Teaching Grammar
 In the B-SLIM model, grammar is part of the Giving It stage. More specifically, it is part of WHAT the teacher chooses to teach. Grammar is an important part of language learning. In order for students to have a functional knowledge of a language (in other words, that they can spontaneously produce language) they must have at least some knowledge about the grammatical constructs of the language in question. There are several ways in which the teacher can go about presenting grammar to students. In this section we will look at why grammar is often seen in a negative light, how grammar can be taught and whether or not students need to learn grammar at all. |
How should grammar be taught?
Although there is a strong emphasis on inductive grammar teaching, particularly in communicative language teaching approaches, both inductive and deductive strategies are required in the classroom given the many learning styles of students. The more similar the grammar structure is to the L1, the easier it is for students to grasp. Questions to consider in relation to the teaching of grammar include:
- Should the item be taught deductively (giving the rule and then getting learners to produce examples of target structure) or inductively (giving examples of the target structure and getting learners to generate the rule)?
- Is the explanation clear?
- Are there sufficient examples?
- Are teachers themselves sure of the rules? (Nunan, 1999)
One way of teaching grammar to beginners is to use minimal grammar but to show patterns and help these students see that there are patterns, so that when they get to more intermediate and senior levels of learning they will be able to transfer the word ‘pattern’ to the label of a grammar concept.
For more information on teaching grammar click here.
back to top
Can students learn a language without explicit grammar lessons?
The research surrounding grammar is often conflicting. On the one hand, one can learn to communicate in a language without the language being taught grammatically. On the other hand, once one has reached a certain level of performance or competency, grammar becomes more important. Grammar is like a tool kit. For example, a good mechanic can fix a car if it has a minor problem easily, as long as he has a screwdriver and a couple of other tools, because he knows enough to make those tools work in capacities other than those for which they were originally intended. However, if the car needs major work, it cannot be done without a tool kit. The same parallel can be drawn with grammar; if you don’t know grammar, there is a point after which you cannot improve without that grammar instruction. Then why does teaching grammar have such a bad reputation? A lot of the anti-grammar sentiments started with the great need for English teachers in English speaking countries to help prepare recent immigrants; many didn’t know the grammar of their own language or the grammar of any other language. As a result, they went about trying to develop language fluency in a second language without grammar instruction. What was not so apparent was that the kids who came from other countries brought inherent grammar knowledge and even though the teachers weren’t teaching it explicitly, they could figure it out.
back to top
Why are we so afraid to teach grammar?
Perhaps some of this has to do with the fact that some teachers have grammar knowledge from their mother tongue and are able to transfer this over to the second language, while others do not have this knowledge and are therefore not able to make this transfer. If a teacher doesn’t have the grammar knowledge in their mother tongue they are more reluctant or simply unable to teach grammar in the second language.
There is a wide array of books related to improving grammar, particularly at intermediate or advanced stages. For more information about these types of resources, check the “For Further Reading” section of this page
NCLRC: Essentials of Language Teaching
http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/grammar/grindex.htm