15.APPROACHES TO TEACHING GRAMMAR
There are different groups of approaches that can be applied when it comes to grammar teaching.
l.DEDUCTIVE VS. INDUCTVE APPROACH
A deductive (rule-given learning) approach starts with the presentation of a rule and is followed by examples in which the rule is applied. It is usually used in Grammar Translation method.
Example: On arriving in a country you have never been before , you are instructed that as a rule people rub their noses when greeting one another, and so you do exactly that when greeting somebody.
In deductive approach where the teacher explains the rule, and then students practise it the process of learning occurs on the following order : engage —*■ study —> activate.
Advantages of deductive approach in grammar teaching:
-it gets straight to the point, and can therefore be time-saving. Many rues - especially rules of form
- can be explained more quickly and simply.
-It respects the intelligence and maturity of many - especially adult - students, and acknowledges
the role of cognitive process in language acquisition
-it confirms many students' expectations about classroom learning
-needs little preparation of the teacher
Disadvantages of deductive approach:
-starting lesson with grammar presentation may be off-putting for students
-grammar explanation encourages teacher-fronted classroom organisation with little, or no,
interaction of students
-explanation is seldom memorable
An inductive approach (discovery learning) starts with some examples from which students work out a rule.
Example: On arriving in this same country, you observe several instances of people rubbing noses on meeting so you conclude that this is the custom, and proceed to do likewise.
In an inductive approach where students see examples of a language and then try to work out the rules (after the students have read a given text a teacher may ask them to find examples of different past tenses and say how and why they are used) the sequence of elements is as follows : engage —> activate —* study.
2.THE TEACHING OF GRAMMAR AS PRODUCT, AS A PROCESS AND AS A SKILL
-product perspective on grammar includes teaching of component parts of language system
There are two key stages in the learning process that can be promoted through product teaching:
Noticing new language input - making certain component parts of language system as noticeable to learners as possible by drawing the learners' attention to them (drawing diagrams, tables, underlying, using colours to emphasize the grammatical structure a teacher wants to teach).
Structuring knowledge - learners are given opportunities to manipulate forms, changing them and recombining them in order to discover more about how grammar works.
-process perspective on grammar includes engagement of learners in language use, formulating their own meanings in contexts over which they have considerable control, and in do doing, drawing on grammar as an ongoing resource.
-teaching of grammar as a skill involves ability of learners to deploy grammar while for the most part concentrating their attention on meaning.
Through a combination of product and process teaching, teachers can give their learners both a focus on specific grammatical forms and opportunities to deploy these forms in language use. The two approaches have complementary functions. In product teaching, we focus the learner's attention on forms. But, aware that much of this knowledge can remain delicate and transitory unless the learner can put it to use in a meaning-focused context , we turn to process teaching. However, process teaching requires delicate touch, and many of these forms may never emerge at all, or not at all adequately. So, we can easily find ourselves facing a kind of critical gap between process teaching and product teaching. Many features of the grammar will be lost - focused on and practised in product teaching, yet never emerging adequately in process work.
3.EXPLCIT VS. IMPLICIT APPROACH
-Explicit (overt) approach to teaching grammar involves directing student attention toward a specific learning objective in a highly structured environment. Topics are taught in a logical order directed by the teacher through demonstration, explanation and practice. Explicit teaching also involved modelling thinking patterns. This involves a teacher thinking out loud while working through a "problem" to help students understand how they should think about accomplishing a task. The attention of students is very important since explicit teaching is very teacher-centred. Explicit teaching is closely related to deductive teaching, which means that rules are given before any examples are seen. Students are aware of the fact that they are learning some new grammatical structures at the moment.
-Implicit (covert) approach involves teaching a certain topic in a suggestive or implied manner; the objective is not plainly expressed. Implicit teaching is closely related to inductive teaching, which means that rules are inferred from examples presented first. Sometimes rules are not provided at all (in teaching children), students aren't aware that they are learning some new grammatical structures at the moment.