Approach Used for Teaching English Grammar - Essay Example

Introduction Before probing into the topic of task based approach towards English grammar learning for the students of a primary school, let’s first get to know what actually grammar is. Grammar is that specific and prescribed set of rules which relate or describe the properties and characteristics of the English language. “Grammar means to combine the words in a specific manner so that they produce the real meaning of a sentence” (White, 2003). If we want to develop and produce a correct form of any specific sentence, we must abide by those sets of rules for the English grammar which are designed for the purpose of proper English writing, learning and teaching refinement. “The grammar of the language may be understood to be a full description of the form and meaning of the sentences of the language” (Huddleston, 1984). While talking about English grammar, we must also know the importance of use of proper English grammar in our daily life. Doff (2000) found that “by learning grammar students can express meanings in the form of phrases, clauses and sentences”. Appropriate use of grammar using the prescribed set of rules helps us in a lot of ways while performing various activities. “Teaching grammar is of significant importance in the early stages of a child’s schooling” (Hinkel & Fotos, 2002). Grammar is of critical importance because of its enormous use in many fields of life. Clark et al. (2003) found that “teaching basics of grammar helps learners a lot in different situations”. Some of the situations where use of proper grammar is of crucial importance are as follows: Use of correct grammar during an interview Proper usage while creating a resume for a job application It’s also important while writing a website’s content Professional articles and journals also require correct grammar Academic essays must also be written using suitable grammar, and While writing emails to a certified company from another professional company These were some of the basic usages of proper English grammar techniques in the activities of our daily life. Now, I would like to describe an approach which I used while teaching English grammar to the students of a primary school. Approach used for teaching English grammar Before describing the method which I used to teach English grammar to the primary school students, I would say that teaching grammar to the children of a primary school is a very can be a intimidating task for two main reasons. First reason is that there are so many tones and gradations of the English language for children to learn and the second reason is that understanding and learning all of the prescribed rules of English grammar can be a boring task for the children. Nevertheless, teaching English grammar to the primary school’s children can be done in an attractive way so that children don’t get bored and show more interest towards learning proper English grammar which will definitely help them a lot in their future. The approach which I used to teach grammar to the children was deductive approach towards English grammar teaching. “Deductive approach is derived from the concept which means deductive reasoning works from all-purpose to the specific one” (Dixon, 1991). In the deductive approach, principles, concepts, rules and the theories are initially presented and after that the presentation of those rules and principles are treated. “The deductive approach is related to the conscious learning process in which this approach tries to place a great emphasis on error correction and the presentation of explicit rules” (Krashen, 2002). This approach may also be called as a rule-driven learning approach. During the deductive approach, the rules of grammar are presented to the students explicitly that is followed by the practice for applying those rules and principles. This specific approach proved to be a very beneficial language teaching approaches for me. Fortune (1992) said that “This approach has been the bread and butter of language teaching around the world”. A number of direct practice examples are given to the students by the teachers who use this specific approach. In this approach, the teachers of the primary schools teach the grammar by presenting the grammar rules and after that some sentences are presented to the students which contain application of those grammatical rules and principles. While teaching, when the students recognize and understand the rules of grammar, they are instructed to apply those rules in the sentences given to them as a task by the teacher. “Describing and educating the grammar rules in deductive approach means directing the students’ attention to the problems which are being discussed” (Wardhaugh, 2003). With the deductive approach, students are in charge during the practice and have no fright of drawing an unsuitable finish which is related to the functioning of the target language. Eisenstein (1987) found that “with the deductive approach, learners be in control during practice”. The deductive approach towards grammar learning begins with the presentation of rules and then the students apply those taught rules in the sentences given to them by the teacher. In this way, the students get engaged with it through the learning and treatment of examples. For the presentation of rules to the students, following rules are to be followed by the teacher. These rules are: The taught rules should always be accurate The rules should show the limitations which are on the use of any given form, and The rules should make use of related concepts of grammar Here I would say that with the use of this specific approach towards English grammar teaching, there are also some disadvantages of this approach which may divert the thinking of the teacher towards use of some other approach towards English grammar teaching. These disadvantages are as follows: When we begin the teaching with grammar presentation, it may prove to be repulsive for the students The students may not be able to recognize or understand the basic concepts of grammar Students’ participation and communication get a hold back suddenly due to teacher-fronted and transmission-style classroom, and This approach promotes that learning a language means by only knowing the rule and nothing else. Task-based approach to teaching grammar Let’s now discuss another approach towards teaching grammar which is task-based approach. Task-based approach is also known as task-based instruction or task-based language teaching. In this type of approach, various tasks are given to the students in order to use the target language being taught to them. “Assessment and evaluation is not just based on accuracy and correctness of language forms” (Downing & Locke, 2002). The assessment is rather based on the outcomes of those tasks which are given to the students for the purpose of judgment. This approach towards teaching grammar takes into account the requirement for an authentic communication. “Task-based approach is also well-matched with communication oriented methodology” (Nunan, 2004). This approach is a student centered approach which also allows some meaning communication. This approach benefits the students and theoretically eliminates the disadvantages of other approaches towards grammar teaching. Task based approach is in benefit of students as it allows such tasks with which the students are familiar which results in motivation of students towards learning of the language. “Task-based teaching offers action and reflection which is relatively low in other approaches towards teaching” (Ellis, 2003). It is because in other approaches like PPP, language focus comes at the start of the session which makes it purely teacher generated. “In task-based approach, the students privately practice the language and then after becoming fluent; show it publicly that they can now use the language in an efficient way” (Branden, 2006). It is a very beneficial form of teaching grammar for the teachers as they get to know the depth of understanding of the grammar in the students through various tasks which are given to the students. And based on the results of those outcomes, the teachers become able to analyze the level of grammar understanding among the students. “TBLT starts from the notion that the learners learn by engaging in tasks” (Branden, Gorp, & Verhelst, 2007). While talking about the task-based approach towards teaching grammar, we must also analyze the essential stages of task-oriented approach. These stages are pre-task phase, task-cycle and language focus. Let’s now discuss all of these stages of task-based approach towards teaching grammar. In the first stage, that is pre-task phase, the teacher exposes and explores the topic in front of the students before any specific task is assigned to them. During exploration of topic, functional lexical items are given. The students are given a chance of personal involvement and interaction with the lesson which is being taught and the schemata of the students gets activated. The teacher presents what is expected of the students in the next stage of the approach, which is task stage. The teacher presents a model of task to the students through an audio or video channel. For example, picture or video of someone else doing the similar task is presented in front of the students so that they may get to know about what will be expected of them by their teachers. The second phase or stage of the task-based approach is task-cycle stage. This sage is divided into three further stages which are task, planning and report. In the task, the students perform the task given to them by the teachers. The teacher monitors all activities during the task being performed by the students but doesn’t correct them for any mistake. In planning, the students prepare the report which is to be presented in front of other students or class. The report is about how they performed any specific task. The report is to be presented either orally or in written. After that, the report is presented in front of the class and the results are compared. The teacher then gives either oral or written feedback to the students. In the last stage, which is language focus, the analysis and practice take place. During analysis, the students examine and inspect the recordings for new lexical structures. Then they record those recordings. The teacher then conducts a practice session for the new lexical structures either during analysis or after analysis. Practice provides the teacher with an opportunity to highlight the key language. Modification of approach towards teaching grammar I would like to make certain modification regarding my grammar teaching approach in the light of task-based approach towards teaching English grammar. These modifications will be made by keeping in view those advantages which come from application of a task-based approach. As in the deductive approach, students don’t seem to be able to understand the concepts of the grammar, so I will make such changes which will enable the students first understand the basic theories and concepts regarding any lesson of grammar being taught to them and after understanding, apply those concepts to their actual learning. Teacher oriented mode will also be modified because in this way, the students don’t get full participation in the class and in grammar learning. The students get a hold back due to teacher-fronted style of teaching. Student-oriented approach will be adopted in order to fully engage the students in actually performing the tasks and activities which will also result in higher level of enthusiasm and motivation in the students. Another modification which is likely to take place is that of practical tasks. In the deductive approach, the students only recognize the grammar rules but do not actually perform the tasks related to those rules. So I will modify this approach by assigning the tasks to the students after educating them with the rules and principles regarding grammar. In this way, the students will get a chance of not only knowing the rules but also making use of those rules in their tasks. While making these modification, I will also need to take into account those problems and constraints which come with the task-based approach. One of those problems which will be kept in consideration is that criticism which comes under task-based approach. That criticism is that task-based approach is not considered an appropriate one for the foundation of the class. I will make such modifications that students should first get their concepts properly clear and well understood and I will give task to them only when I will see that now the students are well understood about the initial grammar and they can do that task. Another constraint is that students are not given the chance to participate in debates and speeches in a task-based approach. I will make such modifications which will enable students to fully participate in debates by arranging debates competitions after every two or three lessons regarding grammar. It will give a chance to the students to express themselves using the correct forms of grammar in their debates. So, these were some of the modifications which I will make while modifying my current approach towards teaching grammar to the students of the primary school level. References White, L. (2003). 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Self-study grammar practice: Learners views and preferences. ELT Journal 46(2), 160-171. Wardhaugh, R. (2003). Understanding English grammar: a linguistic approach (2nd ed.). U.S.A: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Eisenstein, M. (1987). Grammatical explanations in ESL: Teach the student, Not the method. In M. Long & J. Richards (Eds.), Methodology in TESOL (pp. 282-292). New Jersey: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. Downing, A., & Locke, P. (2002). A university course in English grammar. New York, NY: Prentice Hall International. Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Branden, K. Gorp, K., & Verhelst, M. (2007). Tasks in action: Task-Based language education from a Classroom-Based perspective. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/63/4/429 Branden, K. (2006). Task-based language education: from theory to practice. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Read More