[etni] Fw: About teaching grammar
- From: "Ask" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 08:50:50 +0200
From: Howard Hanan Sibirsky - howdon@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: About teaching grammar
About teaching grammar.
Solution: Don't teach it as it has been taught for centuries.
Make an effort to get out of the rut of GRAMMAR teaching.
Teaching grammar rules is basically teaching theory. Imagine you were
learning
how to drive a car. Would you want to drive it yourself or simply be told by
your driving teacher that you should watch him drive, listen to what he
tells
you to do, and take quizzes and test based on his oral instructions? Would
you
want to be told that you will be tested not on driving, but on the
construction
of the mechanical parts of the car?
Thus, teaching grammar is NOT TEACHING LANGUAGE.
Being a native Spanish speaker as well as a speaker of English - having
lived in
the USA from the ages of 10 to 30, I have been able to observe something
that, I
believe, should be quite obvious.
When teaching in a vocational high school a few years back I was given a
class
which was considered the lowest level in the school. After having met the
kids I
understood why. As far as English was concerned, they hated the subject.
Reason
- grammar.
One morning I walked into the class, and, as I was standing by the door -
the
students hadn't seen me yet - I heard them speak almost perfect Spanish. I
forgot to mention that before my Alyah to Israel I had been a teacher of
Spanish
in Connecticut. Anyway, these kids, whom the school administration deemed
as
pupils who did not have to ability to learn a foreign language, had a
tremendous
command of Spanish. I decided to discuss everyday topics in this language
and
was able to communicate freely with them. WOW - what happened? By the way,
the
background of these kids was not Spanish speaking.
Another example. Yesterday I began my volunteer work with Ethiopian kids;
average age 15 years old. Most get failing grades in all subjects,
especially in
English. The principal also added they don't have the ability to learn due
to
their non-Western background. Familiar?
I happen to have mention to the kids, in the first session, in which we met,
that I speak various languages including Spanish. The tsunami came right
after.
These same kids began to speak fluent Spanish, grammatically correct
Spanish,
etc..
In both instances I asked the kids: "HOW?" The answer was the same. They
love to
watch TV Spanish serials on their televisions. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM?
Do you get my point? It is not that our students cannot learn grammar, which
is
mistakenly called English... The problem is very obvious. The methods we use
are
outdated. They are no answer the problem. Teaching grammar IS NOT TEACHING
LANGUAGE.
In that great school in Connecticut I had to learn the method offered at the
high school. It was the audio lingual method. It required me to learn the
method
by myself. We had language laboratories. Teachers in this school hardly ever
met
in weekly conferences. Each teacher had the freedom to develop his or her
individual methods and fit them to the class. Text books were published by
companies that had researched language teaching. Different publishers
competed
with each other and we bought the best programmed teaching available.
The success was unbelievable. I will only quote the opinion of one person at
this school; there were many others. He was the Head of the English
Department.
He said. "H....., what are you guys doing to our students? It has been
noticed
that they are beginning to communicate in their native English using
Spanish
grammar and forms." NEED I SAY MORE? - ... and there is plenty more to
say.
Having taught Bagrut English in a few schools in Israel - what male teacher
can
make a living working in only one school? - I have come to the conclusion
that
the students are not generally at fault. The fault lies in the extremely
conservative operational methods of our teachers. It also lies with
principals
who are typically afraid to let teachers do their thing. I have constantly
had
to fight against the wind when teaching students who were considered
failures.
I had to literally fight two principals to allow me to prepare 12th grade
students take the Bagrut. Both had forcefully remarked that the kids would
NOT
be able to pass. My answer was that if they passed he could take the
credit; if
they failed he could blame me. It worked, both groups passed successfully
except
one student in each. Since that day, both school have continued the prepare
students for English Bagrut.
So, my fellow teacher. Teach less formal grammar, only a few explanations
are
necessary. Don't emphasize grammar. Give very few grammar quizzes and exams.
LEARN WHAT IS GOING ON IN LANGUAGE TEACHING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. YOU HAVE
THE
NET AVAILABLE SO IT WILL BE EASY.
My method was to teach grammar, do exercises in class and appropriate
homework
and than have the learners repeat orally in class the forms taught and
learned.
A lot of oral work is extremely important. The teacher must work very hard
because he is the model and the students are required to repeat after him.
The
final grade did not reflect grammar grades. They were based on essays, what
we
call unseens here in Israel. Strange term. I am happy to say that very few
of my
students throughout the last 34 years did not pass Bagrut. Of course, those
that
invested more effort, time and seriousness in their studies usually did
better.
What joy and sense of success it is when a former student, whom I hadn't
seen
for years, who introduces me to his wife and children and so on, thanks me
for
teaching him English and not Grammar.
I FINALLY GOT THAT OFF MY CHEST. H S
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