Lesson 2: Issues of Grammar Teaching and Assessment

Why should we teach grammar?

Choose all the applies. (4)

• Grammar skills will help learners to organize words and messages and make them meaningful.

• Without grammar, speech would be meaningless.

• Grammar teaches us comprehensibility and acceptability.

• Grammar makes us incompetent.

• Grammar helps learners to discover the nature of language.

3 major points enumerated by Larsen-Freeman (2009) on how to teach grammar. Choose all that applies (3).

• The knowledge of other languages can influence the acquisition of grammar.

• The challenge of learning grammatical complexity differs based on starting points.

• Language are equally complex, the problem arises to where their complex varies.

• Redefinition of the construct

There are also pedagogical issues when it comes to assessing grammar as specified by Larsen-Freeman. Choose all that applies (4).

• Social dimension

• Redefinition of the construct

• Partial scoring

• Target standard

• Sequencing

While others argue that one cannot learn beyond one‟s current processing ability, others claim that a step ahead of their current ability accelerates their language‟s acquisition rate.

• SEQUENCING

• CHOICE OF METHODS

• FOSSILIZATION

• PEDAGOGICAL ISSUES

This method heavily emphasizes reading and writing – specifically vocabulary and grammar. As the name implies, the main activities of the method are translation and grammar exercises. The teacher has the superior authority in the class.

• Grammar-Translation Method (GTM)

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP)

As a response to GTM, the direct method is to utilize the target language in acquiring it. Hence, language here is used orally and the teacher is a partner of students and not an authority.

• Grammar-Translation Method (GTM)

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP)

This method targets language utilization through communication. Thus, listening and speaking skills are focused here. The main goal is the production of language. Like GTM, this method treats the teacher as an authority.

• Grammar Translation Method activities (GTM)

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP)

This method is a sub-branch of audio-lingual method. The chief feature that distinguishes this from ALM is the significance of context in grammar teaching and learning.

• Grammar Translation Method activities (GTM)

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP)

As the name implies, learners respond through actions first until they are comfortable enough to speak in the target language. The main goal of this method is to develop oral fluency.

• Communicative Language Teaching

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Total Physical Response Method (TPRM)

The core of this method is to prepare students for communicative situations in diverse social contexts. Community language teaching centered on using authentic language in a real context. The teacher is a facilitator and the activities employed here are role-plays and problem solving tasks.

• Communicative Language Teaching

• Direct Method (DM)

• Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

• Total Physical Response Method (TPRM)