Modes For Teaching Grammar Topic Tuesday

Modes for Teaching Grammar

Different teaching modes, such as a separate mode, an integrated mode, skills mode
or knowledge mode, can be adopted depending on certain variables in the language
teaching contexts, such as leaner variables and instructional variables. But today we
will only discuss two kinds of mode of teaching grammar, the linguistic and the story
telling mode.

Linguistic Mode
This focuses on the technical aspects of language. It involves teaching
students about the structure of the language, including its grammar rules, syntax, and
morphology.
This mode often includes activities like parsing sentences, identifying parts of
speech, and practicing grammatical constructions. It's a more traditional approach
that emphasizes explicit instruction and exercises. While it can be very effective for
understanding the nuts and bolts of English grammar, it can sometimes be dry or
overly technical for some students.

Larsen-Freeman (2002, 2014) maintained that students need to know about

the use of structures so that they understand the consequences of their choices
since the grammatical system offers its users choices in how they wish to realize
meanings and position themselves ideologically and socially. Therefore, grammar
teaching should take place not only for understanding the rules but also for inducing
the reasons of different sentence formations in different contexts. English is rich in
passive voice which is not possible in many of the other languages with similar
passive formation, therefore it is very important for the learners to understand its
different meanings in order for appropriate use. Since English passive voice can be
used without referring to the agent of an action, the following three functions of
passive voice are listed in most grammar books:  to place emphasis on the agent,
using by-phrase  when the agent is unknown or unimportant  the speaker does
not wish to mention the agent Usually some exercises of distinguishing active voice
and passive voice are designed for the learners according to the three functions. In
fact, more exercises which needs explanations in terms of linguistics can be
designed and carried out in the classroom teaching.
For example:
A: I won’t go to the party.
B: Why?
A1: You haven’t invited me.
A2: Nobody has invited me.
A3: I haven’t been invited.
A1 is the most direct way of answering which expresses complaint to the listener B,
and A2 is moderate but still expresses a kind of dissatisfaction, while A3 is a mild
way which shows politeness. Being taught in this way, the learners will not only
internalize the rules and functions but also inquiry the use of English passive voice.
They will realize that choices of different forms of grammar can express various
feelings and bring different communicative effects. In addition, since English passive
voice is culturally related, the process of reasoning may also contribute to the
learners’ cross-cultural consciousness raising and their understanding of different
worldviews and different ways that speakers of other languages construct experience
in the world. (Larsen-Freeman, 2003)
Another example is teaching coordinate construction in English. It is very easy for the
students to use and as a conjunction, but not easy for them to know how to use it for
a pragmatic effect. Learners are usually taught that and should be used before the
last component when it is used to coordinate more than three components. But in
fact this rule can be violated for a specific reason.
a. Mary bought a skirt, a shirt, a coat and a handbag.
b. Mary bought a skirt and a shirt and a coat and a handbag.
Sentence a only tells us a fact, but Sentence b entails more than that. When and is
used between all the noun phrases instead of being used only between the last two,
it not only functions as connecting two coordinate structures but also embodies some
emotional effect and rhetorical effect. This kind of grammar instruction enables the
students to integrate form, meaning and use of grammar. In addition, it will motivate
the learners to use grammar in a more flexible way since they know grammar is
dynamic and changeable as stated below: There is a fundamental different between
the laws of physics and the laws of language. The law of gravity is not modified by
use: no matter how many times we throw a ball into the air, it will fall to the ground
with the same acceleration. Rules of grammar, on the other hand, are modified by
use. (Haimen, 1985) Linguistic mode emphasizes more reasoning and inquiring the
pragmatics of grammar than understanding the form and meaning. It starts with a
certain use of grammar and ends with more uses in different contexts. Its circular
process is the perfect combination of form, meaning and use and can be formulated
as “general use→specific use→reasoning→different meanings→forms→other uses”.
Nine Strategies for Improving Learning in Linguistic Mode in Instructional Design
1. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback - Provide learning objectives that

improves performance, which in turn, has a positive impact upon the organization. In
addition, provide timely feedback and assessments that correlates with the learning
objectives and corrects non-performance.
2. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition - Reinforce the learners efforts to

show appreciation for their newly learned skills in order to build self- esteem. This will
help to give them the belief that effort pays off.
3. Collaborative Learning - This is quite similar to cooperative learning in that the

learners work together in small teams to increase their chance of deeper learning.
However, collaborative learning is a more radical departure from cooperative learning
in that there is not necessarily a known answer, which better reflects the needs of the
organization. For example, the question "how effective is e-learning?" provokes a
wide range of possible answers, depending upon the learners' perspectives Because
the collaboration sometimes results from less purposeful and focused activities,
some of the learning will be unintentional or serendipitous. Besides cooperative and
collaborative learning, you can use other group activities, such as fishbowls, case
studies, action learning, etc that provide similar benefits.
4. Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers - Questions give the learners a chance
to retrieve their newly learned knowledge, which provides reinforcement of their
newly acquired skills and knowledge.
Cues can be thought of as a brief preview of a skill, action, or information that will
later be presented in the learning process. For example, it can be as simple as
saying, "I wonder what will happen if I push this button?" This simple statement can
raise the learners' curiosity levels so that the importance of pushing that button
remains in their memory. Marzano (1998, p. 89) reported that achievement can be
raised by 37 percentile points when cueing is used An advance organizer is
information supplied prior to learning a new concept or idea that assists students to
arrange and analyze new information as it comes in (Mayer, 2007). When we have to
acquire totally new concepts that An advance organizer is information supplied prior
to learning a new concept or idea that assists students to arrange and analyze new
information as it comes in (Mayer, 2007). When we have to acquire totally new
concepts that have no reference to our past knowledge, learning becomes more
challenging. Process flow charts, outlines or bullets to indicate how material is
arranged, and mind maps to explain how concepts are connected are all examples.
Scaffolding includes an advanced organizer
5. Non-Linguistic Representations. The use of visuals, such as graphs,

demonstrations, charts, pictures, and models help to reinforce the understanding of
concepts.
Models (as in people, drawings, or three-dimensional) help to reinforce both the

declarative and procedural network by giving them a visual cue Marzano (1998, p.91)
reported an effect size of 1.48 (which indicates that achievement can be raised by 43
percentile points) when graphic representations are used to support linguistic
learning modes.
The combined use of drawings, flowcharts, mappings, instructions, etc. can be

combined to produce knowledge maps, rather than linear readings.
6. Summarizing and Note Taking - Note taking has a positive impact since it involves
the learners in the subject matter that is transpiring in class, it cause us to reflect on
the subject and then record our thoughts, it helps us in interpreting the subject
matter, and it provides an additional linguistic reinforcer. You can help them with note
taking by providing rough outlines and fill-in-the-blanks. But do not just rely on one
method Vary the methods to fit the subject-eg give them a rough draft, then a fill-in-
the-blank, then a mapping outline.
Pascarella and Terenzini (1991, p.98) reported that the greater the leamer's fill-in-
the-blanks. But do not just rely on one method. Vary the methods to fit the subject-eg
give them a rough draft, then a fill-in-the-blank, then a mapping outline.
Pascarella and Terenzini (1991, p.98) reported that the greater the learner's
involvement or engagement (which includes note-taking) in the learning process, the
greater the knowledge acquisition. Marzano (1998) reported that note taking
techniques have an overall effect size of 99, indicating a percentile gain of 34 points.
These techniques require students to generate personal linguistic representations of
the information being presented.
7. Providing Practice and Experience - Activities (manipulatives-hands-on learning)

engage learners While we can learn the basics of such activities as football, chess,
PowerPoint, or leading by observing or hearing about it, we do not really understand
it until we actually do it. Pascarella & Terenzini (1991, p. 98) reported that the greater
the learner's involvement or engagement is in the learning process, the greater the
knowledge acquisition
Marzano (1998, p.91) reported an effect size of 0.89 (which indicates that
achievement can be raised by 31 percentile points) when manipulatives (engaging
the learners) are used. In addition, he reported (p. 93) an effect size of 1 14 (which
indicates that achievement can be raised by 37 percentile points) when experimental
learning is used and an effect size of 54 (a) percentile gain of 21 points) by using
problem solving processes Providing experience helps to ensure the learners can
use their newly acquired skills and knowledge to improve their performance on the
job. Of all of the strategies discussed here, this is the only one that actually shows
that acquired skills and knowledge to improve their performance on the job Of all of
the strategies discussed here, this is the only one that actually shows that the
learning processes actually pays off with real performance, while the other ones help
you to create better learning processes.
8. Identifying Similarities and Differences - This helps the learners to gain insight,
draw inferences, make generalizations, and develop schemas.
9. Generating and Testing Hypothesis - Encouraging prediction and explanation

around these predictions forces learners to think about the content in terms of
outcomes.
Story-telling mode
This method involves teaching grammar through narratives or stories. This can make
grammar more engaging and relatable for students. Instead of learning grammar
rules in isolation, students learn them in context, seeing how they are used in real-life
situations. This can include activities like reading stories and identifying grammatical
elements within them, creating their own stories using specific grammatical
structures, or retelling stories with a focus on using grammar correctly. This method
can make grammar more interesting and meaningful, as students can see the
practical application of grammar in communication. However, it may not cover every
grammar rule as comprehensively as the linguistic mode.
A grammar lesson is not complete without an application stage. Ur (1988) shared

that application is believed to require "volume and repetition", that is, learners need
to be given adequate opportunities to use the items to be learnt as much as possible.
Teachers should help learners make the leap from form-focused accuracy to
meaning-focused fluency after explicit instructions by providing a variety of practice
activities that will familiarize the learners with structure in contexts, giving practice
both in form and communicative meaning. (Ur, 1996) Story telling mode is an
effective way to apply what the students learn to real communication. English
grammar can be taught in real communication through four language skills by
listening, speaking, reading and writing some stories of both the teacher and the
students. Therefore, it is also called integrated mode. Sometimes it is difficult for the
students, especially beginners, to use simple past and present perfect appropriately.
Teaching English grammar to beginners by telling stories can help the students to
better understand and use the tense and aspect more correctly. Firstly, we can ask
the students to listen to our own stories, for example My Love for Sports, and ask
them to recognize different tenses and then answer some related questions. Then
the following reading material can be provided for the students to understand the
form and meaning of simple past and present perfect. After listening and reading, the
students can be asked to have a free talk about their hobbies and learning
experiences in small groups. In this way, they will be highly motivated to learn by
hearing more stories which they might be or must be interested in. After class, they
will be assigned to write down their own stories. It is more than grammar learning. It
is grammaring, that is, applying a rule to produce a grammatical utterance. Students
will get to know each other better by telling and listening to each other’s stories. In
this way each grammatical structure is introduced in a meaningful context and follow-
up communicative interactions are provided to serve as culminating activities that
combine meaning, form and use. This mode is a circular process of “use in certain
context →meaning→form→other meanings→more contexts”.
Conclusion
Grammar can be taught both as knowledge and skills. Teaching grammar as
knowledge, linguistic teaching mode emphasizes the dual features of grammar
learning, understanding grammar rules and doing research of implicit grammar
functions. This mode will empower the English learners with the potential and
enthusiasm for inquiry learning and active learning. Exploring the modes for teaching
grammar from linguistic and social perspectives will be a pilot study for researching
from other perspectives as well as for teaching grammar to the learners of other
languages.

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Modes for Teaching Grammar

Larsen-Freeman (2002, 2014) maintained that students need to know about

Nine Strategies for Improving Learning in Linguistic Mode in Instructional Design

1. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback - Provide learning objectives that

2. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition - Reinforce the learners efforts to

3. Collaborative Learning - This is quite similar to cooperative learning in that the

5. Non-Linguistic Representations. The use of visuals, such as graphs,

Models (as in people, drawings, or three-dimensional) help to reinforce both the

The combined use of drawings, flowcharts, mappings, instructions, etc. can be

7. Providing Practice and Experience - Activities (manipulatives-hands-on learning)

9. Generating and Testing Hypothesis - Encouraging prediction and explanation

A grammar lesson is not complete without an application stage. Ur (1988) shared

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