effective approaches to teaching grammar

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Effective Approaches to Teaching Grammar

CCI English
To reinvent or not to
reinvent the wheel
when it comes to
letting learning
happen?
Yes! Yes! Yes! There is no
learning without inventions
that are
personally meaningful to
students. Every learner
should be provided
with an opportunity to
reinvent. Guided discovery
approach focuses on
helping every student to
reinvent important concepts
in their mind.

CCI English
• “People are generally better
persuaded by the reasons which
they have themselves discovered
than by those which have come in to
the mind of others.”
Blaise Pascal generally better
persuaded by the reasons which they
have themselves discovered than by

CCI English
Two approaches to Teaching Grammar
Deductive Inductive
General to practical Practical to general
Explicit Implicit
Rule-driven learning Rule-discovery learning
Application of rules Problem-solving
Teacher-centered Learner-centered
Dependent on the teacher Autonomous
Passive reception Active participation

CCI English
Guided discovery approach
In between these two approaches lies “Guided
Discovery”, which combines the best from each.
Guided Discovery is a modified inductive
approach in which there is exposure to language
first, followed by the use of inference,
and finally an explicit focus on rules and practice.

Read the article about mice and brain cells.
Choose the best headline for the article.
Why is it the best?
1. Sweets can make you stupid
2. Why mice love popcorn
3. Luxuries improve your intelligence
4. Why children who eat sweets do worse at school
CCI English

CCI English
Your brain power can be improved by life’s little
luxuries according to research by Professor Fred
Gage of The Salk Institute in La Jolla, California
which was published recently. It has been
discovered that mice who are fed on popcorn and
sweets have up to fifteen per cent more brain cells
than mice who are kept in normal laboratory
conditions. Being kept in cages full of brightly
colored toys has a similar effect. It is claimed that
the same may be true for humans, which possibly
explains why children from poorer homes tend to do
less well at school and in life generally.
Taken from Cutting Edge, Cunningham and Moor, Longman,
1999, page 44

A. Focus on Meaning
Think about these sentences from the text you have read.
1. What is the subject of each of the sentences below? Which has an agent (doer)?
a) The research was published last week.
b) They feed the mice on popcorn and sweets
c) The mice are fed on popcorn and sweets
d) Your brain power can be improved by life ́s little
luxuries
2. Who feeds the mice in sentence c? Why is the passive
used?
3. What improves your brain power in sentence d? Why is the passive used?
CCI English

B. Focus on Form
Find an example in the text of the following passive
forms...
-Present Simple Passive
-Past Simple passive
-Present Perfect Passive
-A passive form using a modal
-A passive form using a gerund
CCI English

C. Focus on Pronunciation
Mark the words which are stressed, weak and show how they
are linked together. Practise saying them with a partner.
E.g. It is claimed that the same might be true for humans
The mice are fed on popcorn and sweets.
The research was published last week.
CCI English

CCI English
Creating Guided Discovery Tasks
Mary watched the old man. He walked down the road.
He stopped and talked to Mrs. Castle at number 27.
Then he crossed the road and managed to dodge the traffic.
He visited the drugstore and disappeared through the door.
Then he reappeared and walked towards her.
Teaching and Learning Grammar, J. Harmer, Longman. P. 36

1. Mary watched the old man. He walked down the road. He stopped and talked to Mrs. Castle at number 27.
Then he crossed the road and managed to dodge the traffic. He visited the drugstore and disappeared
through the door. Then he reappeared and walked towards her.
Teaching and Learning Grammar, J. Harmer, Longman. P. 36
2. Create a gist task.
v The text describes what an old man did? Is doing? Will do?
v Choose a title form multiple choice
v Any other gist reading task that will encourage learners to read the text quickly to get an overall idea
CCI English

CCI English
Meaning Form Pronunciation
What does the target
language mean in this
context?
Would a time line be
helpful/necessary?
Would CCQs be
helpful/necessary?
Write the form rule here:
Design a guided discovery
task that will focus
learners on the form of
the TL.
How does the target
language sound?
Is the pronunciation
consistent?
Does it change in some
cases?

Meaning Form Pronunciation
It happened in the past
and is finished.
Verbs ending in –e, add –d.
Verbs not ending in –e add –ed.
Verbs spelt with a single vowel
followed by a single consonant
letter double the consonant
In two- syllable verbs the final
consonant is doubled when the
last syllable contains a single
vowel letter followed by a single
consonant letter and is stressed.
Verbs stressed on their first
syllables do not double their final
consonant.
Final voiced consonant -
/d/
Final unvoiced consonant
- /t/
Final /t/ or /d/ - /id/
CCI English

An easy step by step methodological framework:
1. Exposure to language through examples or illustrations
2. Observation and analysis of the language through guided
questions
3. Statement of the rule
4. Application of the rule in practice tasks graded by difficulty
or complexity
CCI English

Guided discovery lesson framework:
CCI English
Stage Aim
Lead-in ü To generate interest in the topic and set the scene for your
lesson.
ü To help students to anticipate context of reading
Pre-teach unknown (blocking) vocabulary To help students with potential vocabulary problems and prevent
them from ‘blocking’ when reading
First Reading (students read and complete task simultaneously) ü To give students practice in reading for gist (global
understanding)
ü To provide context for the language work
Detailed Read (for Language) To give the students an opportunity to notice the language in
context
Guided discovery language clarification To introduce and clarify the meaning, form and pronunciation of
the target language
Controlled practice To provide students with restricted practice in the target language
Freer Practice To provide students with freer practice in the target language

CCI English
Benefits
ØIt can reduce teacher talking time
ØIt’s cognitively engaging and therefore more likely to stick
ØStudents can work at their own pace (not that of the teacher/
strongest students)
Ø Teacher can monitor/micro-teach/help weaker students
Ø It resembles natural language learning
Ø Learners participate actively in the learning process
Ø It increases student participation and fosters collaboration

Disadvantages of student-centered clarification:
Ø It is potentially more time consuming
Ø Runs the risk of students learning the incorrect
rules
Ø Texts need careful selection to make sure that
- They are interesting and relevant
- The language is accessible and at the right level for
students
CCI English

Questions?

Thank you for your attention!
Happy Teaching J
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effective approaches to teaching grammar

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