1. GRAMMAR GAMES?!?
Instructional Tool Review
By Mark Blaauw-Hara

2. CONTEXT
 ALP (Accelerated Learning Program)
 12 college-level students
 8 developmental students
 College-level essays, extra time and support

3. ONE BUGABOO: “STANDARD” GRAMMAR
 Complex on philosophical and pedagogical
grounds.
 Class marker, tied to socioeconomic mobility.
 How to teach it?
(students)
(grammar)

4. “BLENDED” APPROACH?
 Shift away from “seat-time” mentality.
 Provide benefits of out-of-class computer work—
independence, ability to repeat basic concepts, free
up time in-class for higher-level work.
 Search for computer-based resources:
 Free
 Fun
 (e)Ffective
(I’m gonna light it!)

5. WAIT…ONLY TWO?
 Myriad “worksheet” ones.
 After an exhaustive search…found two better ones.
 Grammar Ninja (free online)
 wiseHopper (free iPad/iPhone)

6. GRAMMAR NINJA
 Grammar Ninja Link

7. (kind of like…)
WISEHOPPER
 wiseHopper Link

8. ANALYSIS
 Not ideal pedagogically—no rhetorical context.
 No purpose, audience, writer.
 No free-play; rules-based, absolute.
 Possibly useful for establishing common vocabulary
and basic understanding.
 Ability to repeat, go at own pace, compete, have fun.
 Improve sentence recognition.
 Scaffold to higher-level in-class discussions and writing
activities.

9. THANK YOU!
(…and Rock and Roll will never die.)