The case for teaching grammar
There are well-argued positions against the explicit teaching of grammar. The most influential anti-grammar researcher of recent times has been Krashen (1981, 1982, 1985) who has argued that learners do not internalize grammatical items which are presented formally. There are other problems associated with the structural syllabus, just as there are arguments suggesting that explicit teaching of structure can at least accelerate the acquisition process, and may lead to more accurate use of language. We will examine both positions in this section.
Activity 3
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What do you think are the main benefits of teaching grammar? What arguments are there against the teaching of grammar? How much time, if any, do you spend teaching grammar in each class? Click on 'Commentary' for feedback on this activity. |
