Explicit Grammar Instruction in English Language Learning
"Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power" – Joan Didion. The process of learning a language involves not only knowing about its culture or expressing ideas in that language, but also knowing about the form it is constructed, conformed, and used. The relevance of teaching grammar rules explicitly relies on achieving that students internalize and use the language later. Although grammar has long been taught it has, recently, been a matter of debate whether it is worth to teach for language development (Singh, 2011, p.56). English instructors debate about the utility of teaching grammar in English classes by providing students explicit rules and they expose their points of view about if it helps students to produce or if it is an impediment for learners to communicate in the target language. However, in order for students to achieve the competence in communication, grammar is highly helpful. In this context, teaching grammar in English classes leads students to have a conscious understanding of language and a complete language development.
A conscious understanding of English resides in teaching grammar in its form and function by providing explicit rules so that students internalize the language. For example, learners prefer to be taught the formal study of grammar rules, and they believe that learning explicit grammatical rules is essential for them to have them in mind and understand the language (Sadiq, 2010, p. 149). In this context, explicit grammar instruction helps to create a mental representation of the form, so students remember the structure in their minds for a later use. Deductive instruction, teaching by explaining grammar rules explicitly, produces significant and long lasting learning than implicit teaching (Singh, 2011, p.57). As the learners receive grammar rules, they create a schema in their minds and the knowledge they get is more meaningful because they are learning how language is constructed and used instead of just trying to guess the construction of the rule. Teaching grammar in English classes reaffirms what students already know about the language by helping them to use the rules more consciously and assimilating how the language is formed. As explicit grammar instruction is beneficial for English learners, in some cases results harmful for language learning development.
Giving students grammar rules can produce frustration and demotivation when learning English. The constant explanation of grammar rules without contextualization causes an impact of demotivation for second language learners (Thekes, 2011, p. 36). Teaching grammar rules in isolation exhausts students at the moment of using the language they are learning because they get confused and hardly an understandable meaning is conveyed. In terms of motivation in the process of language learning, students may know the rules, but are incapable of applying them, so grammar comes to be a problem that impedes learners to have fluent communication (Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam, 2011, p. 71). Generally, students focus more on applying the rules correctly instead of the message they want to communicate. For this reason, English teachers prefer teaching English using an inductive approach in which rules are not mentioned. So that students practice grammar rules but without studying them explicitly, classes are based on using a communicative approach. Classes focused only on communicative purposes help students to relax when producing the language because they are not consciously internalizing rules. However, if learners do not fully discover the rule or the form, they can remain in a state of doubt or even forget the use of the studied part of the language.
Explicit grammar instruction combined with contextualization results in a more accurate and confident use of language. Grammatical structures are learned and used effectively when they are presented in context to enhance communicative purposes because context provides meaning to grammar rules which helps students to avoid mistakes (Sadiq, 2010, pp. 143-150). Furthermore, students prefer explicit grammar teaching because an absence of explicit presentation of grammar rules produces a feeling of insecurity (Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam, 2011, p. 78). When students are taught the grammar rules and provided with a context, they find a significant use of the language. In other words, learners have a clear purpose to use the language, and they recognize the relevance of having a correct message which encourages them to make an effort to communicate in the most precise possible way. Since students have a clear representation of the construction of a sentence by identifying the elements of the language, parts of speech for example, they distinguish the function, and they dare to expose their ideas with fewer mistakes. In this context, learners are classifying, selecting, and constructing language with more certainty because they feel provided with tools to construct the language and not just to produce speech randomly by using what they know without a logical order of words and parts of the speech. Generally, in this case what students achieve is a barely understandable message. In fact, a valid reason of facing problems using grammar comes from the abandoning of the explicit grammar instruction for the adoption of a more communicative-oriented approach (Sadiq, 2010, p. 144). Clearly, a communicative approach in which explicit grammar is avoided blocks students when they want to communicate a message that requires advanced grammar structures, for they do not know the structure or the rule. In this case, it impedes achieving a good level of language proficiency.
When English language learners are taught grammar, they realize how the construction of the language is, so a better understanding is achieved. The exposure to explicit grammar along with context contributes to the development of learning the target language because students create connections between the form and the function. When language rules are not mentioned students stay in an uncertainty about the use of the language, and they do not know what or how to express something in future situations. Since students study grammar rules, they analyze the language in parts and store the forms in relation to a situation. Here, placing students into a context engages students create connections of something known with the new information. This process makes it easier to internalize the grammar rules in their minds to activate them later. Grammar in English classes plays a crucial role in the process of learning so that it gives learners confidence to dare to use the language.
Al-Mekhlafi, A. & Nagaratnam, R. (2011). Difficulties in teaching and learning grammar. International Journal of Instruction. 4(2), 70-92. Retrieved from http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11491413.pdf
Sadiq, A. (2010). ESP students’ views of ESL grammar learning. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies. 10(3), 143-150. Retrieved from http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/AV/article/view/5312/4411
Singh, R. (2011). Controversies in teaching English grammar. Academic Voices a Multidisciplinary Journal. 1(1), 56-60. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED522689.pdf
Thekes, J. (2011). Grammar games with students’ total physical involvement. IH Journal of Education and Development. 30(3), 36-39. Retrieved from http://ihjournal.com/grammar-games-with-students%E2%80%99-total-physical-involvement-by-jerry-thekes
A conscious understanding of English resides in teaching grammar in its form and function by providing explicit rules so that students internalize the language. For example, learners prefer to be taught the formal study of grammar rules, and they believe that learning explicit grammatical rules is essential for them to have them in mind and understand the language (Sadiq, 2010, p. 149). In this context, explicit grammar instruction helps to create a mental representation of the form, so students remember the structure in their minds for a later use. Deductive instruction, teaching by explaining grammar rules explicitly, produces significant and long lasting learning than implicit teaching (Singh, 2011, p.57). As the learners receive grammar rules, they create a schema in their minds and the knowledge they get is more meaningful because they are learning how language is constructed and used instead of just trying to guess the construction of the rule. Teaching grammar in English classes reaffirms what students already know about the language by helping them to use the rules more consciously and assimilating how the language is formed. As explicit grammar instruction is beneficial for English learners, in some cases results harmful for language learning development.
Giving students grammar rules can produce frustration and demotivation when learning English. The constant explanation of grammar rules without contextualization causes an impact of demotivation for second language learners (Thekes, 2011, p. 36). Teaching grammar rules in isolation exhausts students at the moment of using the language they are learning because they get confused and hardly an understandable meaning is conveyed. In terms of motivation in the process of language learning, students may know the rules, but are incapable of applying them, so grammar comes to be a problem that impedes learners to have fluent communication (Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam, 2011, p. 71). Generally, students focus more on applying the rules correctly instead of the message they want to communicate. For this reason, English teachers prefer teaching English using an inductive approach in which rules are not mentioned. So that students practice grammar rules but without studying them explicitly, classes are based on using a communicative approach. Classes focused only on communicative purposes help students to relax when producing the language because they are not consciously internalizing rules. However, if learners do not fully discover the rule or the form, they can remain in a state of doubt or even forget the use of the studied part of the language.
Explicit grammar instruction combined with contextualization results in a more accurate and confident use of language. Grammatical structures are learned and used effectively when they are presented in context to enhance communicative purposes because context provides meaning to grammar rules which helps students to avoid mistakes (Sadiq, 2010, pp. 143-150). Furthermore, students prefer explicit grammar teaching because an absence of explicit presentation of grammar rules produces a feeling of insecurity (Al-Mekhlafi & Nagaratnam, 2011, p. 78). When students are taught the grammar rules and provided with a context, they find a significant use of the language. In other words, learners have a clear purpose to use the language, and they recognize the relevance of having a correct message which encourages them to make an effort to communicate in the most precise possible way. Since students have a clear representation of the construction of a sentence by identifying the elements of the language, parts of speech for example, they distinguish the function, and they dare to expose their ideas with fewer mistakes. In this context, learners are classifying, selecting, and constructing language with more certainty because they feel provided with tools to construct the language and not just to produce speech randomly by using what they know without a logical order of words and parts of the speech. Generally, in this case what students achieve is a barely understandable message. In fact, a valid reason of facing problems using grammar comes from the abandoning of the explicit grammar instruction for the adoption of a more communicative-oriented approach (Sadiq, 2010, p. 144). Clearly, a communicative approach in which explicit grammar is avoided blocks students when they want to communicate a message that requires advanced grammar structures, for they do not know the structure or the rule. In this case, it impedes achieving a good level of language proficiency.
When English language learners are taught grammar, they realize how the construction of the language is, so a better understanding is achieved. The exposure to explicit grammar along with context contributes to the development of learning the target language because students create connections between the form and the function. When language rules are not mentioned students stay in an uncertainty about the use of the language, and they do not know what or how to express something in future situations. Since students study grammar rules, they analyze the language in parts and store the forms in relation to a situation. Here, placing students into a context engages students create connections of something known with the new information. This process makes it easier to internalize the grammar rules in their minds to activate them later. Grammar in English classes plays a crucial role in the process of learning so that it gives learners confidence to dare to use the language.
References
Al-Mekhlafi, A. & Nagaratnam, R. (2011). Difficulties in teaching and learning grammar. International Journal of Instruction. 4(2), 70-92. Retrieved from http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11491413.pdf
Sadiq, A. (2010). ESP students’ views of ESL grammar learning. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies. 10(3), 143-150. Retrieved from http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/AV/article/view/5312/4411
Singh, R. (2011). Controversies in teaching English grammar. Academic Voices a Multidisciplinary Journal. 1(1), 56-60. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED522689.pdf
Thekes, J. (2011). Grammar games with students’ total physical involvement. IH Journal of Education and Development. 30(3), 36-39. Retrieved from http://ihjournal.com/grammar-games-with-students%E2%80%99-total-physical-involvement-by-jerry-thekes
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