04.03.2013 The role of grammar in English language teaching Grammar translation?

? Used to be the most important target language element. An anti-grammar movement in the 1980s (Krashen acquisition, meaningful input and interaction) Numerous studies were done, mostly on the effects of formal instruction and exposure over grammatical competence. Some of these studies indicated that formal instruction was more efficient than exposure itself. The commonsense conclusion of most scholars was finally that formal instruction and exposure, when used together, show best results and the greatest gains in students profficiency. Formal instruction helps learners to develop greater L2 profficiency particularly if it is linked with opportunities for natural exposure. Reassertion of the role of grammar and its position in the content of lessons. Not going backwards to older approaches, but finding the way of combining formal instruction and exposure to enhance grammatical competence. Is grammar a necessary (desirable) part of classroom language? Grammatical description Inductive or deductive approach Grammar and vocabulary of equal importance Linked Davies and Pearse avoid the term grammatical item, and use the term FUNCTIONAL-GRAMMATICAL ITEM, seen as language structure with a typical function. 2 basic ways of teaching people to use a language. Teaching hypothesis predicts that instruction can only promote language acquisition if the interlanguage is close to the point when the structure to be taught is acquired in the natural setting so that sufficient processing prerequisites are developed. The input hypothesis Comprehensible input, language acquired through a creative construction process The notion of INTAKE since not all the input is processed, intake refers to the ways in which learners process input and assimilate language to their interlanguage system. NOTICING Learners notice items of language FREQUENCY

Form and function (meaning) Then items become a part of intake into the learning process REASONING & HYPOTHESIZING Reasoning deductively Analyzing contrastively Translating Transferring Rebecca Oxford (1990) What every language teacher should know Strategies Structuring and restructuring Stages of acquisition Systematic errors Stages of interlanguage Automatizing When can you say that the language item has been automatized? The learner plan what to use, pays attention Repeated practice Automatic Developmental route of acquisiton A natural sequence Implicit knowledge of grammar Explicit knowledge of grammar The explicit learning of rules may help and speed up the grammar acquisiton process The reassertion of grammar learning GRAMMAR AS MEANING Grammar in discourse The consideration of use requires to go beyond the sentence Normal linguistic behaviour in the use of sentences for the creation of discourse Widdowson Grammar & style Different messages? I suppose hes quite a nice little boy, isnt he? Nice kid. In all, he was a pleasant child. A cheerful child of pleasant disposition. What principles can guide us in teaching of grammar Presenting grammar Contextualizing grammar The contexts in which grammar is embedded need to be generally useful and appropriate to the needs of the learner group Contexts = visuals, texts, videos, songs

Order of presentation Metalanguage / terminology Degree of explicitness, the induction approac Discovery learning, compare the traditional approach Linking grammar and vocabulary Practising grammar The presentation practice production model The controlled practice stage Yule Explaining English grammar Tense & aspect The timeline perspective Past time present time The speakers perspective Remote <--non-remote> future time remote

Factual / non-factual Temporal aspectual

Present/past Perfect/non-perfect Anterior or posterior Progressive/nonprogressive Internal structure of the verb situation Diactic meaning Yule 75-76