Teaching grammar inductively

Inductively: examples from

which a rule is inferred
 How to teach grammar from examples

A. Selecting example sentences

B. Using realia
C. Using a generative situation
D. Using minimal sentence pairs
 A. Selecting example sentences
You hand out a list of if sentences. You ask students to work
together, discuss and find out what the rules are.

1 If you lie to me, I'll be very angry with you.

2 If you cheat at the test, the teacher will notice.
3 If you make too many mistakes, you won't pass the exam.
4 If you take an aspirin, you'll feel better.
5 If you do exercises every day, you'll be fit.
6 If you forget your umbrella, you'll get wet.
7 If you stay up late, you'll be sleepy tomorrow.
8 If you eat fatty food, you'll put on weight.
9 If you lie in the sun for too long, you'll get sunburnt.
 B. Using realia
Imagine that you have these real objects available in your classroom.
Which ones could you use to present/practise the language in the circles?
 C. Using a generative situation

Here is a generative situation. What structure(s) could it be used

to teach? What examples could it generate?

GOOD LUCK?

At a dinner party in the late 19th century, French playwright

Victolen Sardou spilled a glass of wine. The woman sitting next
to him poured salt on the stain, and Sardou picked up some of
the salt and threw it over his shoulder for luck. The salt went
into the eye of a waiter about to serve him some chicken. The
waiter dropped the platter, and the family dog pounced on the
chicken. A bone lodged in the dogs throat, and when the son of
the host tried to pull it out, the dog bit him. His finger had to be
amputated.
- John Berendt, Esquire magazine
C. Using a generative situation
D. Using minimal sentence pairs
 Pros and cons of an inductive approach

Advantages:

Rules learners discover for themselves are more likely to fit

their existing mental structures than rules they have been
presented with.
The mental effort involved ensures a greater degree of
cognitive depth which ensures greater memorability.
Students are more actively involved: they are therefore likely
to be more attentive and more motivated.
It is an approach which favours pattern-recognition and
problem-solving ablitilies (suitable for learners who like this
kind of challenge).
Fosters learner autonomy.
 Pros and cons of an inductive approach

Disadvantages:
The time and energy spent in working out rules may mislead students into
believing that rules are the objective of language learning, rather than a means.

The time taken to work out a rule may be at the expense of time spent in putting
the rule to some sort of productive practice.

Students may hypothesise the wrong rule, or their version of the rule may be
either too broad or too narrow in its application.

It can place heavy demands on teachers in planning a lesson.

However carefully organised the data is, many language areas such as aspect and
modality resist easy rule formulation.

An inductive approach frustrates students who, by dint of their personal learning

style or their past learning experience, would prefer simply to be told the rule.
TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH TEXTS

We usually begin by presenting the

class with a TEXT in which the
grammatical structure appears.
 TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH TEXTS

Grammar is best
taught and
practised in
context.

This means using

whole texts as
contexts for
grammar teaching.
 TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH TEXTS
Advantages:

They provide co-textual information, allowing learners

to deduce the meaning of unfamiliar grammatical
items from the co-text.
If the texts are authentic, they can show how the item
is used in real communication.
As well as grammar input, texts provide vocabulary
input, skills practice, and exposure to features of text
organisation.
Their use in the classroom is good preparation for
independet study.
 TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH TEXTS
Disadvantages:

The difficulty of the text, especially an authentic one, may mean

that some of the above advantages are lost.
The alternative to use simplified texts may give a misleading
impression as to how the language item is naturally used.
Not all texts will be of equal interest to students.
Students who want quick answers to simple questions may
consider the use of texts to be the scenic route to language
awareness, and would prefer a quicker, more direct route
instead.
The skill needed to pick out a relevant grammatical feature from
a context.
TEACHING GRAMMAR THROUGH TEXTS

A text / context for introducing

going to future:

FORM, MEANING, USE

 Changing contexts and the PPP model

CONTEXT 1 CONTEXT 2 CONTEXT 3

PRESENTATION PRACTICE PRODUCTION

 Changing contexts and the PPP model

Language can be
presented in one context
(e.g. a dialogue) but then
the context may change
for accurate reproduction
(i.e. practice) or
CONTEXT 1 CONTEXT 2 CONTEXT 3 immediate creativity (i.e.
PRESENTATION PRODUCTION
production).

PRACTICE
 Changing contexts and the PPP model: Overusing a context

CONTEXT 1 CONTEXT 1 CONTEXT 1

PRESENTATION PRACTICE PRODUCTION

 2. DECONTEXTUALISATION:
1. CONTEXTUALISATION: ISOLATION & EXPLANATION
TEXT PRESENTATION

3. RECONTEXTUALISATION:
PRACTICE & PRODUCTION
 1. CONTEXTUALISATION:
TEXT PRESENTATION

2. DECONTEXTUALISATION:
ISOLATION & EXPLANATION

3. RECONTEXTUALISATION:
PRACTICE & PRODUCTION
 2. DECONTEXTUALISATION:
ISOLATION & EXPLANATION

3. RECONTEXTUALISATION:
PRACTICE & PRODUCTION

1. CONTEXTUALISATION:
TEXT PRESENTATION
PRACTISING GRAMMAR

PRESENTATION

PRACTICE

PRODUCTION
 BALANCING PRESENTATION AND PRACTICE
Which of these two lesson structures seems likely to be more useful to the
learners?

In general, your presentation should be economical. Much

more time should be spent on practice than presentation.
Meaning and form should be made obvious quickly. You
should push, encourage and help learners to try using the
language themselves.
 CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE GRAMMAR PRACTICE

volume and repetition

challenge and success balance Of the four stages in
grammar teaching, the
heterogeneity and open- practice stage is probably
endedness the most important, in
that it is through practice
teacher assistance that the material is most
thoroughly and
interest (topic, visual focus, permanently learnt.
information/opinion gap, personalisation,
pleasurable tension, entertainment)
 THE PPP-MODEL: implications for teaching

the presentation the practice the production

stage stage stage

structured
activities promoting autonomous
interaction
noticing, self- (pseudo-
interaction (translating
discovery, memory communicative personal meanings into
practice) language)

accuracy from practice to fluency

non-communicative production communicative

awareness-raising appropriation autonomy

activities activities activities
 PRACTISING GRAMMAR
Using a song text
Using a time line
Reading
drills, discovery exercises, flow charts, games,
Using a picture
Using realia pictures, dictation, guessing mimes, quizzes,
Personalising opinion polls, silhouettes, chain story, desert island
Explaining directly equipment, questionnaires, dialogues, proverbs,
Practising and presenting
Discovering
bingo, chart pattern practice, error analysis,
Using a chart problem solving, dicto-comp, graphs, input/output
Eliciting flood; grammar practice through creative writing,
Comparing L1 and L2
etc.

PRESENTATION (CONTROLLED) PRACTICE (FREE) PRACTICE

TECHNIQUES ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES
 PRACTISING GRAMMAR:
Taxonomies of grammar exercises
recognition vs. production word grammar
mechanical manipulation sentence grammar
of form and meaning vs. text grammar
free/meaningful exercises
(accuracy & fluency)
Drills, discovery exercises, flow charts,
games, pictures, dictation, guessing mimes,
adjectives, passives, quizzes, opinion polls, silhouettes, chain
future tenses, etc. + story, desert island equipment,
different exercise questionnaires, dialogues, proverbs, bingo,
types chart pattern practice, error analysis,
problem solving, dicto-comp, graphs,
input/output flood; grammar practice
through creative writing, etc.
 How to integrate grammar:
PLANNING EFFECTIVE GRAMMAR LESSONS

How does grammar fit into the overall context of a

language lesson?

The PPP model

The fluency-first model (task-based)

Integrating grammar into a skills-based

lesson
Language teaching: Two broad approaches

from language
to
communication

from
communication
to language
 Language teaching: Two broad approaches
from language to
communication
create a situation in which
the students want to
communicate something
encourage them to
communicate as best they
can
focus their attention on the
language forms used to
achieve communication (if
this seems necessary).
from communication
to language
provide a model of the items)
of language to be learnt (the
TARGET LANGUAGE of the
lesson)
get the students to copy and
practise the model
encourage the students to
PERSONALIZE the model by
using it to communicate
something they want to say.
 Language teaching: Two broad approaches

from language to from communication

communication to language

moves from moves from form to

meaning to form meaning
moves from moves from fluency to
accuracy to fluency accuracy
task-based learning the PPP model
(TBL) (presentation practice
production)
learning language
using language to
to use it
learn it
 Language teaching: Two broad approaches

The PPP model Task-based learning

(TBL)

learning language using language

to use it to learn it
 The PPP model vs. the task-based model

In the PPP model In the task-based model

language is learned in language is acquired in

bits and in steps lumps and in leaps
fluency develops out of accuracy develops out of
accuracy fluency
grammatical knowledge the internal grammar
is proceduralised develops through
through practice exposure and interaction
 The PPP model: an accuracy-to-fluency model

Once upon a time the grammar lesson was the

language lesson.

The pattern was: grammar explanation followed

by exercises.

PRESENTATION PRACTICE PRODUCTION

achieving
fluency
accuracy
 THE PPP MODEL

accuracy fluency
controlled free

The purpose of the Teachers gradually remove

presentation stage is to The purpose of the the props of controlled
get the learners to practice stage is to practice so that learners
perceive the form and transfer this knowledge can practice a structure in
meaning of the new into long term memory. a focussed but meaningful
structure and to take it way.
into short term memory.
 THE PPP MODEL

CLARIFICATION

RESTRICTED OUTPUT

AUTHENTIC OUTPUT
The ARC Model (Authentic-Restricted-Clarification): Planning
effective lessons
Most lessons involving work on grammar are built from three basic
components:

PRODUCTION PRACTICE PRESENTATION

The ARC Model
(Authentic-
Restricted-
Clarification): From
prescription to
description
ARC: Three building blocks & building up a teaching
sequence

authentic use restricted use clarification & focus

Lesson shape: The PPP sequence
Lesson shape: Test Teach Test
Lesson shape: Text starts
If we select and then sequence possible building blocks of a
lesson, we can consider alternative lesson shapes.
If we select and then sequence possible building blocks of a
lesson, we can consider alternative lesson shapes.
 An alternative model: A fluency-to-accuracy model

TASK TEACH TASK

1. First the Ls perform a communicative task.

2. The T then uses this to identify language features Ls
could have used in order to communicate their
intentions more effectively.
3. These features are taught and practised before Ss
re-perform the original (or a similar) task.
 Festivals / Celebrations
Celebration Year in Slovenia

Step 1: Students are put into 4 groups and discuss what we celebrate in Slovenia
throughout the year. They list all the holidays they can think of. The board layout is as follows:

January, July, August, October, November,

April, May, June September December
February, March

Step 2: Feedback. One student from each group comes to the board and puts the
holidays under their heading. The teacher corrects sparingly (focus on fluency).

31 Oct
27 April 15 August Reformation Day
1 & 2 Jan Resistance Day Assumption Day
New Year 1 Nov All Saints
Spring Easter 17 August Day
8 Feb Day of Sunday & Monday Prekmurje Union
Slovene Day 25 Dec Christmas
Culture, etc. May Labour Day
15 Sep Littoral 26 Dec
25 June Independence Day
Union Day
Statehood Day
Celebration Year in Slovenia

Step 3: Students are told they

are going to read a text about
some festivals. They are put
into 5 groups as there are 5
festivals described in the text
(jigsaw reading). So, each
group reads about one festival.
Teacher sets a task: read your
text and prepare notes in a form
of a mind map.

What / why Where /

celebrated? celebrated?

FESTIVAL

How /
celebrated? When /
celebrated?

Step 4: Feedback.
Students from each group
publicly present their festival (a
mini talk / report).
 Integrating grammar into a skills-based lesson

Task
From the following skeleton lesson outline
(i.e. chronological list of activities that
appeared in a lesson), try to deduce the
teaching models used.
 Integrating grammar into a skills-based lesson
The teaching model(s) used
1. What do people collect? - Brainstorming (whole class;
ideas put on board mind map).
2. Why do people collect things? What do you collect?
How/Where do they get those objects?
pre-
3. Picture on p. 104. What does the lady collect? What
do these objects have in common? (royal
memorabilia) while-
4. Are you interested in the Royal Family? Listening T
75a. [10 while-listening comprehension questions
on a handout]
5. Eliciting / explaining some new vocabulary
6. Listening T 75a once more.
post-
7. Checking the answers.
8. Study the answer No. 5 on the answer sheet
(compound nouns).
9. T underlines compound nouns in the mind map on
board.
10. OHP transparency: explained that compound nouns
are written in 3 different ways; an exercise: two lists
of nouns, Ss combine them (e.g. pocket money)
11. Ss do exercise in textbook (p. 103).
12. Setting homework.
 How NOT to teach grammar

Breaking the six rules of grammar teaching:

1. The Rule of Context

2. The Rule of Use
3. The Rule of Economy
4. The Rule of Relevance
5. The Rule of Nurture
6. The Rule of Appropriacy