LEARNING TO GRAMMAR Integrating Grammar into communicative Approaches

LEARNING TO GRAMMAR Integrating Grammar into communicative Approaches to SLA

What is Grammar? ◦ The skeleton of language ◦ Supports communication ◦ Holds everything together ◦ Enables language to be active and vibrant. ◦ Carries social meaning

What Does it Mean to “Grammar”? To grammar = using the grammatical system of a language as a communication skill. Diane Larson-Freeman

Why Learn to Grammar? ◦To be understood – coherent and cohesive ◦To have your message respected ◦To be polite

SCENARIOS FOR SLA

Scenario 1: Language School Learners ◦ Learn grammatical rules, practice them, have test on them ◦ When out on the street can’t apply grammar rules to what they want to say. ◦ Don’t know how to integrate what they have learned in class with real communication Problem: Inert Knowledge

Scenario 2 -- Linguists Learners: ◦ Analyze a language ◦ Can tell you all about how the language works ◦ Can’t use the grammatical system to communicate fluently – haven’t learned “to grammar”. Problem: Inert Knowledge

Scenario 3 –Working with a Tutor provides the course of study. Learners ◦ often don’t know how to integrate what they learn from the tutor with communication in the community. ◦ Can’t turn declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge Problem: Inert Knowledge

Scenario 4 : Comprehension-Driven SDL Learners ◦ Learn to understand a lot ◦ Learn a lot of vocabulary ◦ In some cases --Get message across somehow when speaking, but don’t speak grammatically: haven’t learned “to grammar” Problem: Insufficient noticing and/or feedback

Scenario 5: Speech-driven SDL Learners: ◦ May learn to say a lot of memorized material but not acquire the system ◦ Sometimes can’t understand or “parse” responses to what they say ◦ In some cases –don’t know how to choose and practice structures appropriate to their proficiency level. Problem: Over-reliance on memorization and habitformation instead of internalizing the system.

Scenario 6: Language School & SDL Learners: ◦ Try to combine a language school with a self-directed approach ◦ Don’t know how to fit them together effectively and integrate what they learn in language school into communication in the community. Problem: Integration of knowledge into proficiency

In Each Scenario ◦Some learners do well and achieve a fair to high proficiency in speech ◦Some learners do not ◦In all cases, a major deficiency in the ability to use the grammatical system well impedes communication

HOW IS GRAMMARING LEARNED? Or Acquired or Developed?

1. Immersion Learn like children, with no explicit instruction, but in an environment where the language is spoken all around you. What can go wrong? ◦ Comprehensible input without feedback or correction not always enough – studies in Canada and elsewhere ◦ People may develop their own pidgin version of the language, instead of native-like grammar.

2. Immersion with Controlled Input Natural Approach or GPA Relies on: ◦ Learner ability to acquire grammar from comprehensible input without explanations What can go wrong? ◦ Works better for some learners than others ◦ Learners may process messages, but not know how to focus on both form and meaning and acquire the grammar

3. Audiolingual Approach PPP or LAMP Teacher draws attention to a structural pattern in dialogues learners have memorized. Learners do substitution drills to practice patterns. Relies on: Habit Formation and Memorization What can go wrong? ◦ People tune out when drilling ◦ What they practice is not what they want to say ◦ In LAMP, they choose what to say, but it might not be at their level so they memorize rather than acquire the structure. ◦ Often can’t “parse” what they are saying or the responses, so rely on memorization.

4. Grammar Translation Learners study the grammar and translate to and from their own language. Relies on: Ability to turn declarative knowledge into procedural knowledge What can go wrong? ◦ Not many people are really successful at becoming fluent by doing this. ◦ Translation is moving out of one language system to another, which isn’t always helpful in processing messages in the language you are learning.

5. Communicative Approaches Learners interact with other people, try out hypotheses, get feedback which helps them refine their “interlanguage” Relies on: Ability of people to learn from trial and error; to notice difference between what they say and what native speakers say. What can go wrong? ◦ People concentrate on exchange of messages, not on the forms carrying the message. ◦ Communication strategies don’t turn into learning strategies. ◦ Without feedback and correction often don’t develop accuracy.

MY BELIEFS ABOUT SLA

Adults are Not Big Children ◦ Adults have some of (but not all of) the LA resources available to them as children and shouldn’t rely on immersion alone. ◦ Adults should get; ◦ Lots of comprehensible input ◦ Lots of interaction and communication with people using the language ◦ They can also be helped by using higher cognitive skills ◦ They are often helped by explicit instruction and feedback.

Comprehensible Input May not be Enough Comprehensible input is essential, but may not be enough for learners to acquire proficiency with the grammatical system. Why not? ◦ Redundancy – meaning encoded in the grammar may also be understood from other words or from the context. ◦ Example: Comí huevos rancheros hoy por la mañana.

Accuracy, Fluency and Complexity ◦ Accuracy, fluency and complexity are all important to develop to be able to communicate well. You don’t always work on all of them at the same time, especially at early stages. But if you neglect them too long, it is harder to develop them.

Appropriate Intervention Helps Adults’ SLA is made can be made more rapid, effective, efficient and enjoyable by appropriate “intervention” from teachers, coaches, nurturers, tutors or helpers –IF they are given what they need at the right time.

WHAT IS THERE TO LEARN ABOUT GRAMMAR?

What Makes up Grammatical Competence?

Example – ‘went’ ◦ FORM: ◦ irregular ◦ MEANING: ◦ Lexical – ‘to go’ ◦ Grammatical – ‘past tense ◦ USE: ◦ When to use ‘went’ instead of ‘have gone’ or was going?

Learning Challenges with FORM Irregular Forms Morpho-phonemic changes Lots of grammatical classes Complexity at a level we aren’t used to – lots of morphology, or a case system, or different verb conjugations. Grammar marked by phonological features such as tone or stress Agreement features – one form goes with another.

How do we learn form? ◦ The key to learning form is frequency. We need lots of exposure to the form, hearing it and using it ourselves, until it becomes natural and automatic to us. ◦ If forms follow a regular pattern or rule, we will be helped by noticing the pattern. ◦ If forms are irregular we need even more exposure to acquire them.

Learning Challenges with GRAMMATICAL MEANING ◦ Meaning differences we are unused to expressing grammatically. ◦ More grammatical distinctions than we are used to expressing ◦ Example: 3 past tenses depending on when the event happened – today, yesterday or before yesterday ◦ Masculine/feminine verbs

How do we learn grammatical meaning? ◦ We need to associate form with meaning, so we need to see and hear the form used in a way that makes the meaning clear. ◦ Demonstrations and visual aids help. ◦ We may be helped by an explanation ◦ We need chances to use the form ourselves, to associate it with that grammatical meaning

Learning Challenges with USE ◦ Use is different from L 1 – for example, the perfect in English and in European languages ◦ Some grammatical forms are only used with some vocabulary items. ◦ Some grammatical forms follow other grammatical forms or words. ◦ Examples: ◦ I started to smoke = I started smoking but I stopped to smoke doesn’t =I stopped smoking ◦ Some conjunctions or other words in French are always followed by the subjunctive.

How do we learn appropriate use? ◦ We need exposure to grammar in context to learn appropriate use. ◦ We need to learn to pay attention to the context and to see how the grammar use changes in different contexts. ◦ We need to pay attention to the social context, as well as the linguistic context.

How do we Learn “to Grammar”? ◦ We want to learn to express meaning, using grammar, not just to complete exercises in class. ◦ So we need to engage in meaningful activities – using the grammatical forms we want to learn. ◦ We can look at the pattern or the rule ahead of time to focus on what we want to learn ◦ We can then set up activities that require us to use certain forms, but where we actually express something meaningful. ◦ When doing the activities, we should concentrate on meaning, as well as form.

HOW CAN WE MAKE LEARNING GRAMMAR FUN?

Why do People Find Grammar Boring? ◦It is seen as a set of facts, not a communication skill ◦We make it boring for learners by the things we ask them to do.

Today’s Learners Are… ◦Socially connected ◦Tech-savvy and expect to use their tech tools to communicate and learn ◦Content-producers and publishers of blogs,

How Can Learning Grammar Be Fun? ◦ Get learners working together on joint projects. Get local people involved in helping them complete their projects. ◦ Provide an incentive for accuracy by having them produce content and sharing it with others – “publishing” their projects in some shared space. ◦ Turn “drills” into puzzles, games or quizzes. ◦ Keep the projects at learners’ level.

In a Language School or LAC ◦ Have learners engage in some activities where they have to notice the form of the language to distinguish meaning. ◦ Control input so that the form-meaning link is focused. ◦ Some learners like to ‘discover rules”. ◦ Give class assignments that are puzzles in which they need to figure out the answer from the form. ◦ Give homework assignments out in the community where they need to use the forms.

In Self-Directed Programs ◦ Get Learners to keep a Portfolio with samples of their speech and writing ◦ Include activities where they actively ask for feedback on these performances ◦ As learners progress, include some activities that require more complex structures ◦ Teach learners strategies to turn communication into learning ◦ Give some assignments where they have to share their writing or speaking with other learners.

In More Speech-Driven Programs ◦ Make sure learners know how to elicit natural- sounding texts ◦ Help them identify basic sentence patterns within the texts, and make sure they have ideas for how to practice those structures in meaningful ways. ◦ Have them start with simple Q-A sets instead of whole memorized paragraphs. ◦ Give suggestions for incorporating listening activities with what they want to learn to say. For example: If learning to ask directions, start with TPR activities to help them understand directions first.

From Early Stages ◦ Make scrapbooks or digital scrapbooks. Post pictures of places you have visited. Label entries or get someone to write it for you or write a caption. Maybe add a map. Record yourself giving directions. When you can add comments on what you did at that place. ◦ Take pictures of foods you eat and learn to recognize the names of the dishes. Get someone to label the pictures for you.

If You Have Learners of the Same Language ◦ Assign joint projects with other learners, where they have to speak or write: ◦ Cookbook from Series activities ◦ Guide book of interesting places with pictures, cultural notes, directions ◦ Family history, or illustrated personal biography. ◦ Draw some attention to the kinds of structures that show up in these projects ◦ Encourage them to get input from local friends on how to make what they say or write more accurate.

In Summary ◦ Think of grammar as a communicative skill and use communicative activities to help learners acquire it. Don’t assume it will happen automatically without activities that make the form salient. ◦ Keep advantages of meaning-based activities, but also include some focus on form and how it relates to meaning. ◦ Don’t wait until errors are fossilized to give feedback or correction. ◦ Get learners involved in thinking up joint activities where they are creative and produce and share content. ◦ Use reading and writing and producing oral materials to help learns develop some concern for accuracy. Get local people to give feedback so they can be proud of what they do.

Helpful Resources ◦ Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring by Diane Larson-Freeman. Heinle and Heinle: 2003 ◦ Teaching Grammar in Second Language Classrooms – Integrating form-focused instruction in communicative context by Hossein Nassaji and Sandra Fotos ; Routledge ESL and Applied Linguistics Professional Series, : 2011