Grammar &
Communication
in the FL Classroom
Maria Sheila Zamar
UH-Manoa, SEASSI
COTSEAL Conference 2008
I. Goals:
1. Discuss the role of grammar
teaching in FL classrooms (HL and
non-HL)
2. Review some of the most influential
ideas in foreign language teaching
3. Describe some examples of
communicative activities for teaching
specific grammar points
II. What do we teach in the FL
classroom?
-language
-communication skills
-socio-cultural functions
-target culture
Which variety do we teach?
-standard
-conversational/colloquial
-academic
-literary
III. Heritage v. Non-heritage
classrooms
Some differences
background
resources
environment
motivation
(varying) proficiency
knowledge of the target culture
Heritage v. Non-heritage L2
classrooms
Some similarities
need for production practice
need to focus on literacy
need for accuracy
VI. Settings for language
learning
Natural acquisition
contexts
Traditional
instructional settings
(grammar-translation
or audiolingual)
Communicative
instructional settings
(content-based or
task-based)
- The learner is
exposed to the TL at
work or in social
interaction.
- If the learner is a
child, s/he is in a
school situation where
most of the other
children are native
speakers of the TL and
the instruction is
directed toward native
speakers.
-
The language is being
taught to a group of L2
or FL learners.
-
The focus is on the
language itself, rather
than on the use of the
TL for communicative
interaction.
-
The instructional goal
is for students to learn
the vocabulary and
grammar of the TL.
- The language is being
taught to a group of L2
or FL learners.
- The focus is on leading
learners to use the TL in
a variety of contexts,
rather than on teaching
specific features of TL.
- The goal is for students
to develop their ability
to get things done in
the TL.
Settings for language learning
Characteristics
Natural
acquisition
Traditional
instruction
Communicative
instruction
Error correction
-
++
-/+
Learning one thing at
a time
-
++
+
Ample time available
for learning
++
-
-
High ratio of native
speakers to learners
++
-
-
Variety of language
and discourse types
++
-
+
Pressure to use the
TL correctly
-/+
++
-
Access to modified
input
-/+
+
(often in L1)
+
(often in TL)
VII. 5 influential ideas in L2
teaching
1.
Getting it right from the beginning
Grammar-translation & audiolingual methods
2.
Negotiating meaning
Communicative language teaching
3.
Input processing
Comprehension-based programs
4.
Teaching what is teachable
Setting realistic expectations
5.
Getting it right in the end
Finding the balance between meaning-based and form-based
instruction
Five influential ideas in L2
teaching
1.
Getting it right from the beginning
Exclusively grammar-based approaches do not
guarantee high levels of accuracy
Overemphasis on accuracy usually results in learners
who are inhibited and some unable to communicate
2.
Negotiating meaning
Learners produce more quantity and greater variety of
speech and language function in learner centered
activities
Modified interaction leads to higher levels of
comprehension than modified input
Five influential ideas in L2
teaching
3. Input processing
TPR gives learners a good start
Comprehensible input is effective in learners’ development of
comprehension skills, fluency and confidence in the TL but not
enough to bring them to high levels of accuracy
Input flood help learners add something new to their interlanguage
Enhanced input makes little difference
Learners who received comprehension-based processing
instruction achieved higher levels of performance on both
comprehension and production tasks than learners who did
production exercises to practice the form. ***
Input processing (explicit focus on form within input-based
instruction) shows better comprehension practice over production
practice
Five influential ideas in L2
teaching
4. Teaching what is teachable
Little/no data on developmental and variational
language features
5. Getting it right in the end
Form-focused instruction and corrective feedback
provided within the communicative contexts are more
effective in promoting L2 learning
Explicit, guided form-focused instruction is needed
when features in the TL differ from the L1 in subtle
ways
IV. Grammar-based v. Content-
based/
Task-based approaches
Focus on the language (accuracy)
grammar translation and audiolingual
methods
ordering of skills (receptive-productive)
deductive learning
error prevention is emphasized
Grammar-based v. Content-
based/
Task-based approaches
Focus on communication (fluency)
communicative language teaching
(CLT)
comprehensible input
inductive learning
error is viewed as natural part of
interlanguage development
V. Key issues
-Do I have a grammar-based, task-
based, function-based/content-based
curriculum?
-How much time do I devote to teaching
grammar explicitly?
-How much metalanguage do I expect
my students to handle?
Key issues
-How much time do I devote to
communicative activities with focus on form?
What activities do I have my students
participate in?
-How much time do I devote solely to
communicative activities without grammar
instruction? What type(s) of activities do I
have my students engage in?
-What comprises the bulk of my teaching
materials?
-How do I handle errors?
VIII. Things to consider in
teaching grammar
-Providing communicative contexts
-Addressing the four skills
-Varying activities
-Using (semi-) authentic materials
Contextualizing error correction
Information gap
Interviews and reports
Guided speaking: responding to specific
questions and listening activities
Structure focused reading: questions focused
on eliciting specific structures
Guided/Controlled writing: story with prompts
Structure focused listening: questions focused
on eliciting specific structures
IX. Some grammar-based
communicative activities
Tapos na. Salamat po!