Teaching Grammar Approaches to encountering grammar From deductiveexplicit

Teaching Grammar Approaches to encountering grammar: From deductive/explicit to inductive/implicit to collaborative discovery This Power. Point will take one grammar point—the simple past tense--and show examples of each approach. © 2013 Global TEFL

Deductive/Explicit Approach Encounter The teacher explains the form, meaning, and use of the regular past tense –ed ending as follows: Teacher: “When we talk about the past, we use the past tense of the verb. For example, we use the past tense to talk about what we did last weekend or last month. ” [MEANING & USE] “The regular past tense in English is formed by adding –ed onto the verb, like this: [the teacher writes on the board] played “Notice I added an –ed to the end of the verb. ” “This is how the regular past tense is formed. ” “Other examples are…” [on board] climbed, jumped, watched, chanted “This is the form of the regular past tense. ” “Notice how they are pronounced. Let’s repeat them. Do you have any questions? ” Which seating arrangement is typical for this type of encounter ? 1 2 3

This deductive /explicit approach will typically be followed up with a written exercise or quiz. The students have not been engaged in the learning process. There is no checking for understanding along the way. “Do you understand? ” “Do you have any questions? ” or “Got it? ” is never effective. The teacher has no idea if they are getting it or not, nor is the teacher accessing any possible previous knowledge. What would you suggest to this teacher?

Deductive/Explicit Concept Checking Encounter The teacher explains the form, meaning, and use of the regular past tense –ed ending as follows: Teacher: “When we talk about the past, we use the past tense of the verb. For example, we use the past tense to talk about what we did last weekend or last month. ” “The regular past tense in English is formed by adding –ed onto the verb, like this: (the teacher writes on the board) played “Notice I added an –ed to the end of the verb. This is how the regular past tense is formed. So when we want to talk in the past, we use what tense? ” or “When we want to talk what we did last Saturday, we use the……. ” “Yes, the past tense. ” “And what do we add to the verb to make it past? ” “Yes, -ed. ” The teacher might continue by asking a concept checking question, “Is it correct to say, “I play baseball yesterday? ” Students answer ‘no’. “So, yesterday I (students supply the answer). “Yes, I played baseball yesterday. Everyone repeat, I played baseball yesterday. ” Students repeat chorally then individually. Which seating arrangement is typical U or half circle for this type of encounter ?

How is this lesson different from the previous one? Is it more effective? Why? Notice the difference between this approach and the first one. Although the teacher is doing the explaining, still explaining, he is now engaging the students’ understanding through some concept checking, in a sense testing their understanding along the way, thus allowing them to better grasp the concepts, though not yet necessarily being able to use them in communication. Note: The teacher does not ask or need to ask, “Do you understand? ”.

Inductive/implicit Eliciting Encounter 1 The typical seating arrangement for teacher as presenter/facilitator. U or half circle The teacher elicits from examples the form, meaning, and use of the regular past tense –ed ending as follows: [The teacher writes the following sentence on the board: ] “Let’s repeat these sentences. ” “When are we talking about in these sentences? ”. . . “Yes, every day. ” I play tennis every day. I watch TV every day. I walk the dog every day. “…and what tense are they? ” …. “Yes, the present simple. ” “Do you remember where to put every day the X or Xs for every day? ” x_x_x_x “Now let’s change “every day” to “yesterday”. “What was ‘yesterday’? ” [“Thursday”] “Yes, so what do we need to do? ”…. “Right, add –ed. Jose, can you come up and add –ed to play? [or a more efficient and engaging approach would be for the teacher to pass out –ed stickies and have the students come up and place them next to the verbs. ] I play ed tennis yesterday. I watch ed TV yesterday. I walk ed the dog yesterday. “Okay, now where do I put the X? Here? Yes, in the past. How many Xs. . “Yes, just one X. ” “Let’s repeat the sentences. ” Yesterday ______ X

What do you notice about this encounter that is different from the previous two? In this encounter, the teacher is building from previous knowledge of the simple present tense with sample sentences and then moving to the simple past tense, eliciting/assessing what they might already know. Which of the three approaches most engages the students in the learning process? How?

Inductive Eliciting Encounter 2 U or half circle The typical seating arrangement for an inductive/implicit eliciting approach. The teacher is a questioner. The teacher writes the following on the board. I play tennis every day. The teacher asks the students, I play tennis yesterday. When does the first sentence happen? … Yes, every day. How about Wednesday? . . . Friday? , etc. When does the second sentence take place? …Yes, in the past. … Why not? … Yes, it needs an –ed on the end of play. Is the second sentence okay? I played tennisfollows yesterday. The teacher with pronunciation practice of the verbs and the sentences. . Yes, add –ed. How about these sentences? Volunteers come up and add the –ed. Students match the pictures to the sentences. I play ed tennis yesterday. I work ed outside yesterday. I watch ed TV yesterday. I walk ed the dog yesterday.

Inductive Contextual Encounter U or half circle The typical seating arrangement for an inductive/implicit eliciting approach. The teacher is a questioner. Step 1: The students match the pictures to the vocabulary. Note: This can be done by giving half the students the pictures and the other half the words and find each other or match on the board. Step 2: The teacher posts a brief story about what he/she did last weekend. Note: the past tense verbs can include regular and some irregular verbs. They can be highlighted or not or they can be blanks with a separate word bank in the base form or past tense form. play tennis 1 or 2 Last Saturday my family and I went on a picnic. It was a beautiful day in the park. After work outside our picnic, the children played in the park. Beth rode her bike while Jimmy fished in the pond. My wife, Jenny, sat under a tree and read her favorite novel. watch I just took TV a nap. Last Saturday my family and I ____ on a picnic. It ____ a beautiful day in the park. walk Jimmy the dog____ in After our picnic, the children ____ in the park. Beth ____ her bike while the pond. My wife, Jenny, ___ under a tree and ___ her favorite novel. I just ___a nap. The first step could be a reading or listening comprehension task or two followed by analysis. In the first version, the teacher asks the students to ID the verbs by circling them. In the second version the teacher hands out stickies of the verbs for the students to place in the blanks. Or asks Ss to come up with the past tense form and place in blanks. The teacher then asks what they notice about the form.

Collaborative Discovery Vocabulary Encounter--at desks or tables. The typical seating arrangement for a collaborative learning approach. The teacher is observer, facilitator, and assessor. Table or desks watch tv walk the dog Students work together to match the pictures to the verb cards. work the garden walk the dog work in the garden play tennis watch tv play tennis

Collaborative Discovery Grammar Encounter played walked got up got dressed Last Saturday, I _____at 7: 00 in the morning and _______dressed. I then _____ breakfast and _____ in the garden. After that, I _____tennis and _____ the dog. I _______ tired, so I _______ TV. was took ate worked The students collaboratively place the pictures and verb cards in the correct blank.

Collaborative Discovery Grammar Encounter got up got dressed Last Saturday I _______at 7: 00 in the morning and _________. ate played worked outside. After that I _______ I then _____breakfast and _______ walked watched was tired, so I ________TV. tennis and _______the dog. I ______ The teacher monitors and assesses accuracy of placement. The teacher has groups assess each other and suggest corrections. The meaning of the verb is understood from previous learning. The next possible step is to have the students categorize the verbs into regular and irregular. Alternatively, the regular past verbs could be in base form—get up, work —and then after they are placed, elicit what needs to be done to put them into the past tense.

Collaborative Grammar Discovery Encounter—in a mixer The students stand mingle as in a cocktail party. High beginning/Low intermediate: Students stand mingle and respond in pairs to the question, “What did you do last weekend? ” The purpose of this initial interaction/ Encounter (fluency activity) is to assess what the students already know about using the past tense, both form and meaning. They may use any verbs, regular or irregular. The teacher monitors and notes the proficiency level of the students. It is assumed that the students need the planned lesson, but the preassessment is useful for moving the students forward using I + 1 theory. The Encounter can be adjusted depending on the assessment. Another advantage to beginning with a fluency activity is it serves as an introduction to the lesson and as a motivation for the students.

Discuss the relationship between interaction dynamics or patterns and the ECRIF framework Encounter Clarify Remember Internalize Fluently Use 1 4 3 2 T T facilitates s s monitors & assesses s s 5 T T elicits informs ssssss s