Grammar Lu Qinchao May 2016

3. Contents • What is grammar? • Why teach grammar? • How to teach grammar from rules? • How to teach grammar from examples? • How to teach grammar through texts?

4. Contents • How to practice grammar ? • How to deal with grammar errors? • How to integrate grammar? • How to test grammar? • How not to teach grammar?

5. What is grammar? • Grammar is a tool for making meaning • the forms of the language • the meanings these forms convey

6. Why teach grammar? • Grammar presentation and practice activities should be evaluated according to • the E-factor --- how efficient they are • the A-factor --- how appropriate they are

7. Why teach grammar? • The efficiency of an activity is gauged by determining: • its efficiency --- how time-efficient is it? • its ease --- how easy is it to set up? • its efficacy --- is it consistent with learning principle?

8. Why teach grammar? • The appropriacy of an activity takes into account • learners’ needs and interests • learners’ attitudes and expectations

9. How to teach grammar from rules? • User-friendly rules • Truth --- is the rule true? • Limitation --- is it clear what the rule covers and what it doesn’t? • Clarity --- is it clearly expressed?

10. How to teach grammar from rules? • User-friendly rules • Simplicity --- is it uncluttered with sub-rules and exceptions? • Familiarity --- does it use concepts that the students are familiar with • Relevance --- reflecting students’ specific needs and problems

11. How to teach grammar from rules? • Effective rule presentation • it will be illustrated by examples • it will be short • students’ understanding will be checked • students will have an opportunity to personalize the rule

12. How to teach grammar from examples? • Minimal pairs • two sentences that are only different in one or two particulars • By presenting minimal pairs, the teacher • is better able to focus the students’ attention on exactly how the choice of form determines a difference in meaning.

13. How to teach grammar from examples? • Minimal Pairs Approach • Easy to set up • High volume of repetition

14. How to teach grammar from examples? Minimal Pairs Approach

15. How to teach grammar from examples? • Minimal pairs • However, in the absence of any contextual information, there is a danger that the sentences become leached of meaning , and that the discussion of differences may become rather academic. The teacher needs to choose lexically simple sentences with fairly self-evident contexts --- sentences, in other words, are not problematic in the way that authentic data can often be.

16. How to teach grammar through texts? • Language is context-sensitive • fully intelligible only when it is placed in its context • Context types • the co-text---the surrounding text • the context of situation---the situation in which the text is used • the context of culture

17. How to practice grammar • Criteria for choosing, designing and evaluating practice activities • The quantity factor • The more practice the better • The quality factor • Practice needs to juggle attention to form with attention to meaning

18. How to practice grammar • A practice activity for accuracy • Attention to form • Familiarity • Thinking time • for thinking and reflecting • Feedback • in the form of correction

19. How to practice grammar • A practice activity for fluency • Attention to meaning • Authenticity • real life language use • Communicative purposes • A built-in need to interact

20. How to practice grammar • Chunking • memorisable chunks • Repetition • built-in repetition

21. A Sample Lesson • Practicing the present perfect using a personalization task (Elementary) • Step 1

22. A Sample Lesson • Step 1

23. A Sample lesson • Step 2

24. A Sample Lesson • Step 3

25. A Sample Lesson • Step 4

26. Discussion • The preceding activity attempts to meet the conditions for fluency while incorporating an element of personalization. In this way it aims for a deeper level of personal investment in the task, intellectually and emotionally.

27. Discussion • The E-factor • Easy to set up • Highly economical • A high volume of repetition • A secure scaffold • Fit for classes of mixed ability • Activating a group dynamic

28. Discussion • The A-factor • It may help if learners were given the option of “passing” when topics come up that they do not wish to commit themselves to.

29. How to deal with grammar errors • Not all errors are caused by L1 interference. A lot of errors are developmental. • Not all errors matter equally. Nor do they all respond to the same kind of treatment. • Feedback---correction; positive feedback; clarification requests; reformulation • Appropriate negative feedback • Learners’ mistakes ---source for language forcus and consciousness---raising.

30. How to integrate grammar • How does grammar fit into the overall context of a language lesson? • In the PPP model • Language is learned in bits and in steps • Fluency develops out of accuracy • Grammatical knowledge is proceduralised through pracitce

31. How to integrate grammar • In the task-based model • language is acquired in lumps and in leaps • accuracy develops after fluency • the internal grammar develops through exposure and interaction

32. How to test grammar • Its practicality --- how easy is it to set up, administer and mark? • Its validity --- does it give consistent results • Its face validity --- do the students recognize it as a fair test, or will they perform therefore to their ability

33. How to test grammar • Backwash --- does it positively influence the teaching that will be done in preparation for it? • Spin-off --- can the test be used subsequently in review and remedial teaching?

34. How Not to teach grammar • The Rule of Context • The Rule of Use --- comunicative use • The Rule of Economy --- economising on presentation time

35. How Not to teach grammar • The Rule of Nurture --- try to provide right conditions for grammar learning • The Rule of Relevance ---teach only the grammar that students have problems with • The Rule of Appropriacy--- interpret the grammar according to the level, needs, interests, expectations, learning style of students

36. A few reflections • Grammar instruction involves • theoretical concepts and principles • learner understanding • the commons and differences between L 1 and L2 • practice for use • appropriate presentation • …

37. Thank you！