Teaching Grammar

Research Paper on Teaching Grammar

Many new teachers are intimidated by the prospect of having to teach grammar. There are several reasons for this. Many of us aren’t that familiar with grammar rules to begin with, the many exceptions make English grammar a complex subject, and finally, grammar just isn’t that exciting to most teachers or students. For these reasons, there can be a tendency to question whether teaching grammar is really that important in the first place.

So, is teaching grammar important? I believe it is. Ed Swick says, ‘The rules of Grammar for a language learner are like the rules of the road for a driver. In order to be able to drive properly and maneuver with other drivers, you have to know the rules that everybody goes by’ This is true of language to. If you follow the rules of grammar you can express yourself clearly. But if you fail to observe those rules, people may find it difficult to understand and may even misunderstand you entirely. If someone does not know the rules that govern the roads, they will not have the confidence to start practicing their driving. In the same way, the English learner with no knowledge of English grammar will lack the confidence to begin practicing writing or speaking in English.

It is true that most native English speakers learn to speak English before they ever sit in their first English class. However, ESL learners are different. They have not grown up listening to English from birth. They have to learn from scratch. As a result, anything that will make the English language more understandable is worth teaching. I’m sure that most will agree that knowing how sentences are formed helps make the language more understandable. Also, ESL learners are used to the grammar of their native language. Until they learn English grammar, they will automatically apply the grammar rules of their native language to English.

Seeing that grammar is very important, how do we go about teaching it? First of all, avoid the error of finding a rule to explain everything. This will hinder not help you’re students? learning process. ESL author Don Snow explains, ‘the more complex the set of rules becomes and the fewer situations it covers, the more it hinders the attempts to learn language rather than facilitating them.’ The best approach to deciding what grammar rules to teach your students is this: based on where your students are at in their language learning process, decide whether presenting a new grammar rule will make things more clear or cause confusion. If it will make things more clear, teach it. If it will confuse them, wait till they are further along in the language learning process.

Finally, how can you make English grammar understandable for your students when there are so many exceptions to the rules? I believe the answer is to teach grammar as if it were simple. You do this by not teaching the rule and its exceptions at the same time. Learning is a process. No student should expect to learn everything at once, nor should any teacher expect to teach everything at once. It is better for the students to learn what is simple first and what is complex later. This is far less confusing.

Think of teaching grammar like painting a picture of a tree. You would first paint the trunk and the major branches. Only after you’ve finished painting those would you paint the smaller branches and the leaves. Think of the major rules of grammar as the major branches, and the small branches and leaves as the exceptions to the rule. If you want to give your students a picture of how to use the English language, first show them the major branches then show them the small branches and leaves. Teach the students the rules with the understanding that they will learn the exceptions later.

Although teaching Grammar can be challenging, it is also rewarding if we see the students to grasp the English language in a way they could not before. Like everything that benefits the students, it is worth our time and effort as teachers.

Teaching Grammar

There are many different methods to teach grammar, but this essay will present the three that might be the most effective in retaining student interest.

1.Situational Presentations

2.Text and Recordings

3.Test Teach Test

1.Teaching grammar via Situational Presentation

In order for grammar to have meaning, it needs to be placed within a context. For instance the preposition ‘beside’ has no meaning to a student unless it’s placed within a context. Using a model sentence such as the ‘The bread is beside the toaster’ gives the word a basic context. 

Situational presentation refines the context and thus the meaning by building a ?situation? around the model sentence. It can be presented in three stages with the following example of teaching prepositions based on an airplane ride.

Stage 1

Discuss positions of different items and why they are there. For instance, why do airplanes fly ?up? in the air? Build a story about someone who is flying ?on? an airplane, will he sit ?on? top of the plane, or ?inside?. Will he sit ?down? or stand ?up?. Is his luggage stored ?beneath? the floor, or ?above? his seat? Take the story to a final destination.

Stage 2

Pictures or illustrations of an airplane can be shown, or the classroom can be ‘transformed’ into an airplane. Discuss Concept Questions; (position of items; what should be there but isn’t; where should it be and why?) 

Stage 3 

Students can now create different situations themselves, applying acquired prepositions into short stories.



2. Teaching grammar via Text or Recordings Text and Recordings involve a very short story. Material can be a text that can be read, or recordings that are listened to. These stories highlight particular grammar points, and provide meaning before the story in the form of discussion and vocabulary prep, and within the story itself. 

Four stages are used to teach the Text/Recording Method:

1.In a story located within New York City, ask students if they have ever visited NYC. Have them tell others about it, or tell what they know about it. What do the students imagine it to be like Pictures can be shown of specific sights.

2.Have students read/listen to the story located in NYC, and have them answer the How, Why, What, When, Where questions about the plot and characters. 

3.Highlight the sentences that focus on the grammar theme, and develop other examples outside the story, including the concept, pronunciation, and form. 

4.Students can now create their own story using the grammar focus, or complete other related activities. 



3. Presenting grammar via Test Teach Test (TTT)

TTT involves teacher starting the lesson with a ‘test’, to see how much the student knows or doesn’t know. This ?test? is really a discovery stage rather than what could be perceived as an intimidating test. It can be conducted in pairs or groups to help reduce the ?test? perspective. 

Stage 1 Test 

- Gap sentences can be used, or more communicative methods such as students expressing life experiences related to the grammar point. The teacher observes what is known and not known, making a list of problem areas for later clarification.

Stage 2 Teach

- The teacher reviews all the questions with the correct answers. The common mistakes are given focus, with additional example sentences given and elicited. This stage is basically a clarification of meaning, form, and pronunciation. 

Stage 3 Test

- The final stage is the second test. The second test is a practice session based on what the teacher has explained and clarified. Test two practice activities can involve students writing and speaking the language points taught using material they create, or it could be material that contains the wrong grammar which needs to be corrected. 

All three of these methods place grammar somewhat in disguise, making it somewhat more palatable for particular students. No single method should be used exclusively, but a combination of methods will help ensure a dynamic classroom environment.