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Date Posted: 09:59:33 11/02/04 Tue
Author: Deborah
Subject: Re: Task 4
In reply to: Veronica 's message, "Task 4" on 05:19:52 10/25/04 Mon

Some Perspectives of Teaching Grammar in a Second/Foreign Language Curriculum

An older English teacher is teaching a group of 35 12-year-old students, who (HAVE)just go to school to have fun with their classmates and gossip about everything. The teacher makes effort to have the students´ attention to what she is talking about, but what they are interested in is listening anything except their teacher´s explanation. Although the class is messy and noisy, the teacher goes on presenting the subject and writes on the board: Countable Nouns are everything that are capable of being numbered. (eg: an apple – apples; a biscuit – biscuits). Uncoutable (UNCOUNTABLE) Nouns are everything that is impossible to be numbered such as liquid, powder, grains, etc. and needs a container to be measured (a packet of, a can of, a carton of, a kilo of, a piece of or the word “some” that does not specify the quantity – Eg: some/a carton of milk; some/a packet of/a kilo of rice.). Then, from the middle of that noisy and disinterested group, an exception emerges; a student lifts his hand and expresses his conclusion in a loud voice: “So ´bread´ is also countable once I can count ´the breads´ I eat for breakfast”. Teaching a second/foreing (FOREIGN) language requires care with the interference of the mother language. The comparissions (COMPARISONS?) between them are not always helpful once the formation of rules of a certain language may differ from others.

It must be remembered that over some easy explanations to form a rule there is a problem: the “simplified rule” (ITALIC)may be helpful just for some time. In fact the rule that has been made can bring to the students some trouble once the rule will not always be used for the exceptions that may appear. Then students can feel even discouraged once they have to “learn” (or memorize) the rule taught plus the exceptions it carries. Making rules in class in order to clear things to the learners besides taking a lot of “precious” time will not be a “universal truth” which students can make use of in exercises given.

Teachers must be aware that rules and explanations are divices (DEVICES)that have a small part to play in the classroom while other methods of teaching should have a bigger i THINK ‘BIGGER’IS NOT A GOOD WORD TO PUT HERE) part to play in the class. Certainly the most important thing would be if teachers helped their students to run the risk of guessing the rules by themselves instead of giving everything ready to them. Of course the first option demands more work and time but is what can be called of a “significative language learning” (Lewis, 1986: 19) for students in general.

Finally, the ideal way of teaching/learning a second/foreing (FOREIGN)language would be the use of several different approaches and strategies that really aim to challenge the learners to use their previous knowledge, instinct and above all their reasoning towards what is being proposed.

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