Grammar Instruction

'ec!ni("es in grammar instr"ction Making grammar accessible to ELLs

University of Alberta: EDPY 413 Presented by: !elsea Androsc!"k# $icole Mackay# and %obyn &erg"son

)istorically# grammar !as been considered to  be *)inkel + &otos ,--,.:

/no"ns /verbs /0artici0les /articles

/0rono"ns /0re0ositions /adverbs /con"nctions

'!e advent of ot!er a00roac!es:

/Direct a00roac!es *a"dio/ling"alism. /&"nctional a00roac!es /omm"nicative a00roac!es

'!e A"dioling"al Met!od

/'!e a"dioling"al met!od foc"ses on t!e com0re!ension of lang"age at a largely mec!anical level *Davidson# 12.5 /E6am0les of mec!anically str"ct"red activities mig!t incl"de re0etition or s"bstit"tion5 '!e teac!er is in control of t!e lesson# and st"dents can often s"ccessf"lly 0artici0ate 7it!o"t any "nderstanding of meaning *Davidson# 12.5

&"nctional A00roac!es

/'!ese are "s"ally based on sit"ational lang"age needs *)inkel + &otos# ,--,.5 / According to 8ke!an# t!ese activities often follo7 a 90resentation# 0ractice# and 0rod"ction 0rotocol *cited in )inkel + &otos# ,--,.5

omm"nicative;)"manistic A00roac!es

/'!ese met!ods mimic a nat"ral ac("isition of lang"age# for e6am0le# !o7 a c!ild ac("ires L1 *)inkel + &otos# ,--,.5 /Lang"age is ac("ired "sing meaningf"l in0"t# 7it! no formal grammatical instr"ction5 .5 / '!ere are 3 dimensions to grammar instr"ction: form# meaning and f"nction;"se *Larsen/&reeman# 122>.5 / =rammar instr"ction s!o"ld incl"de t!e ans7ers to  7!en and 7!y to "se any given str"ct"re *Larsen/ &reeman# 122>.5

Myt!: =rammar ac("isition consists of arbitrary r"les *Larsen/&reeman# 122>.

/.5 '!is does not mean t!at an ELL 7o"ld be "sing a grammatical str"ct"re as a $8 7o"ld from first e60os"re# b"t t!at t!ey are still moving to7ard its 0ro0er "se 7!ile forming r"les in !is;!er .5

Myt!: =rammar is ac("ired nat"rally# and doesn@t !ave to be ta"g!t *Larsen/&reeman# 122>. / .5

Lig!tbro7n and 80ada *122-.researc!  *cited in Larsen/&reeman# 122>.:

/'!is st"dy looked at 4 *0rimarily comm"nicative. &renc!

immersion classes# eac! of 7!ic! incor0orated a varying level of form/based instr"ction in grammar5 /'!eir res"lts demonstrated t!at t!e class t!at never foc"sed on grammatical form 0erformed t!e 7orst according to t!e assessment "sed5 / Part of t!e reason for t!is# according to Larsen/&reeman *122>.# is t!at foc"sing st"dent attention may facilitate learning5

Myt!: Error correction and negative evidence mig!t be "nnecessary 7!en instr"cting grammar *Larsen/&reeman# 122>.

/.5 /$egative evidence mig!t be 0art of t!e in0"t t!at ELLs need# t!o"g! t!ey may not !ave needed it to t!e same e6tent for t!eir L1 *Larsen/&reeman# 122>.5

Myt!: All grammatical str"ct"res are learned in t!e same 7ay *Larsen/&reeman# 122>.

 9Any claim to t!e effect t!at all ac("isition is t!e 0rod"ct of !abit formation or of r"le formation# or today# of setting;resetting 0arameters or t!e strengt!ening of connections in com0le6 ne"ral net7orks# is an obvio"s oversim0lification of a com0le6 0rocess *Larsen/&reeman# 122># 05 141.5

3 o0tions in lang"age teac!ing:

&oc"s

on &orms

&oc"s

on meaning

&oc"s

on form

&oc"s on &orms: 9Parts

of t!e lang"age are ta"g!t se0arately and ste0  by ste0 so t!at t!e ac("isition is a 0rocess of grad"al acc"m"lation of 0arts "ntil t!e 7!ole str"ct"re of lang"age !as been b"ilt "0BAt any one time t!e learner is being e60osed to a deliberate limited sam0le of lang"age *?ilkins# 12C# 05 ,.5

&oc"s on Meaning: '!e

essential claim is t!at 0eo0le of all ages learn lang"age best# inside or o"tside t!e classroom# not  by treating t!e lang"ages as t!e obect of st"dy# b"t  by e60eriencing t!em as a medi"m of comm"nicationB 9lang"age is organied in terms of t!e 0"r0ose for 7!ic! 0eo0le are learning lang"age and t!e kinds of lang"age 0erformance t!at are necessary to meet t!ose 0"r0oses *?ilkins# 12C# 05 13.5

&oc"s on &orm: 9vertly

dra7s st"dents@ attention to ling"istic elements as t!ey arise incidentally in lessons 7!ose overriding foc"s is on meaning or comm"nication *Long# 1221# 005 4>/4C.5 9ften consists of an occasional s!ift of attention to ling"istic code feat"res by t!e teac!er and;or one or more of t!e st"dents triggered by 0erceived 0roblems 7it! com0re!ension or 0rod"ction *Long + %obinson# 1222# 05 ,3.5

 Advantage of &oc"s on &orm: 9'!e

learner@s attention is dra7n 0recisely to a ling"istic feat"re as necessitated by a comm"nicative demand *Do"g!ty + ?illiams# 1222# 05 3.5

 Arg"ments against =rammar .5 8t"dents s!o"ld be able to learn e60licit grammar r"les as 7ell as !ave a c!ance to 0ractice t!em in comm"nication in t!e a"t!entic or sim"lated tasks *M"s"meci# 122.5

PPP Presentation ; Practice; Prod"ction  based

on t!e =rammar/'ranslation Met!od in 7!ic! grammar e60lanations are follo7ed by e6ercises5 follo7s t!e 0remise t!at kno7ledge becomes skill t!ro"g! s"ccessive 0ractice and t!at lang"age is learned in small c!"nks leading to t!e 7!ole5  vie7s acc"racy as a 0rec"rsor to fl"ency5

PPP/ 8tage 1 . C.

Listing  brainstorming# fact/finding rdering and 8orting  se("encing# ranking# categoriing# classifying om0aring  matc!ing# finding differences and similarities Problem 8olving 8!aring Personal E60eriences reative 'asks

'y0es of 'asks  Pica# Fanagy# &alod"n *1223. 1. ,. 3. 4.

>.

Jigsa7  learners combine different 0ieces of information to create a 7!ole