For many students, learning grammar is disheartening, boring, and tedious. It may appear to exist only to point out your mistakes. Some educators and language experts are advocating for change.
Typical grammar teaching in a language classroom focuses on technical rules, practice, and exercises. But this does not always reflect the way in which the language is acquired or used.
Even if students theoretically learn a concept in an exercise or worksheet, they will not necessarily understand how it is used in practice, so they do not always use it in their speech or writing.
The current model of grammar teaching is corrective, meaning, it focuses on pointing out the mistakes students make. When they fear correction, learners may be less likely to attempt to structure more complex sentences.
An alternative to remedial teaching is the use of text guides. These are well-written passages that allow students to see how a grammatical concept is actually used. The teacher can explain a grammar rule to the class and then have them read a text that uses it so they can observe for themselves.
Another option is peer-to-peer learning. Students can be encouraged to share their writing with each other and learn from each other’s comments. This reflects the way grammar is most commonly used in real life: talking to peers.
Grammar is the basis of any language. Even if they use new strategies, it is important that teachers continue to teach the fundamentals. Once they have explained the concepts, there are creative ways to allow children to practice them.
When students understand the rules of grammar, their writing will improve naturally without much correction from the teacher.
UNIB offers language training programs. Some of these courses are the Master in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and the Master in Teacher Training for Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language.
Sources:
Living Language: A New Vision For Teaching Grammar
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