Teaching and Learning Grammar Teresa R Bell Ph

Teaching and Learning Grammar Teresa R. Bell, Ph. D. Department of German and Russian at BYU

Essential Questions ● Why is it important to teach grammar? ● When is it important to teach grammar? ● What are effective ways of teaching grammar? FLANG 377 R

Objectives: “I Can” Statements I can… ● Explain why and when language learners should learn TL grammar ● Contextualize language learning ○ ○ Engage learners in noticing, reflecting on, and practicing aspects of the TL grammar Use the PACE Model for teaching grammar FLANG 377 R

Introduction to Teaching Grammar The importance of grammar in language teaching and learning means different things to different people. How many of you would be happy to never have to talk about the grammar of your TL again? How many of you would be happy to talk about the grammar of your TL every single day? In this lesson, we’ll look at the role of grammar in language learning today. FLANG 377 R

The Former Role of Grammar in Language Learning Traditional language instruction emphasized the memorization and mastery of grammatical rules as the goal of instruction. As a result, many learners spent years learning complex rules for producing language forms were not able express personal meanings, participate in TL cultures and discussions with NSs, or develop and nurture a social relationship in an L 2. Traditional grammar teaching followed a teacher-fronted explanation of a particular grammatical rule. FLANG 377 R

Discussion Board Think back to when you first noticed that you were able to function in your second language (L 2). Describe the situation and what you said in the L 2. Describe the grammar you used and the degree of accuracy you used. Comment on how you felt using accurate grammar. FLANG 377 R

Why is it important to teach grammar? Researchers agree that reflecting on aspects of the language that are relevant to the communication task is beneficial to learners and is critical in making progress as language learners (Adair-Hauck & Donato, 1994; Gass & Selinker, 2004; Hinkle & Fotos, 2002; Lantolf & Poehner, 2014). “Focus on form” can emerge spontaneously as learners experience gaps in knowledge when expressing themselves or reading and interpreting texts (Davin & Donato, 2013). Learners cannot reach the Advanced level without a high degree of accuracy in their written and spoken language. The W-RSLL states that knowledge of the language system (grammar, vocabulary, phonology, and pragmatic and discourse features) contributes to effective communication. FLANG 377 R

Just checking in. . . ● Why is it important to teach grammar? FLANG 377 R

Focus on Form Refers to an explicit focus on a particular form of language that: 1. is relevant to the context of a story, such as comparing and contrasting characters in a cultural story, recounting and describing the significance of their actions, or making inferences about their motivations; 2. is a potential meaning-making recourse for expressing facts, ideas, opinions, and feelings in the TL; and 3. distinguishes lessons designed teaching the grammar point of the day from lessons that draw attention to form in meaningful cultural texts and contexts, for larger communicative purposes, and for expressing and interpreting social and cultural meaning in various modes of communication. FLANG 377 R

What are effective ways of teaching grammar? 1. Grammar learning must have context, between and among individuals, and within connected discourse in order to be internalized by learners. The teacher provides the context. 2. A dialogic story-based approach to grammar instruction allows students to coconstruct grammar rules in context. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model 1 Presentation Teacher foreshadows grammar explanation through use of integrated discourse (stories, poems, taped listenings); emphasis on comprehension and meaning 2 Attention Teacher uses ‘multiple passes’ and recycles storyline through pictures, TPR activities, and role playing, increasing comprehension and learner participation. Emphasis on meaning. 4 Extension Through extension activities, learners need to use grammatical structures to carry out particular functions/tasks. 3 Co-Construction Once comprehension is achieved and meaning understood; the teacher turns the learner’s attention to focus on form. Both teacher and learner co-construct the grammar. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Partner and Class Discussion • Explain the four phases of a PACE lesson. Why is it important to include all of these steps? Explain why these steps must be followed in order. • What advantages of this type of lesson so you see? What disadvantages do you see? FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Presentation The teacher presents the story and assists students with comprehension and the acquisition of meaning and form relationship. Students don’t usually see the written script of the story in this phase. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Attention If teachers are in the ZPD of learners, teachers will be attentive to where students’ development is headed and not just to the lesson objective as determined by the teacher. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Co-Construction This step is an explanation as Conversation and Dialogic Inquiry. Co-constructing and explanation requires teacher questions that are well-chosen, clear, and direct. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Extension Activities This phase closes the circle of the PACE lesson and provides students with the experience of observing how parts of the whole interact and work together to produce various texts oral or written) in the TL. FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Example from the Reading • What did you think about the sample lesson in the reading? How effective was it? How do you know? • Have you ever learned a grammar concept this way? If so, how did it work for you? If not, how do you think it would work. FLANG 377 R

Just checking in. . What are the 4 phases of the PACE Model? What is the purpose of the PACE Model? Any questions? FLANG 377 R

The PACE Model: Reflexive Verbs in French • Mr. West, a French teacher, has learned about a new way to incorporate grammar teaching into a story-based language lesson. He is anxious to try out this new approach since the textbook he uses, which serves as the basis of his district’s curriculum, is grammar driven. He has not yet succeeded in doing more than presenting the “grammar rule of the day” and completing the textbook exercises with his classes. • Mr. West previews the chapter and sees that he will need to teach reflexive verbs. He picks a context for this new structure: the morning routine. For his presentation, Mr. West writes the French equivalent of the following sentences on the board: FLANG 377 R

Reflexive Verbs in French I was my son’s face. I get my son up. I look at my son. I brush my son’s hair. I was myself. I get up. I look at myself in the mirror. I brush my hair. Mr. West reads the sentences aloud, hoping that the class will perceive the non-reflexive/reflexive contrast in the two columns. The learners seem bored, uninterested, and unchallenged. He then asks a question: “What do you see here? ” The learners are bewildered and silent until Mr. West calls on Mike, who says: “French sentences beginning with Je. ” FLANG 377 R

Mr. West’s Assessments “These learners are clueless about these sentences and completely confused, ” Mr. West thinks to himself. He decides to abandon the questioning and delivers a lesson in English on the formation and use of French reflexive verbs. Because of this experience, he thinks that learners are unable to think about the target language and that all that can be done to ensure “learning” is to lecture learners on the rules they need to know. FLANG 377 R

Mr. West’s Students 1. Why are the learners bored and uninterested? 2. How would you evaluate Mr. West’s presentation? Does it satisfy the requirements of a presentation in the PACE model? Why or why not? 3. What would you have done when Mike responded with “French sentences beginning with Je”? 4. How do you think the learners feel about Mr. West’s lesson? FLANG 377 R

How could PACE help Mr. West? 1. What type of text would you choose for contextualizing a lesson on reflexive verbs to describe daily routines? 2. What type of presentation would you design? 3. What type of extension activities would enable learners to use these verbs to communicate? FLANG 377 R

PACE and Accuracy during Extension Activities Novice- and intermediate-level learners will still make grammatical mistakes while participating in Extension activities, even when the new grammatical feature was just used in the lesson. The teacher will provide assistance while students work in groups when necessary. For the most part, learners will be able to express themselves, even if what they say isn’t grammatically perfect. Teachers should make the focus meaning-making while learners try to create meaning during these activities rather than grammatical accuracy. A debriefing activity for an Extension activity could be for the teacher to focus on one frequent error or remind learners what they discussed in the Co-Construction phase of the lesson. FLANG 377 R

Accuracy and Language Learning Outside the classroom, error correction is needed only regarding meaning (vocabulary choice). Errors that don’t interfere with meaning to NSs are usually overlooked (grammar and pronunciation). In formal classroom settings, however, the focus often tends to be on accuracy. Remind students that errors are a natural part of language development. FLANG 377 R

What grammar means in language learning “To know grammar means, therefore, the ability to use language forms for real communicative purposes and not just to display knowledge of rules for sentence formation, verb paradigms, and exceptions to linguistic rules…” (Glisan & Donato, 2017, p. 89). FLANG 377 R

PACE is an HLTP ● High-leverage teaching practices (HLTPs)… ○ Portray content in a way that renders it comprehensible to naïve minds; ○ For students who are not necessarily interested in learning; ○ And whose grasp of the content is not readily visible to the teacher; ○ And who are restless and easily distracted; ○ In a way that satisfies the teachers’ personal needs. FLANG 377 R

HLTP #4: Focusing on Form in a Dialogic Context Through PACE In your reading on this HLTP, you learned how to create a PACE lesson following the four phases, steps, and checklists provided in the chapter. You also looked at the rubric for assessing a PACE lesson.

Homework Assignment: Create, Prepare, Share, Reflect Choose one grammar concept to teach in your TL. Create a lesson plan that follows the four phases of the PACE Model. Prepare to teach this to a small group of students during the next class meeting Share your lesson plan by teaching a group of students in class. Reflect on choosing a practice or product to teach, creating the lesson plan, preparing to teach the lesson, and teaching the lesson. How did you feel about the process? What worked well? Why do you feel it worked well? What could you do differently the next time you plan a PACE lesson? Why? You will submit this online for credit.