Grammar is the basic foundation of proper communication. It becomes a major challenge to converse or write without this foundation. Grammar helps learners to be more proficient and confident in using their language in all aspects of communication, speaking, and writing and more so to enjoy listening and reading.
Teachers do struggle too, “And that’s because, as I and other language experts have pointed out, they themselves were never taught much, if any, grammar. And appropriate teaching support and materials are lacking.” quoted from the 'grammar-still-matters'.
Though it is my professional responsibility to learn grammar for teaching purposes, it is beyond my present skill to be called an expert. It takes years to master grammar and knowing it all at the top of your head will require years of being in an environment where grammar is tested on a daily basis. This is impossible to do when you are basically teaching the fundamentals. I don’t see myself being a walking textbook grammarian.
My grammar self-assessment pointed out a lot of mishaps that I need to work on. It is overwhelming and I find myself under a pile of learning materials. Most of my subjects and verbs do not agree. Coelho pointed out some learners' errors that I see myself doing being a second language speaker. There were grammar explanations and technical terminologies that I’ve never heard. This will definitely take a lifetime to learn. Fortunately, I found Scott Thornbury’s book ‘How to Teach Grammar.’ I am at ease with how this book can be digested piece by piece.
An effective teacher does require to know it all. It is at least the expectation. The essential skill to be an effective teacher is to know what the students need and be able to direct them to become independent learners. Effective assessment and evaluation are the keys to being able to provide the correct learning platform. We are now living in the age of technology and learning resources are readily available at their fingertips. It is a matter of encouragement and providing the right tools for learning that will help them succeed. (Coelho, No More Red Pen: Teaching Grammar, Chapter 4 pg.87)
I am a second language learner and I am still navigating my next self-improvement plan because learning never ends. What I can offer is that I know how to provide tools, teach and assess needs which I believe are the most important aspect of being an instructor.
Contemplating my early school days, I learned English in a traditional context. We did daily drills looking for words in the dictionary and using them in sentences. The Manitoba curriculum values a whole-language approach. That is where my biases come in, I cannot teach without traditional context because I see the need. My word work time consists of drills and games of individual needs. I use manipulatives and online games at the same time. Some online platforms that I use in my class are https://www.abcya.com/games and https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en
Thornbury called grammar a kind of ‘sentence-making machine’. It offers the learners the means for limitless linguistic creativity. There is a limit to what a student can remember based on his or her personal understanding. It also varies according to the student's learning style. The 'fossilization argument' makes sense. Learners' linguistic competence fossilizes when they receive no instruction. Based on my own experience, I started to write journals when I was in Grade 7 and it was a part of the daily rule. I wrote my heart out every day but I never got any feedback for four years in writing an everyday journal. I didn’t know if I made mistakes. I didn’t know if I was writing my sentences right. I didn’t know what to improve on. I had fun writing but the expectations should have been that I got at least any feedback where I can improve. The purpose is to practice writing. But practice without feedback is no learning at all. I was doing what I already knew over and over. Now that I am a teacher, it hurts not to provide at least one piece of feedback for improvement. Especially to those who demand more learning. The ‘learner's expectation argument’ is definitely tedious work on the teacher’s part. But knowing the learner's needs and learning style will definitely help them succeed.
Teaching grammar is essential because it gives the form and structure to communicate. Word forms are important to understand its relationship and create basic sentences. Without structure, sentences would be chaotic. Considering an adult second language learners need to speed up the learning process. It would take emphasis on both form and meaning to communicate. Organizational competence is necessary for communication to take place. (Brown)
References
Scott Thornbury’s (1999) How to Teach Grammar, Chapter 2: Why teach grammar
Brown, H.D. and Lee, H. (2007). Form-Focused Instruction. In Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy, 3rd Edition (pp. 419-442)
Grammar Still Matters But Teachers are Struggling to Teach It
No More Red Pen: Teaching Grammar, Chapter 4, Coelho
Teaching by Principles (Brown)
How to Teach Grammar, Scott Thornbury
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