Костанайский государственный педагогический институт

Факультет иностранных языков

Кафедра иностранных языков

Grammar practice goes first

Научный руководитель

Кудрицкая М.И.,

кандидат педагогических наук,

зав. кафедрой иностранных языков

Костанай, 2015 г.

Content

Introduction

Language is an unavoidable part of everyday life. It is arguably the most essential medium by which humans communicate with each other. Without language the society would be in a mess of miscommunication, they would misunderstand one another. Recognizing the language as a significant aspect of daily life causes us to think and wonder why it is so often misused and fraught with errors.

There are many quotes of scholars and writers about the language and grammar, most of them have the same aim and idea. As Edgar Allan Poe said “A man's grammar, like Caesar's wife, should not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.” However, a person who knows a language perfectly uses a thousand and one grammar lexical, phonetic rules when he is speaking. Language skills help us to choose different words and models in our speech.

It is clear that the term “grammar” has meant various things at various times and sometimes several things at one time. One of the most necessary step for the future teacher is to know what grammar means itself. Grammar is 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. [1]

For me the grammar issue was settled at least twenty years ago with the conclusion offered by Richard Braddock, Richard Lloyd-Jones, and Lowell Schoer in 1963. “In view of the widespread agreement of research studies based upon many types of students and teachers, the conclusion can be stated in strong and unqualified terms: the teaching of formal grammar has a negligible or, because it usually displaces some instruction and practice in composition, even a harmful effect on improvement in writing.” [2, pp. 37-38] Indeed, I would agree with Janet Emig that the grammar issue is a prime example of "magical thinking": the assumption that students will learn only what we teach and only because we teach.[3, pp. 21-30 ] But the grammar issue, as we will see, is a complicated one. And, perhaps surprisingly, it remains controversial, with the regular appearance of papers defending the teaching of formal grammar or attacking it.[4, pp. 55-63]

Grammar is a component in all language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Teachers need to know rules of grammar as well as techniques that help students use grammar effectively and effortlessly. It is clear that the communication depends on grammar, as a result no speaking is possible without the knowledge of grammar, without the forming of a grammar mechanism. The main person who will be able to develop such kind of mechanism is a teacher. Teaching grammar is of a fundamental importance. However, the question is, how it should be tackled or what kind of approach or methodology should be applied. There is no a simple rule or a rule that can be generalized. This depends on the teacher's experience and preference based on his actual assessment of the learners needs.

1. The importance Of Grammar in learning Foreign Language

To judge by the way some people speak, there is no place for grammar in the language course nowadays; yet it is, in reality, as important as it ever was exercise of correct grammar, if he is to attain any skill of effective use of the language, but he need not know consciously formulated rules to account to him for that he does unconsciously correctly.

In order to understand a language and to express oneself correctly one must assimilate the grammar mechanism of the language studied. Indeed, one may know all the words in a sentence and yet fail to understand it, if one does not see the relation between the words in the given sentence. And vice versa, a sentence may contain one, two, and more unknown words but if one has a good knowledge of the structure of the language one can easily guess the meaning of these words or at least find them in a dictionary. No speaking is possible without the knowledge of grammar, without the forming of a grammar mechanism.

If learner has acquired such a mechanism, he can produce correct sentences in a foreign language. Paul Roberts writes: “Grammar is something that produces the sentences of a language. By something we mean a speaker of English. If you speak English natively, you have built into you rules of English grammar. In a sense, you are an English grammar. You possess, as an essential part of your being, a very complicated apparatus which enables you to produce infinitely many sentences, all English ones, including many that you have never specifically learned. Furthermore by applying you rule you can easily tell whether a sentence that you hear a grammatical English sentence or not.”

A command of English as is envisaged by the school syllabus cannot be ensured without the study of grammar. Pupils need grammar to be able to aud, speak, read, and write in the target language.

1. The principles and methods of teaching grammar

Teaching grammar should be based upon the following principles:

Conscious approach

This means that in sentence patterns teaching points are determined so that pupils can concentrate their attention on some elements of the pattern to be able to use them as orienting points when speaking or writing the target language. For example, I can see a book. I can see many books.

The teacher draws pupils' attention to the new element in the sentence pattern. The teaching point may be presented in the form of a rule, a very short one, usually done in the mother tongue. The rule helps the learner to understand and to assimilate the structural meaning of the elements. It ensures a conscious approach to learning. This approach provides favorable conditions for the speedy development of correct and more flexible language use.[9, pp. 12-24] However it does not mean that the teacher should ask pupils to say this or that rule. Rules do not ensure the mastery of the language. They only help to attain the practical goal. If a pupil can recognize and employ correctly the forms that are appropriate, that is sufficient. When the learner can give ample proof of these abilities we may say that he has fulfilled the syllabus requirements.

Conscious learning is also ensured when a grammar item is contrasted with another grammar item which is usually confused.[13] The contrast is brought out through oppositions. For example:

I have breakfast at 8 o'clock.

It's 2 o'clock. I am having breakfast.

He has been to Astana.

He was in Astana two years ago.

Give me a magazine (to read into the bus).

Give me the magazine (you have promised).

I like steak (more than any other food).

I like the steak (that my mum cooked).

The teacher should realize difficulties the sentence pattern presents for his pupils. Comparative analysis of the grammar item in English and in Romanian or within the English language may be helpful. He should think of the shortest and simplest way for presentation of the new grammar item. The teacher should remember the more he speaks about the language the less time is left to practice. The more the teacher explains the less his pupils understand what he is trying to explain, this leads to the teacher giving more information than is necessary, which does not help the pupils in the usage of this particular grammar item, only hinders them.

Practical approach

It means that pupils learn those grammar items which they need for immediate use either in oral or written language. For example, from the first steps of language learning pupils need the Possessive Case for objects which belong to different people, namely, Mike's textbook, Ann's mother, the girl's doll, the boys' room, etc. The learner masters grammar through performing various exercises in using a given grammar item. Teachers should teach correct grammar usage and not grammar knowledge.

Structural approach

Grammar items are introduced and drilled in structures or sentence patterns.It has been proved and accepted by the majority of teachers and methodologists that whenever the aim to teach pupils the command of the language, and speaking in particular, the structural approach meets the requirements.[10, pp. 446]

Pupils are taught to understand English when spoken to and to speak it from the very beginning. This is possible provided they have learned sentence patterns and words as a pattern and they know how to adjust them to the situations they are given.

The teacher should furnish pupils with words to change the lexical (semantic) meaning of the sentence pattern so that pupils will be able to use it in different situations. He should assimilate the grammar mechanism involved in sentence pattern and not the sentence itself.

Situational approach

Pupils learn a grammar item used in situations. For example, the Possessive Case may be effectively introduced in classroom situations. The teacher takes or simply touches various things and says: This is Assel's pen; That is Sasha's exercise-book, and so on.

The teacher should select the situations for the particular grammar item he is going to present. He should look through the textbook and other teaching materials and find those situations which can ensure comprehension and the usage of the item.

Oral approach

Grammar items pupils need for conversation are taught by the oral approach, i.e., pupils laud them, perform various oral exercises, finally see them printed, and write sentences using them. For example, pupils need the Present Progressive for conversation. They listen to sentences with the verbs in the Present Progressive spoken by the teacher or the speaker (when a tape recorder is used) and relate them to the situations suggested. Then pupils use the verbs in the Present Progressive in various oral sentences in which this tense is used. Grammar items necessary for reading are taught through reading.

If the grammar item the teacher is going to present belongs to those pupils need for conversation, he should select the oral approach method for teaching.

If pupils need the grammar item for reading, the teacher should start with reading and writing sentences in which the grammar item occurs.

While preparing for the lesson at which a new grammar item should be introduced, the teacher must realize the difficulties pupils will meet in assimilating this new element of the English grammar. They may be of three kinds: difficulties in form, meaning, and usage. The teacher thinks of the ways to overcome these difficulties: how to convey the meaning of the grammar item either through situations or with the help of the mother tongue; what rule should be used; what exercises should be done; their types and number. Then he thinks of the sequence in which pupils should work to overcome these difficulties, i.e., from observation and comprehension through conscious imitation to usage in conversation (communicative exercises). Then the teacher considers the form in which he presents the grammar item - orally, in writing, or in reading. And, finally, the teacher plans pupils' activity while they are learning this grammar item (point): their individual work, mass work, work in unison, and work in pairs, always bearing in mind that for assimilation pupils need examples of the sentence pattern in which this grammar item occurs. [11, pp.14-20]

1.2. The major methods of grammar presentation

There are two approaches in teaching grammar that can be applied: deductive and inductive.

Inductive learning is the process of 'discovering' general principles from facts.

In a language classroom, an inductive approach involves getting learners to discover rules and how they are applied by looking at examples. The role of the teacher is to provide the language the learners need to discover the rules, to guide them in discovery if necessary, and then to provide more opportunities to practise.

The inductive approach is often thought of as a more modern way of teaching: it involves discovery techniques; it seeks in some ways to duplicate the acquisition process; it often exploits authentic material; it has learners at the centre of the lesson; and the focus is on usage rather than rules.

Deductive learning is the process of applying general principles to use.

In a classroom, a deductive approach means teaching learners rules and then giving them opportunities to apply them through practice. The role of the teacher is to present the rules and organize the practice.

The deductive approach is often thought of as a more traditional way of teaching: it is teacher-led and teacher-centred, at least at the presentation stage; it focuses initially on rules and then use; it often uses input language which is adjusted to the learners and not authentic. These do not in themselves have to be traditional ways of teaching, but they indicate a traditional approach.

As can be seen, both approaches provide opportunities for learning and address the needs of different kinds of learners and learning contexts. Like almost all the decisions we make in the classroom, we must be guided by our learners’ aims.

The inductive approach may be more attractive to us as teachers but does it support our students’ learning fully?

The deductive approach may be more controllable but does it give our learners the opportunity to develop their strategies and learning styles?

And like many of our decisions regarding the way we teach, the best way forward may be to blend the two, guided by our aims and our understanding of our own learners. For example, it may be useful for a class to start with a deductive approach and then move on to a more inductive way of learning once they are used to analysis of the language and ways of describing it.

Deductive approach

A deductive approach is derived from the notion that deductive reasoning works from the general to the specific. In this case, rules, principles, concepts, or theories are presented first, and then their applications are treated. In conclusion, when we use deduction, we reason from general to specific principles.

Dealing with the teaching of grammar, the deductive approach can also be called rule driven learning.[12] In such an approach, a grammar rule is explicitly presented tostudents and followed by practice applying the rule. This approach has been the bread and butter of language teaching around the world and still enjoys a monopoly in many course books and self-study grammar books (Fortune, 1992). The deductive approach maintains that a teacher teaches grammar by presenting grammatical rules, and then examples of sentences are presented. Once learners understand rules, they are told to apply the rules given to various examples of sentences. Giving the grammatical rules means no more than directing learners’ attention to the problem discussed. Eisenstein (1987) suggests that with the deductive approach, learners be in control during practice and have less fear of drawing an incorrect conclusion related to how the target language is functioning. To sum up, the deductive approach commences with the presentation of a rule taught and then is followed by examples in which the rule is applied. In this regard, learners are expected to engage with it through the study and manipulation of examples.

Why use the deductive approach?

• It can meet student expectations. For many learners the inductive approach is very new and somewhat radical, and it does not fit in with their previous learning experiences.

• It may be easier. A class using the deductive approach, if well planned, goes from easier to more difficult – which may be more appropriate for some learners. It can also be easier for less experienced teachers as there is more control of outcomes.

• We can control the level of input language more.

• We can control our learners’ understanding of rules more – making sure that the ideas they form about language are the right ones. In this way we can try to avoid learners forming incorrect hypotheses.

• It may be a more efficient use of time; the inductive approach can take longer.

• It can be designed to meet the needs of more learning styles. The demands of the inductive approach make it more suitable for a specific kind of learner.

• It is used by many coursebooks and it fits in better with many syllabus structures.[14]

Most importantly, when the rules are presented in the deductive approach, the

presentation should be illustrated with examples, be short, involve students’

comprehension and allow learners to have a chance to personalize the rule.

Nonetheless, the deductive approach has its own advantages and disadvantages as

shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of the deductive approach to teaching grammar

Inductive approach

An inductive approach comes from inductive reasoning stating that a reasoning

progression proceeds from particulars (that is, observations, measurements, or data) to generalities (for example, rules, laws, concepts or theories) (Felder & Henriques,

1995). In short, when we use induction, we observe a number of specific instances

and from them infer a general principle or concept.

In the case of pedagogical grammar, most experts argue that the inductive approach can also be called rule-discovery learning.[12] It suggests that a teacher teaches grammar starting with presenting some examples of sentences. In this sense, learners understand grammatical rules from the examples. The presentation of grammatical rules can be spoken or written. Eisenstein (cited in Long & Richards, 1987) maintains that the inductive approach tries to utilize the very strong reward value of bringing order, clarity and meaning to experiences. This approach involves learners’ participating actively in their own instruction. In addition, the approach encourages a learner to develop her/his own mental set of strategies for dealing with tasks. In other words, this approach attempts to highlight grammatical rules implicitly in which the learners are encouraged to conclude the rules given by the teacher.

Why use the inductive approach?

• It moves the focus away from the teacher as the giver of knowledge to the learners as discoverers of it.

• It moves the focus away from rules to use – and use is, after all, our aim in teaching.

• It encourages learner autonomy. If learners can find out rules for themselves then they are making significant steps towards being independent. We can take this further by letting learners decide what aspect of the language in a text they want to analyse.

• It teaches a very important skill – how to use real/almost-real language to find out the rules about English.

• It can be particularly effective with low levels and with certain types of young learners. It enables these students to focus on use, not complex rules and terminology.

• If we use authentic material as our context, then learners are in contact with real language, not coursebook English.

• We can exploit authentic material from a wide range of sources to present our target language.

• The rules and structures students discover are often more valid, relevant and authentic than in a deductive approach, as they can be drawn from real use of English.

• The action of discovery helps learners remember.

• It reflects the acquisition process that children learn by, i.e. being in contact with the language and using it, then finding rules and applying them to new contexts.

• This kind of task – and the independence it fosters - is stimulating and motivating for many learners.

• This approach naturally encourages more communication, as learners need to discuss language together.

• We are able to respond better to the needs of our learners. For example, we can clearly see and address problems with understanding of a certain rule or item of lexis as learners go through the process of identifying and analyzing it.

• We can support and encourage new learning styles and strategies. For example, this kind of approach is good to develop reflective learning and learning in groups, and encourages the strategy of using the English around us to find rules and examples.[14]

Similar to the deductive approach, the inductive approach offers advantages and disadvantages as seen in the Table 2 below.

TABLE 2

Advantages and disadvantages of the inductive approach to teaching grammar

2. Classification of exercises for the assimilation of grammar

Recognition exercises

Recognition exercises are the easiest type of exercises for pupils to perform. They observe grammar item in structures (sentence patterns) when hearing or reading. Since pupils only observe the new grammar item the situations should be natural and communicative. The following types of exercises may be suggested.

For example:

– Listen to the sentences and clap whenever you hear the verbs in the Past Simple Tense.

Mike lives in Pushkin Street. I lived there last year. Ann gets up at 7 o’clock in the morning.

She got up at half past seven yesterday, etc.

It is desirable that sentences formed should concern real situations and facts. Pupils listen to the teacher and claps when they hear a verb in the Past Simple. The teacher can see whether each of his pupils has grasped the sentence.

– Read the sentences and choose the correct form of the verb. The following sentences

may be suggested:

a. I (go, went) to school yesterday.

b. Tom (takes, took) a bus when he goes to school.

c. She (got, gets, gets) up at 7 o’ clock every day.

Pupils should read the sentences and find the signals for the correct choice of the form. Since the necessary form is suggested in each sentence they should only recognize the one they need for a given context.

Recognition exercises are