Exam Focus 1: Language and Language Use

Exam Focus 1: Language and Language Use

In this exam I will be answering the research question asked below by using theory that I have learned at Blaagaard/KDAS as well as using theory that I have learned on my exchange at a Montessori College in Ireland.

I will also be getting into what has worked for me when teaching grammar in practice placement and how it related to the theory I have learned. I will show this by presenting an authentic pupil text, by an 8^th grader, that I analysed.

At last I will discuss the point of view that it is unnecessary to teach grammar to your pupils and give a conclusion from this.

Research Question:

How and why should we teach grammar when teaching English as a foreign language?

About teaching grammar Penny Ur says that it is of vital importance that you are clear in your language about grammar and make it as simple as possible. David Crystal also talks about the difference in knowing grammar, which is the ability to use grammar, and knowing about grammar, which is the ability to talk about what you know about grammar.

Maria Montessori finds it very important to use tactile materials when teaching grammar which I have found to work very well with young children. There are some extremely good Montessori materials for learning grammar which I will demonstrate shortly.

When considering how to teach grammar it is very important to bear in mind the zone of proximal development, and not give a pupil back a text full of red marks, marking all kinds of grammatical errors. This can be very unmanageable for a pupil as there is nothing to focus on.

According to some teachers it is unnecessary to teach your pupils grammar when teaching English as a foreign language. However theorists, ex. Karen Lund and Penny Ur think that it is necessary in order to fully comprehend the language structure.

Crystal defines grammar as the skeleton of the language – as a foundation that keeps it all together. Ur says that the important thing is not to teach grammar as an end, but to apply it to the language for better mastery of the language.

The National Curriculum, Fællesmål 2009, states that it isn’t that important for the pupils to have grammatical exercises, but rather that grammar should be included in meaningful language function. It is also stated in Fællesmål 2009 that the pupils should be able to speak and write English so that the central rules of grammar are followed.

References

Crystal, David: Discover Grammar

Lund, Karen: Communicative Competence – Where do We Stand?

Ur, Penny: A Course in Language Teaching, Module 6: Teaching Grammar