Teaching Grammar – Is It Good or Bad?

Task: A student in your class approaches you and tells you she is very bored with the grammar lessons, and that she feels she can learn English without learning grammar separately. Write a script explaining what you would tell this student. Also write what you may do differently in your instruction as a result of the conversation.

Student: I think grammar is boring to learn and I can learn to speak English without learning grammar.

Teacher: It is possible to learn to speak a certain amount of English without learning grammar rules. However, you will reach a certain point where memorizing words and phrases may not be enough for you to express the message you want to say or write. When you learn a rule you can use it make your own sentences using any vocabulary you know. This helps you in many different situations. You will also know if the phrases you are saying are correct. For example, learning rules about when and how and to use pronouns will help you be able to use them correctly in many different places without memorizing a phrase for each situation. People will better understand your message.

Student: I will know if people understand me by what they say.

Teacher: They may be able to understand the main point in your message, but it may not be spoken correctly. Learning grammar rules will help you speak and write English with fewer or no errors.

Student: I don’t care if I’m not saying or writing everything correctly. I can say the message in another way if people don’t understand me.

Teacher: Learning grammar rules will help you organize a correct sentence in your mind so when you speak to someone, they will understand you the first time. Knowing rules will also help you notice how other people use them correctly or maybe use them incorrectly. Do you have any suggestions about what we could do in class to make learning grammar more interesting?

As a result of this conversation I would do the following:

-Ensure this student is not more advanced than the others. Maybe she isn’t being challenged enough.

-Strive to make the grammar lessons authentic and meaningful for students.

-Ensure there are a variety of teacher- and student-centered activities, and the activities are meeting a variety of learning styles. Include some presentations by the teacher followed individual practice as well as task-based learning and information-gap activities. These latter activities would involve the use of all language modalities and authentic learning activities which would facilitate learning and memory of the rules.

-Reread the students’ needs assessments. Have the students review and make changes to the goals they stated at the beginning of the course. If necessary, adjust the lessons’ content and activities to accommodate the students’ goal changes.