Teaching Grammar

Teaching Grammar
Do Tuan Minh, M.A.
Nguyen Huyen Minh, M.A.
English Department
CFL - VNU
What is grammar?

The grammar of a language is the description of the way in which words change their forms and are combined into sentences in that language. If those rules are violated, communication suffers. (Nunan, 2003)


1. Take a look at the three examples below

(1) Everybody is ready now, aren’t they?
(2) You’ve got a sister, have you?
(3) Someone has deliberately made themselves homeless.
Are they grammatically correct? If not, how would you correct them?
Prescriptive Grammar
An approach to grammar presents authoritative norms about the structure of a language and determines language use correct or incorrect, good or bad according to those sets of rules
Descriptive Grammar
An approach to grammar looks at how language is actually used by native speakers and from that draws out the rules of language use

2. Compare these two sets of language
(1) Do you understand me?

(2) May I help you?

(3) I want to talk with you!
(1) Know what I mean?
(2) Need a hand?
(3) Got a second?
A
B
Spoken & Written grammars
Written grammar
set A

Spoken grammar
set B

Reflection
1. What would you prefer as a teacher, a descriptive or a prescriptive grammar? Why?

2. What difficulties would you encounter if you are to include spoken grammar in your teaching?

No “feeling” of language like native speaker teachers
Testing and assessment still based on written standard grammar
Lack of established materials
What to teach about grammar?
Form: how a particular structure is formed

Meaning: its meaning expressed through word or grammar

Use/pragmatics: the reason why and the situation in which a particular structure is used
Reflection
1. Does English grammar teaching at secondary schools embody three dimensions discussed earlier? Why / why not?

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2. Which dimension among them receives most attention and which one is often neglected? What might be the reasons?

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Implicit and/or explicit
Explicit teaching
stating directly, usually at the beginning of a particular activity, what the grammar is

Implicit teaching
the learners are ‘led’ to discover the grammar for themselves through a series of guided steps
Advantages & Disadvantages
Explicit teaching

- it takes less time to prepare and teach
- it makes learners feel more relaxed
- it is suitable even for weak learners
Implicit teaching

- it is demanding for teachers and learners
- it is interesting
- it may help learners remember longer
PPP
Presentation: guided discovery of the target language in context.
Practice: isolating the target language and practicing it on its own in a controlled way.
Production: the learners produce the new language they have learnt on their own without the teacher
Reflection
1. Why do you think PPP is popular in secondary schools in Vietnam?

clear and straightforward
helpful for novice teachers
2. What are some disadvantages of PPP?

learners’ previous knowledge is not checked
learners are not actively engaged until production stage
teachers are the centre of the teaching and learning process
Deep-end approach
Production 1: teachers elicit to find out what learners don’t know
Presentation: give learners more language
Practice & Production 2
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
it is more learner-centred
it is more interesting and motivating as it involves students more
it helps teachers and learners realize what learners don’t know
it then creates a purpose for students to learn the language.

Disadvantages
it is difficult for novice teachers


Task-based approach
Pre-task: communicative task without specific attention on form
Task cycle: report and discuss on how task is done
Language Focus: specific attention on features of language form
Presenting grammar
Presenting rule and examples
Presenting visually
Presenting through situation
Practicing grammar
Purpose
To get students to say the new language accurately and fluently

Process
controlled practice  less controlled practice  free practice
Some types of practice exercises
Controlled practice
Repetition; substituation; single word prompt; picture promt
Less controlled practice
Information sheet; find someone who…; mapped dialogue
Free practice
Role play, communicative games
Principles of teaching grammar
Integrate both inductive and deductive methods to your teaching

Use tasks that make clear the relationship between grammatical form and communicative function
Focus on the development of procedural rather than declarative knowledge

Avoid using unfamiliar grammatical terms

Q & A
Should we focus on pronunciation when teaching grammar?