CC BY
11
UDK 808.5
Baratboeva G. R.
Fergana State University Uzbekistan, Ferghana city A BLEND OF APPROACHES AS A NEW PERSPECTIVE TO EFFECTIVE GRAMMAR TEACHING
Annotation: In this article highlights a blend of approaches as a new perspective to effective grammar teaching.
Key words: grammar, teaching, foreign language.
Grammar teaching is one of the most important aspects of language instruction. Being the target of grammar teaching, accuracy is the thing that most of the learners aim to achieve. Research shows that grammar is essential in language learning and acquisition and not knowing grammatical structures learners may fail to become competent English language users (Ellis, 2002).
A variety of methods and approaches has developed over time. Today there are different ways of teaching grammar which provides a wide range of choice and alternatives for EFL teachers. According to Ellis (2006, p 84), Grammar lessons can consist of the following:
(1) only presentation or only practice,
(2) no presentation and no practice where learners need to discover the grammar rule themselves,
(3) learners' exposure to input, where the examples of the target form are provided,
(4) ' corrective feedback on learner errors when these arise in the context of performing some communicative task '.
Perhaps there is no best approach to teaching grammar that will be applicable in all contexts but teachers' knowledge of various approaches to grammar instruction can help them apply the ones which can work effectively in a particular situation (Hinkel & Fotos, 2002). It is very important for teachers to not only understand learners' 'social and cognitive development' but also know how they acquire language (Copland & Garton, 2014, p 225) to make right decisions on what strategies, methods and activities will help their learners' language development in practice.
Grammar-Translation method is a traditional way of teaching a foreign language where the main tool for learning English is memorization of grammar rules and lexical items translating into learners' native language. Learning grammar through this method, students mainly practice reading and writing skills translating directly into their native language, whereas focus on communicative activities and listening comprehension is very little (Benati, 2018).
Task-based learning (TBL), being an inductive way of teaching, is an approach which provides learners with a natural context believed to 'develop not only communicative skills but also an acceptable standard of linguistic performance' (Richards, in Hinkel & Fotos, 2002, p 36). Task is central in this approach and is
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seen as a main tool for learning and teaching grammar through communication (Fotos & Ellis, 1991). Fotos and Ellis (1991, p 611) suggest that grammar tasks are aimed both to 'develop explicit knowledge of L2 grammatical features and to provide opportunities for interaction focused on an exchange of information. Such tasks can be done in teacher-fronted lessons or working in groups or pairs. A study conducted by a number of researchers (Fotos & Ellis, 1991) shows that working in pairs/groups students produce longer sentences, follow grammar rules while speaking and engage more in negotiation of meaning which assist their understanding. Task-focused activities are very essential to integrate in language teaching as they 'reflect natural language use and automatic performance, require real communication and allow learners to select the language they use' (Richards, in Hinkel & Fotos, 2002, p 37).
Classroom activities for teaching grammar
There are different types of activities for teaching grammar and here the teachers' choice is very crucial as the applied activities may influence the outcomes of the lesson. So classroom activities should be carefully selected and students' weakest areas should be addressed.
1. Grammar-Translation Method activities. Most of the grammar-translation method exercises are easily recognised as they usually include the instructions or explanation of the task in learners' native language.
Before doing grammar exercises students are usually explained the grammar rule on the board supported with different examples. At the end the teacher may dictate the correct answers and learners check or, alternatively, ask students to read the answers one by one. There is no interaction between learner as these exercises are completed individually by each student.
2. Grammar activities of a PPP approach. A presentation stage in a PPP approach is a teacher-led phase where the grammatical structure can be presented with the help of a text or visual aids or, alternatively, the grammar rule can be introduced through 'substitution tables' or different sentences for better explanation (Kostoulas, 2012, p 1). In the second stage of a PPP approach students practise the previously explained grammar item filling the gaps or answering multiple-choice questions. After learners have learnt the form and are ready to use the grammatical structure without mistakes they move on to the production stage, where they need to produce the newly introduced language item in speaking or writing exercises. During this stage the learners' mistakes are not corrected by the teacher but discussed after the lesson (Kostoulas, 2012).
3. Task- based learning activities. In TBL grammar rule is not explained by the teacher for learners to produce the target form, the production of any language item is usually incidental. The grammar tasks need to be designed in a way that will involve learners in a process of exchanging information to agree on a solution to a particular problematic area. It is essential that tasks are closed, which means they have a single solution (Fotos & Ellis, 1991). TBL tasks usually aim to raise the students' consciousness about grammatical structures. The example of such task may include four task cards and a task sheet with a variety of grammatical and
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ungrammatical sentences which show the use of dative verbs. Correct and incorrect sentences are identified. The task sheet gives the learners basic understanding of grammatical features relating dative verbs and also provides them with some explanation of direct and indirect objects. In addition, learners need to fill in the chart for each of the verbs. Finally, the learners are required to formulate three rules about the various types of dative verbs. The task is aimed to be done in pairs or groups of four learners. It requires students to (a) discuss and exchange opinions on their task cards in order to complete the exercise on the task sheet, (b) interact with each other and come to the agreement on the results, and (c) report to the class the formulated rules. Such tasks help learners practice their communicative skills and simultaneously focus on grammar.
Implementing the blended approach to teaching grammar to Uzbekistan
context
Grammar instruction has always been essential in Uzbekistan and the main method that has been used in classrooms for many years is Grammar-Translation Method. Being a learner I remember monotonous memorizing of grammar rules and vocabulary at the English language lessons. This situation is still true in most of the classrooms which makes the learners rather unmotivated as the lessons are usually limited to learning grammar rules, doing grammar exercises and translating texts. This method can even make learners bored (Prastyo, 2015). Having learnt the grammar rule students have difficulty using it in practice and expressing their ideas accurately. Today the main thing that most of the learners struggle with is communication. After the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed the decree "On measures to further improve foreign language learning system", a lot of changes have been made to provide effective language learning and teaching (Uzbekistan National News Agency, 2012). Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) was introduced as a new trend in language teaching to bring a new light to traditional classrooms.
Using such blended approach teachers will have a great choice of activities at their disposal to match their learners' levels and interests; it will help them address the problems in their classrooms, meet students' needs and at the same time follow the National Curriculum which requires teachers to teach a foreign language communicatively. Moreover, in such classrooms students will be active participants interacting with each other and developing not only accuracy through grammar instruction but also fluency.
Overall, a blend of Grammar-Translation Method, a PPP approach and TBL could be an effective methodology to adapt in EFL classrooms in Uzbekistan as these approaches will allow learners to become accurate and fluent English Language speakers able to communicate outside the classroom.
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References:
1. Benati, A., 2018. 'Grammar-Translation Method'. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0153 (accessed 9 January 2019).
2. Copland, F., Garton, S. 2014. 'Key themes and future directions in teaching English to young learners: introduction to the Special Issue'. ELT Journal 68/3: 223-230. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccu030 (accessed 27 December 2018).
3.Ellis, R. 2002. 'The Place of Grammar Instruction in the Second/Foreign Language Curriculum'. In Hinkel, E., Fotos, S. New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (pages 17-34). Routledge: London.
4. Ellis, R. 2006. 'Current Issues in the Teaching of Grammar: SLA Perspective'. TESOL Quarterly 40/1: 83-107.
5. Fotos, S., Ellis, R. 1991. 'Communicating About Grammar: A Task-Based Approach'. Tesol Quarterly 25/4: 605-628.
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