Grammar: nature and teaching

Transcription

1 Materials for use in teacher preparation courses * STAGE I. VIEWS & BOUNDARIES 1. Which of the following statements is closer to your view of grammar? a. Grammar is a set of rules which we must follow in order to use the language correctly. b. Grammar is an attempt to present in a systematic way observations about the structure and use of language. 2. Imagine that a learner has made the following two mistakes. After being corrected, the learner has asked you for the rule governing each case. a. I explained him the answer. b. He was fonded of by Jane. (Used as the passive form of Jane was fond of him). SOURCE: Batstone, R Grammar. Oxford University Press. In your groups prepare a rule and/or explanation for each. STAGE II. MEANING & USE 1. Divide the following sentences/utterances in groups. a. Susan cheats. b. He s getting his degree in October. c. Would you by any chance be available next week? d. Granny would always tell us bedtime stories. e. He s always coming late. f. The show begins at 8 p.m. * I designed these tasks for the Grammar component of RSA/Cambridge Diploma and Certificate courses, the short course Teaching Exam Prep Classes (Professionals in Language & Education), the BA course Introduction to ELT (University of Indianapolis, Athens), as well as various seminars, lectures and presentations, between October 1994 and July 2001.

2 2 What were your criteria? Is there only one possible grouping? What conclusions can you draw regarding the relation between form and concept? Which two alternatives of presenting grammar items can you see? Which one do you prefer? Why? 2. Think of a context in which the above sentences/utterances may have been used. Fill in the following table. a. Susan cheats b. He s always coming late c. Granny would always tell us bedtime stories d. The show begins at 8 p.m. e. He s getting his degree in October f. Would you by any chance be available next week? SETTING (PLACE & TIME) PARTICIPANTS & RELATIONSHIP INTENTION OF SPEAKER / WRITER 3. Compare your ideas with other colleagues in the group. Have you all come up with the same ideas about the intention of speakers/writers? Why (not)? Can you understand the speaker s / writer s intention based on the form and/or concept alone? What implications can you see regarding the teaching of grammar? STAGE III. RULES & EXPLANATIONS 1. Provide the rule for the following grammatical phenomena: a. some vs. any (include information about the type of nouns & sentences they can be used with) b. the first conditional

3 3 2. Look at the following examples. a. SOME vs. ANY o That s some car you have there! o Would any of you like some more soup? o Come and see me any time you like. o He refused to make any other statements. SOURCE: Leech, G.& Svartvik, J nd ed. A Communicative Grammar of English. Longman. b. FIRST CONDITIONAL o If the party will end before midnight, it s time to start enjoying ourselves now. o If you re going to be playing tennis against Jenny, you d better borrow my racquet. o Let me know if you should hear some more news. o If I ve written the paper before Monday, Ill call you o If you feel seasick, take one of these pills. o If you are expecting a first-class hotel, you re going to be disappointed o If anyone bets on horses, he or she deserves to lose money. o If United can win this game, they may become league champions. o If Mary is at liberty, I could see her for a moment. SOURCES: Bygate, M., Tonkyn, A.& Williams, E. eds Grammar and the Language Teacher. Prentice Hall. Leech, G.& Svartvik, J nd ed. A Communicative Grammar of English. Longman. Quirk, R. et. al A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. Longman Can your rules account for all of them? 3. Read the following two texts and discuss the questions that follow each one. TEXT 1 Bill: Tom: Bill: Hey, have you been watching the re-run of that comedy series on TV - Fresno, I think it s called? Ah, Fresno, yes! Annabelle really loves that programme. Look, Tom. I m sorry but you really must let go of Annabelle. She left you over two years ago, for goodness sake! SOURCE: Batstone, R Grammar. Oxford University Press.

4 4 Considering that Bill s relationship with Annabelle belongs to the past and that Bill is not in a position to be certain about her present preferences, how do you account for the use of loves instead of loved? Has Bill used the wrong tense? TEXT 2 Skinner (1957) argued that language was learned through a process of stimulusresponse, with large amounts of controlled repetition. Chomsky (1959) argues that language could never be learned in this way, and that we are all endowed at birth with a language acquisition device which provides essential assistance in the learning process. SOURCE: Batstone, R Grammar. Oxford University Press. Why is the writer referring to Skinner s work using the Simple Past and to Chomsky s work using the Simple Present? Has he made a mistake? 4. There are two main types of grammar books relevant to TEFL: the ones targeted at learners (pedagogical) and the ones targeted at teachers. Identify similarities & differences between the two types in terms of the following (interdependent) factors FACTOR PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMARS GRAMMARS FOR TEACHERS Terminology and style of language Coverage & detail Rules & explanations Examples STAGE IV. WHICH GRAMMAR? 1. Read the transcript of a post-graduate student (native speaker) speaking informally [ + = pause]. What do you think of it in terms of grammaticality? normally after + very heavy rain + or something like that + and + you re driving along the road + and + far away + you see + well + er + a series + of + stripes ++ formed like a bow + an arch ++ very very faraway + ah + seven colours but ++ I guess you hardly ever see seven it s just a + series of + colours which + they seem to be separate but if you try to look for the separate-colours they always seem + very hard + to separate + if you see what I mean ++ SOURCE: Brown, G. & Yule, G Discourse Analysis. Cambridge University Press.

5 5 2. Although written & spoken language share a common core of grammatical characteristics, there are significant differences regarding their structure. Do you think that awareness of the differences between written and spoken grammar should influence TEFL? Why (not)? How can EFL teachers account for such differences in their planning and teaching? STAGE V. PLANNING 1. Drawing on your knowledge & experience discuss the following aspects of a grammar lesson : AIM(S) CONTENT 2. What does the preparation of a grammar lesson involve? What factors should be taken into consideration? What decisions does the teacher have to make? 3. You will be given the description of a grammar lesson. The different stages are in jumbled order. Put the stages in order. Be ready to state your reasons. 4. Look at the lesson description in the original order. Identify the aim(s) of the lesson. Identify the purpose of each stage. Comment on the role of teacher & learners in the different stages. Does the teacher adopt a deductive or inductive approach? What previous knowledge does the teacher assume? Comment on the staging decisions. Would you have preferred a different staging? Why? 5. Can you think of other ways you can stage a grammar lesson?

6 6 6. Observe the presentation stage of four different lessons. During the lessons take part as learners. During and/or after each presentation take notes regarding the following: AIM(S) Aspect Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 STARTING POINT: form? concept? function? CONTEXT: suitability, clarity, appropriacy MODE OF PRESENTATION: spoken? written? visuals? DEDUCTIVE vs. INDUCTIVE APPROACH ENSURING UNDERSTANDING OF FORM / CONCEPT / FUNCTION ROLES OF TEACHER AND LEARNERS ASSUMED PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE 7. Look at the following ways of introducing a grammar item. Evaluate the potential effectiveness of each one - be ready to state your reasons. Make any adaptations and/or additions you feel necessary. 1. Give rule 2. Give rule give de-contextualised examples 3. Give rule give contextualised data/examples 4. Set up context introduce new item give rule 5. Set up context help learners clarify concept guide learners to notice form --> give rule 6. Set up context help learners clarify concept --> guide learners to notice form --> guide learners to understand aspects of form+ concept+ function 7. Set up context help learners clarify concept guide learners to notice form guide learners to understand aspects of form+ concept+ function give rule 8. Set up context create need for new item (i.e. give communicative task where learners need to use new item) follow any of options 1-7

7 7 What do you understand by setting up the context? How can we do that? What is the role of texts? What do you understand by noticing the item? How can we guide learners to notice the new item? What aspects of the item do learners need to notice? What do you understand by giving the rule? What options do teachers have regarding rules? Can you add more alternatives?