English Language Teaching in Practice: Grammar

Declarative knowledge – knowing the rules Procedural knowledge – being able to use the knowledge in communication Deductive approach – presentation, explanation, exercises Inductive approach – discovery learning o Grammar is presented in context, for example in a reading passage or a listening activity o Students have contextualized examples (reading, listening, etc.) of a particular grammar point and can discover the grammar rule on their own o The teacher serves as an instructor, error corrector, manager, resource PPP: Presentation-Practice-Production

PPP Presentation New language is presented in context so that the meaning is clear The new form is presented in a natural spoken or written text so that students can see how it is used The new form is linked to what students already know (vocabulary, background knowledge, etc.) New form is elicited from students instead of being presented directly Teacher can explain/outline what students have discovered on their own

Practice Controlled practice (gap fill exercises, etc.) to help students memorize the new form and use it correctly Intensive practice through repetition Teacher provides feedback and error correction Students become more confident in using the new form Production Control is reduced and students are encouraged to use what they have learned Students express their own content Students see the usefulness of what they have learned Teacher can diagnose problems still remainin

Classroom Techniques Input enhancement – draw students attention to specific items, e.g. by highlighting them Consciousness-raising exercises – students notice/discover the grammatical feature, e.g. after reading a text, they have to decide how a tense is formed and when it is used Grammar dictation – the teacher reads a text containing target language, students take notes (they do NOT write every word), then in groups try to reconstruct the original text