Transcript A WORKABLE APPROACH TO GRAMMAR

Introductory Tips
We must be LEARNING-CENTERED teachers, developing
our students COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE.
Our students must experience a SKILL-CENTERED
DEVELOPMENT
Let us concentrate on PAIRWORK, providing up to 3
models (using the very same students) and then get them
practise. We just supervise and make corrections.
Pairwork could be graded as process and individual
performance as an end process evaluation.
Let us begin with introductory textbook fully edited material
and then let us gradually shift to AUTHENTIC MATERIAL
(e.g. songs, MP3 reader instruction manual, etc.)
Grammar is just useful as a means when taught as an
exciting discovery in semi or authentic texts. (See strategy
later)
We must produce a conscious and unconscious learning in
our students. (For example, the “weekly routines”: what’s
you favourite animal /Kind of music?; when is your birthday
/ your best student’s/ your father’s birthday?; How old are
you? /How old is your classmate?, etc.) By speaking ESL,
our students will learn many rules, accuracy and
appropriatness without realizing it.
Education implies to get our students THINK.
Challenge your students!
A WORKABLE APPROACH TO GRAMMAR
MEANING
is more important than
FORM
FLUENCY
is more important than
ACCURACY
CONTEXT
is more important than
CONTENT
INDUCTION is more important than
DEDUCTION
LANGUAGE AS A WHOLE is more important than LANGUAGE DISSECTED
(For example, the “weekly routines”)
GRAMMAR IS IMMERSED is more important than GRAMMAR POINTS
IN SEMI OR AUTHENTIC
TAKEN AS ISOLATED
TEXTS ACCORDING TO
PARTS AND PLACED
THE TEACHERS´SELECTION
IN SPECIFICALLY
PREPARED UNITS
(Texbooks)
GRAMMAR IS GRADED
AND SEQUENCED FOR
TEACHING PURPOSES
(textbook type)
must gradually turn to
GRAMMAR IS
PRESENTED
ACCORDING TO
THE TYPE OF TEXT
ATTENTION FOCUSES must gradually turn to ATTENTION FOCUSES
ON STRUCTURES
ON CONTEXTUAL
CLUES
SUGGESTED STEPS TO INTRODUCE GRAMMAR IN THE
CLASSROOM
1.
AWARENESS
Learners are given opportunities to encounter the
structure in different types of discourse. (oral or
written)
Example: Students are given extracts from newspaper articles
and are asked to find and underline all the examples of the
structure they can find. They can even classify them on their
own or given more detailed instructions.
Learners are introduced to the structure.
Purpose: Focus their attention on the structure. Get
them to make up 5 examples at least.
2. GUIDED AND
SEMI-GUIDED PRACTICE
Learners produce examples of the structure (predetermined task)
Ex.: John drinks tea but he doesn’t drink coffee. (scotch - brandy)
John drinks ………… but he doesn´t eat ………
3. MEANINGFUL PRACTICE
Learners form sentences of their own according to a
set pattern, but the vocabulary they use is their own.
4. REFLECTION
Students independently analyze, compare (to their
own mother tongue), reflect.
5. PRODUCTION - APPLICATION
Students are capable of producing sentences of their
own.(E.g. making up free dialogues of their own.
NOTE ON PREPOSITIONS
In the case of prepositions, keep in mind to
give examples in full context as they don´t follow
strict rules. For example: do not teach that “on”
always means “encima de” because your
students will get confused when coming across
other examples. Rather, give them instances
like: “My notebook is on the desk”.
QUOTES
“The language teacher’s view of what constitutes
knowledge of a language is …. The assumption that the
language teacher appears to make is that once this basis is
provided, then the learner will have no difficulty in dealing with
the actual use of language….”
There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that this
assumption is of very doubtful validity indeed.”
(From H.G. Widdowson, “Directions in the Teaching of Discourse “ in Brumfit C.J.
and Johnson, K. (eds.) The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching,
Oxford University Press, 1979, pp. 49-60
“The evidence seems to show beyond doubt that
though it is by communicative use in ‘real speech
acts’ that the new language ‘sticks’ in the learner´s
mind, insight into pattern is an equal partner with
communicative use in what language teachers now
see as the dual process of acquisition/learning.
Grammar, approached as a voyage of discovery into
the patterns of language rather than the learning of
prescriptive rules, is no longer a bogey word.”
(from Eric Hawkins, Awareness of Language: An Introduction,
Cambridge University Press, 1984, pp- 150-1)
“The important question is not whether teaching and
learning grammar is necessary and/or sufficient for
language learning,. But whether it helps or not. And
my own opinion is that yes, it does help, provided it
is taught consistently as a means to improving
mastery of the language, not as an end it itself.
(from Penny Uhr, A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and
Theory, Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 77-78.)
THE ROLE OF GRAMMAR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
IN THE PAST
SENTENCE-GRAMMAR THE FOCUS OF
TEACHING
LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE THE GOAL
OF LEARNING
GRAMMAR OFTEN TAUGHT DIVORCED
FROM CONTEXT
ACCURACY-BASED METHODOLOGY
NOW …
ACCURACY AND FLUENCY OF EQUAL
STATUS
FLUENCY-BASED METHODOLOGY
GRAMMAR TAUGHT IN MEANINGFUL
CONTEXT THROUGH TASKS
FOCUS ON GRAMMAR IN DISCOURSE
AND TEXTS
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE THE
GOAL OF LEARNING
Modelo de Aprendizaje de una Lengua Extranjera
Conscious Learning
INPUT
RECEPTIVE SKILLS
Reading & Listening
INTERACTION
NOTICING
PROCESSING
Unconscious
Acquisition
INTAKE
OUTPUT
PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
Writing & Speaking