LHE5259:

How to Practise
Grammar
Three Dimensions of Grammar Teaching

FORM – How MEANING

is it Formed? – What
does it
mean?

USE –
When/Why
is it used?
L
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Three Dimensions of Grammar Teaching

• Form/Structure; Meaning/Semantics; Use/Pragmatics and Discourse

• Every grammatical structure can be analysed according to these three
dimensions
• Teacher’s task is to identify the learning challenge for his/her set of
students (challenge principle)
Ensuring Interest in
Activitie
Grammar (Ur,
1988)
s• Careful selection of the non-linguistic topic of the activity
• Providing a visual focus
• Open-endedness in responses
• Information gaps and personalisation
• Ensuring pleasurable tension through game-like activities
• Building an entertainment element into the activities
Grammar in Communication

• Assist in developing “(a) an awareness of grammatical choice, and (b)

the capacity to make the appropriate choices according to given
contextual constraints” (Rea Dickins & Woods, 1988, p. 636).
General Criteria for Grammar Activities

• Whether the presentation is explicit or implicit

depends on the situation and learners involved
• Structures should be integrated in some sort of context
or language system
• There should be a skills-getting and a skills-using phase
• Practice should be meaningful and help students
become sensitive to the structures involved
• Feedback should be built in into the practice
In the Classroom
(Celce-Murcia & Hilles, 1988)

• Presentation of the grammar structure

• Focused practice for manipulating the structure
• Communicative practice where the structure is used in
communicative activities
• Teacher feedback and correction
In the Classroom
(Penny Ur, 1988)

• Presentation
• Isolation and explanation
• Practice
• Test
In the Classroom
(The P-P-P Model –see Thornbury, p. 128 & Ch. 8)

• Presentation – grammar explanation

• Practice – to achieve accuracy
• Production – achieve fluency
• Logical appeal
• Assumption: language is learnt in bits and is linear
• Assumption: Accuracy always precedes fluency
In the Classroom
(Task Based – see Thornbury, p. 129 & Ch.8)

• Task
• Teach
• Task
• Perform a communicative task
• Teach language that could be used
• Re-perform the task
In the Classroom
(The 3E Model -Sysoyev, 1999)

• Exploration – Student given examples and asked to find patterns

• Explanation – With the patterns found, Ss and teachers summarise
what has been discovered
• Expression – Ss start practicing the production of meaningful
utterances in meaningful and communicative tasks
In the Classroom
(The PACE Model -Donato & Hauck, 1992)

• P – presentation of meaningful language;

Presentation of language as a whole
• A – Attention; Focus the Ss’ attention to selected
items in the presentation part
• C – Co-construct an explanation; Ss and Teachers
work together; Teacher can use questions to guide Ss
• E – Extension activity; allows Ss to use knowledge in a
creative way; NOT worksheets – puts the “whole”
back
In the
(PACE and Whole Language)
Classroom
• The teacher foreshadows the grammar explanation
through the use of integrated discourse (e.g. a story)
• The teacher uses “multiple passes” and recycles the
story which deepens comprehension
• Once meaning is clear, T turns attention to form;
Both T and Ss co-constructs grammar explanation
• Extension activities to allow meaningful use