WANTED: Questions about grammar teaching

[Betty Azar]

Originally Posted by Sam Simian

?4. Isn’t this whole division between communicative based and grammar based ESL instruction as ridiculous as the division between whole language and phonics in reading instruction? In other words, even if I were possible to focus on one to the exclusion of the other — something I don’t believe, why the #%@*! would you want to?

Dear Sam,

The title for my initial remarks at the panel presentation at TESOL is "Grammar Teaching and Communicative Teaching: A Perfect Fit." That should tell you where I stand on the issue! Couldn't agree with you more.

I'll share my comments here on the website after TESOL -- but I haven't quite finished writing them yet!

Betty

[Betty Azar]

Deb wrote: What are the differences between (native-speaking) developmental students' grammar difficulties and those of Generation 1.5 students (particularly in writing)? In what ways do they overlap, and how are they distinct?


That's a great question. I hope teachers who teach both groups respond her on Teacher Talk with their observations.

One of my observations is that Generation 1.5 students face the much steeper climb because of fossilization. The only success I had with Gen 1.5 students came from intensive grammar teaching to highly motivated students. Comprehensible input alone was certainly not sufficient.

I always wished, when I had a Gen 1.5 student in my Freshman English course (for ESL students) that I had had that student at an earlier stage in his/her interlanguage development, before fossilization.

Betty Azar

[Betty Azar]

Originally Posted by Sam Simian

Dear Betty

1. Which grammar teaching methodology seems superior (And how is “superior” defined?) — for example, implicit, explicit, through a discovery processes, through content, through themes?

2. What is the best way to measure a student’s knowledge and/or mastery of a grammatical structure?

3. Does it matter what order grammatical structures are taught in, and, if it does, what should that order be?

4. Are reading, writing, speaking, and listening all “equal” when it comes to grammar instruction?

5. What role, if any, does the student’s native language play in learning English grammar?

6. What is the relationship between grammar and semantics? (Is it really possible to teach them separately, and, if not, how should they be taught together?)

7. Does the “format” of grammar materials play any role in grammar acquisition — for example, book, CD, computer software?

Sincerely,
Sam Simian

Great questions! I hope other teachers get involved in answering them. I do not have all the answers, nor even pretend to!

On this website, I'm going to try to keep teachers updated on research articles I read so that they can explore them, too, if they wish. If any of you have read articles or academic texts you think other teachers would find helpful, please let us know.

Betty Azar

[Betty Azar]

[quote=Sam Simian;47]Sam wrote:
The teacher should be the ultimate arbiter of what works best in his/her class.

I agree completely. That's the main point I made in my opening plenary at TESOL last year. Here's the link, just in case you're interested!

http://azargrammar.com/assets/author...OL_Plenary.pdf

What do others think? Are you the ultimate arbiter in your classroom?

Betty

[Betty Azar]

Originally Posted by Sam Simian

Let’s say that research by applied linguists shows that students learn grammatical structures more quickly and retain them longer through implicit grammatical instruction.

From my reading, the preponderance of recent research does NOT appear to show that implicit instruction works better -- indeed, quite the opposite. Take a look at my comments on the Nassaji/Fotos article. I think you'll be pleased!

http://azargrammar.com/assets/author...saji-Fotos.pdf

Unfortunately, we were unable to persuade Cambridge University Press to allow us to post a free link to the article, but I've done my best to summarize it in the 400 or so words they allowed me to quote. I wish there were a way that academic literature were more easily available to busy teachers. One of the goals of this website is to try to keep teachers informed of interesting research studies. If any of you have found particular academic articles or texts helpful, please let us know.

Betty Azar