APPROACHES AND PROCEDURES FOR TEACHING GRAMMAR REFLECTION BY ZEYNEP CEYHAN

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APPROACHES AND PROCEDURES FOR TEACHING GRAMMAR REFLECTION BY ZEYNEP CEYHAN Grammar is very predominant in language teaching of English. Teaching grammar generally focuses on language structure or sentence patterns and it is considered as a prerequisite for other language skills. It is believed that for all other language skills, listening, speaking, reading, writing and vocabulary, grammar has very important roles. Learners could not grasp the meaning of the text while reading without grammatical knowledge. Learners could not out their ideas on the sentences without knowing the grammatical structures. Even vocabulary is not enough without required grammar. Grammar is the main point in language learning and it is a pathway for other language skills. I believe that many of our instructors think so since they really care about grammar mistakes on our exam papers, however they can ignore our pronunciation or speaking mistakes. I agree with the writer since even we learn it while speaking or listening, there is always a grammar structure in learning. Focusing on only grammar is not beneficial for learners because most of the time they cannot communicate although they know the rules very well. Learning a language involves communicating. Teaching grammar with other language skills can be hard, so teachers should use alternative teaching approaches. We cannot say we know a language by learning only grammar. We, as teachers, should integrate grammar into other skills. There are many approaches and they have both advantages and disadvantages. We can use their beneficial part for a more appropriate language teaching process. Practice and consciousness-raising: Many teachers think that grammar is an assistant for communication skills; therefore practice and consciousness-raising have important roles in grammar teaching. Practice is a key for learning. In practice, a specific grammar rule is focused and learners produce sentences by using that rule. They repeat it and then they correct themselves if they are wrong. Lastly, they receive feedback. During practice learners focus on correct form and apply it both written and spoken language. Consciousness-raising is a way of raising awareness of learners on grammar. The aim is to make learners notice grammar rules, not make them use rules. I think that practice is very important point there. Without practice, we cannot understand how much the students learn, which points are not clear enough or etc. I think that the more practices produce the more correct use of language. Explicit and implicit grammar: Explicit knowledge is conscious knowledge of rules obtained by formal instructions in the class. It is easy to learn for learners and it is also related to error correction practice. Enough time is very important. However, implicit knowledge is unconscious and learned naturally during other language tasks. It is like language acquisition of a child. According to me, every person gets grammar bot explicitly and implicitly. We can learn grammar rules by watching TV series or coming to classes. Two core approaches in grammar presentations: deductive approach presents rules first and

then tries to apply them. It uses general to specific principle. In that approach the teacher gives the rules directly and examples are given secondly. Using of those rules by learners is a later step. While giving rules, they should be illustrated with clear and personal examples. Inductive approach presents rules with examples, not directly. It is expected that learners get rules from those examples. It gives chance to learners so that they could develop their own understanding strategies. We can say that it supports learning autonomy and self-reliance of students. According to me, both approaches can be used in classes because every student has their own styles, therefore we cannot say that one is better than the other. Proposed procedure for teaching grammar: there are some main features of teaching and learning grammar according to writer. 1. Teachers explain the rule to the students and s/he does not focus on communication skills. 2. Teachers follow the activity on the course books. They think those materials are enough for students and do not search extra materials. 3. They teach grammar separately, not with other language skills. 4. It is hard for students to apply rules to speaking and writing, so they mistakes while trying to apply them. While teaching grammar we should build up students knowledge about rules, elicit function of rules, familiarize students with rules by means of using and exercises, check students comprehension and expand students knowledge. We should teach grammar step by step and we always help and control students. The main aim of teaching grammar is to provide knowledge for students so that they can use language properly. I think that grammar can be taught both deductively and inductively. What is important is that students should be given chance to produce something by using rules they have learnt. As teachers, we should relate grammar with other language skills as much as possible. Many teachers in Turkey teach grammar as a focus and evaluate only grammar, so students become like robots; they know rules but they do not communicate properly. Giving rules and making exams are not the ways of teaching grammar. We cannot know how students get the knowledge either explicitly or implicitly, but we should care about error correction positively since grammar is the main basic of language according to me. We can make students develop other language skills by using grammar as a beginning point.
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Reflection on Approaches and Procedures for Teaching Grammar by Salim AKKIN

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Salim AKKIN 1734466 Reflection on Approaches and Procedures for Teaching Grammar
Grammar has a great importance and dominance on teaching any language. Learners learn the rules of the language such as structure and sentence patterns. Learning grammar is important because grammar is necessary for other language skills like speaking, listening, writing and reading. It has a crucial role in order to be able to grasp the meaning and produce the language for communication. To give an example, without knowing grammatical rules, learners cannot comprehend the meaning of a text or. Even while speaking we need to know grammatical structures to express ourselves clearly. As the writer states, grammar allows the learners to put their ideas into intelligible and understandable sentences. He points out that grammar has such an importance that it is a path way for other language skills. In Turkey and many other countries, grammar is taught deductively. First, rules are given and later memorised. Learners are expected to use them in other conditions. For example, for the university entrance exam we studied on grammar too much and answered many test questions by using our memorised grammar knowledge. Teaching just grammar without including other language skills is not beneficial for the learners. Using the grammar in other skills while communicating sometimes too challenging and learners cannot express themselves although they know the rules. For instance, we know the grammatical rules very well, but as to speaking, it is hard to speak fluently and it is a common problem among my friends. A teacher should know how to incorporate grammar with other language skills and there are some teaching approaches to do it. Practice and consciousness-raising Teachers believe that grammar is taught to help learners to use it in other language skills. Practice facilitates accuracy and fluency, so practice makes perfect. Correct use of the language can be reinforced by practice. It is valid for teaching grammar as well. The more the learners use and practice grammar rules, the more they can be familiar with them. By doing like that, learners can use these rules in other situations like in communication in both writing and speaking. Repetition and practice have a strong influence on learning and applying the rules. Consciousness-raising isseen as a way of raising learners awareness of grammatical features of the language. The purpose is to make learners notice the features of the grammatical rules, but there is no need to use them for in a specific area. Explicit and implicit knowledge Explicit knowledge is a kind of conscious knowledge of grammatical rules acquired by

classroom instruction. Although the learners know the grammatical rules, they make errors and mistakes.On the other hand, implicit knowledge is automatic and unconscious. It is obtained naturally and effortlessly without doing anything. Two Core Approaches in Grammar Presentations Deductive and inductive approaches In deductive approach, rules are given first and later learners are expected to use them. Rules are given from general to specific. While teaching grammar, teacher first gives the rules directly and later gives some examples to practice these rules. In inductive approach, teacher gives some examples and learners are expected to understand grammatical rules from them. Rules are not given directly. I think that both of can be use in foreign language classrooms. I will also use both of them when I start to teach. There is no best way. Proposed procedure for teaching grammar Writer stated that are four concerns related to teaching grammar. The first one is teachers generally explain rules with examples without involving learners in communication. The second one is teachers mostly rely on their text books and always follow the activities in these books. They think that they have enough knowledge to teach learners. Thirdly, teacher only focus on grammar by ignoring other language skills like speaking and writing. Learners are always doing grammatical activities, so they get bored. The last one is although the students know the grammatical rules; they have difficulty in using them in writing and speaking skills. There are some steps that writer mentioned for teaching grammar. These are;

building up students knowledge of the rule or rule initiation; eliciting functions of the rule or rule elicitation; familiarizing students with the rule in use through exercises or rule practice; checking students comprehension or rule activation; and expanding students knowledge or rule enrichment. Grammar is one of the fundamental skills for communication in both written and spoken language. As teachers, we should teach grammar with other language skills. I mean we should incorporate grammar with others so that learners can take advantage of learning all the required language skills. As I stated before, it can be taught both deductively and inductively. The most essential thing is to make learners learn and know the rules and make them use in other language areas. In many schools including universities in Turkey, rules are given first and learners are expected to memorize them for the exams. Teachers believe that they teach grammar. However, it is not the way of teaching grammar. Although learners know the grammar rules very well, they cannot put into practice these rules in communication. As the future teacher, we should put an end to this and make grammar integrate with other language skills.