Talk at Newham College

1. Jo Gakonga
Getting creative with
grammar teaching

2. Why does
teaching
grammar get a
bad press?

3. Illustrations from Jan, J.M. & Ollúa, R. (1950) El Inglés Práctico;
Comercio, Exámenes y Viajes, Buenos Aires: Academias Pitman.

4. Do we need to
teach grammar
at all?

5. Catherine Walter
IATEFL Plenary 2011
Should we be planning to teach grammar?
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2011/sites/iatefl/files/session
/documents/walter_grammar_iatefl2011_handout.pdf

6. Krashen's Input Hypothesis (1977)

7. "Language acquisition does not
require extensive use of conscious
grammatical rules”
Stephen Krashen

8. "Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in
the target language in which speakers are
concerned not with the form of their utterances
but with the messages they are conveying and
understanding."

9. "The best methods are therefore those that
supply 'comprehensible input' containing
messages that students really want to hear.”

10. "The best methods are therefore those that
supply 'comprehensible input' containing
messages that students really want to hear.”
i + 1

11. Canadian project
1965 onwards
French immersion schools

12. “Practice" is replaced by "creative
construction”. Learners encouraged to
experiment with linguistic forms.

13. Errors are not seen as bad

14. Canadian immersion studies
(Swain 1985; Genesee 1987).

15. The result?

16. Immersion students often perform as
well as native French-speaking students
on tests of reading and listening
comprehension in French.

17. However, they seldom achieve the same
high levels of competence in speaking
and writing as they achieve in
comprehension.

18. Three problems:
Grammar is less complex and less redundant
than that of native speakers.
Their grammar is influenced by English
grammar.
Their use of language is often non-idiomatic

19. So, what…..

20. Of significance for
ESOL learners

21. Common ground

22. Significant amounts of exposure
A real need to communicate
(Paucity of opportunity to speak?)
Common ground

23. So, explicit
teaching is
necessary….

25. Do you agree?
Why do you teach
grammar?

26. Pretty much all course
books based on it

27. Learners’ expectations

28. Seen as very traditional but…

29. Different / less traditional approaches
all include grammar

30. Task Based Learning
Jane and Dave Willis

31. Learners do task and rehearse their
language to present to group
Learners present what they have
practised
Teacher gives input on the ‘gap’.

32. Dogme
Luke Meddings and Scott Thornberry
Suggests emergent language but still doesn’t
suggest no language teaching

33. Do we need to
teach grammar?
YES!

34. What I am
NOT saying…..

35. If we teach
grammar, how
should we do it?

36. What isn’t so helpful...
• Teacher: I found the book.
• Students: I found the book.
• Teacher: Pen.
• Students: I found the pen.
• Teacher: Bought.
• Students: I bought the pen.

37. Example of a mindless gap fill..
Use the present perfect to complete these sentences:
1. I _______ ________ (see) the Eiffel Tower.
2. She ________ _________ (eat) snake.
3. They ________ __________ (swim) in the sea.
4. We ________ _________ (fill) in too many of these gap-fill
exercises………

39. Creative Automaticity
Gatbonton, E. and Segalowitz, N. (1988) ‘Creative automatization: Principles for
promoting fluency within a communicative framework’, TESOL Quarterly, 22, 3.
‘The techniques for this approach are designed to
provide students with ample opportunities for
repetition and practice within a wholly communicative
context, without the shortcomings usually characteristic
of pattern drills or other more traditional methods’
http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/?s=A+is+for

40. Activities that promote creative
automaticity should be …
• genuinely communicative
• focused
• formulaic
• inherently repetitive

41. Some common examples…
• A class photo…
• Find someone who…
• What’s my line?
• What kind of animal am I? (“Do you have four legs?
Can you fly? Do you lay eggs?” etc).

42. Creativity
Personalisation

43. Jill Hadfield’s ‘Creativity in the
language classroom’
Modern English Teacher
January 2012

44. When I am old…
When I’m an old woman, I will wear purple
And a red hat that doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me
And I will spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and candles, and say we have no money for butter.
I will sit down on the pavement when I am tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I will go out in slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr1RU4SM2L8

45. I definitely won’t
I’ll definitely
I’ll
probably
I might
I’ll
I probably won’t
I might not
I won’t

47. When I am old, I won’t be quiet and I’ll bother
my neighbours. I might have a toy-boy.

48. When we are old we will definitely do many
crazy and dangerous things,
We will wear full make up from morning and we
will spend our money for a face lift.

49. When I am old, I’ll be a honarable person.
I’ll definitely lede the people and I’ll be self-confident.

50. • genuinely communicative
• focused
• formulaic
• inherently repetitive

51. Creativity
Personalisation

52. Present Perfect for experience
I’ve never been to India,
I’ve never been to France
I’ve never eaten frog’s legs
And I’ve never learnt to dance.
I’ve always lived in Birmingham
I’ve never been abroad
I’ve always lived at home
I’m getting rather bored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv7-yCYnAg0

53. Present Perfect for experience
I’ve never been to India,
I’ve never been to France
I’ve never eaten frog’s legs
And I’ve never learnt to dance.
I’ve always lived in Birmingham
I’ve never been abroad
I’ve always lived at home
I’m getting rather bored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqXAwpAtLY

54. Present Perfect for experience
I’ve never been to India,
I’ve never been to France
I’ve never eaten frog’s legs
And I’ve never learnt to dance.
I’ve always lived in Birmingham
I’ve never been abroad
I’ve always lived at home
I’m getting rather bored.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqXAwpAtLY

55. Present Perfect for experience
Homework..
• Write your own….

56. I've never been in Ireland.
But I've been in love with Irish man.
He had a huge talant to gain women's favor, but he was so mean.
He inculcated in me a taste for art and love for adventure.
Our love story was bright and unforgettable, but it finished with
a phrase "I'm sorry".
At parting he gave me a kiss with an fragrant of Irish legend.
I've never been in Italy.
But I've been in love with Italian.
He's been very clever, he's known many languages, but he's been
so nervous and so fault-finding person.
Well, we let as part friends.
He gave me as a keepsake the 33 recipes for Italian pasta and
one recipe for happiness.

57. Alan Marsh’s article…
English Teaching Professional
March 2012
The Door to Spontaneity

58. Simple past tense questions..
Dates game – Did you / Were you..
1952 1989
1999 2010

60. Also makes a great card game…
1952 1989
1999 2010

61. Simple present tense questions..
yes 7
Kenya Birmingham

62. Present perfect questions..
For 2 years Since 2000
Since last
night
For 15 years

63. Creativity
Personalisation

64. Thrill Drills
Milada Krejewska’s blog
http://miladakrajewska.wordpress.com/

65. A picture
paints a
few
thousand
words….

67. What is inside?
There is…
There are…

68. What’s happening inside?

69. Someone is crying……

70. Creativity
Personalisation

71. It could be…
It might be..
It definitely isn’t…

73. It looks like ….
..he has…
..he is -ing….

74. It looks like ….
..it has… ..it is -ing….

75. Sources of
pictures….

77. What’s the story?

79. What are YOUR ideas for grammar
practice?

80. Thank you!
Slideshare- NATECLA 2013
jo.gakonga@elt-training.com