Unit 1

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Teaching Grammar
 Index
Scheme 3

Key Ideas 4
1.1. Introduction and Objectives 4
1.2. Grammar: methodological considerations 4
1.3. Teaching grammar from rules: a deductive
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approach 7
1.4. Teaching grammar from examples: an inductive
approach 9
1.5. Bibliographic References 11

In Depth 13

Test 16
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TEACHING GRAMMAR

Methodological considerations

Grammar-based approach, Three dimensions: form, meaning and

Communicative Language Teaching
audiolingual method use

Te a c h i n g g r a m m a r f r o m r u l e s : a d e d u c t i v e a p p r o a c h

Conscious and controlled process where you acquire

vocabulary and grammar relying on memory and grammar Advantages Disadvantages Practical Case
analysis.

Te a c h i n g g r a m m a r f r o m e x a m p l e s : a n i n d u c t i v e a p p r o a c h

Main focus is on learning grammar through communicative

Advantages Disadvantages Practical Case
situations

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Scheme

Unit 1. Scheme
3
 Key Ideas

1.1. Introduction and Objectives

Throughout this unit, we will deepen in the concept of grammar, in the first place by
presenting several definitions about the term, then through the different
methodologies that mainly focus on grammar and finishing with the difference
between teaching grammar in either an implicit or an explicit way.

The following outcomes are expected to be achieved in this unit:

 Understand the concept of grammar.

 Go through the different teaching methodologies.
 Explain the different grammar dimensions.
 Understand the deductive approach.
 Understand the inductive approach.

1.2. Grammar: methodological considerations

Grammar should be taken into account as part of the teachers and students’
expectations to improve their mastery of a foreign language (FL). Schulz (1996) reported
that there was a strong conviction among the students that grammar instruction is
helpful in FL learning, whereas some teachers were less inclined to believe that the study
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of grammar helps in learning a FL. In the same line, Hawkey (2006) conducted an
experiment with elementary, middle and high school students, which reported that
students highlighted the importance of grammar and teachers were not aware of it. As
a response to this reality there should not be a mismatch between the teacher’s and the
students’ expectations of the FL acquisition.

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 It is common knowledge that grammar has been the protagonist of language learning by
certain disciplines like grammar-based approach, audiolingual method and discredited
with the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the 1980s’.
Some teachers have been and are currently struggling to teach grammar either implicitly
or explicitly with the aim of turning it into a more motivational experience.

First, the definition of grammar is, according to the dictionary of Cambridge, the (study
or use of) the rules about how words change their form and combine with other words
to make sentences. Added to this, grammar is a generalized description of infinite
occasional language phenomena as it can be at the same time regular and general. A lack
of grammatical framework would difficult the way information is present in a
conversation from the lexico-semantic perspective. Grammar, as Chomsky defined, is a
set of finite rules which if learned and mastered can generate an infinite set of sentences.
Therefore, if you have elementary notions of vocabulary and are able to make an
utterance you can already express yourself.

Grammatical competence is part of the communicative competence, which involves

using this system with vocabulary to achieve the communicative goals. However,
grammar is often related to written skills rather than to the oral ones. The teacher has
the role of cutting language into smaller pieces called grammar so that the learner will
reassemble them in real communication. In the following example:

If I had time, I would go the movies.

The teacher is expected to teach, first, the syntactic structure in statements composed
by If (connector) + I (Subject) + Had (Verb) + Time (DO); followed by the semantics,
deciphering the meaning of every element, and that the conjunction “if” is part of a
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conditional sentence followed by a main clause I would go to the movies. After

decomposing the sentence into smaller units, the students may also try to combine other
parts to create new sentences.

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 As previously mentioned, grammar needs explicit instruction, except in specific cases
where learners are young and can easily acquire a language or are highly motivated. It is
also important to highlight that native speakers will be able to speak the language
perfectly without any explicit instruction.

The term grammar is often associated to linguistic rules being unidimensional and
meaningless, however, it entails three dimensions: Form, meaning and use as you can
see in the following example:

He was given a letter by his best friend. (Passive voice)

 The sentence has form because it is composed by the verb to be in the past simple
+ the verb (give) in the past participle. The verbal phrase is followed sometimes by
the agent if it provides extra information introduced by the preposition (by), in this
example it corresponds to (by his best friend).

 The second dimension, meaning focuses on the importance of the recipient of the
action compared to the agent, also represented syntactically being placed in the
first position of the sentence, (He).

 Lastly, Use is related to whether the speaker masters the three dimensions to be
able to use the passive voice accurately, meaningfully and appropriately.

In the following figure, you can see the three grammar dimensions.
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Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 Form
1 How is it formed?
Accuracy

Meaning
GRAMMAR What does it
2
3 DIMENSIONS mean?
Meaningfulness

Use
When and why is it
2
used?
Appropriateness

Figure 1. The three grammar dimensions.

1.3. Teaching grammar from rules: a deductive

approach

In this section, we will analyze the concept of “explicit learning” directly connected
to the deductive approach. This term was first proposed in 1967 through a grammar
experiment, and it refers to a conscious and controlled process where the student
acquires vocabulary and grammar relying on memory and grammar analysis. Explicit
knowledge is the knowledge learned by people consciously and it can be expressed
by language (Krashen, 1982, pp. 58-59).

This is the most important method of traditional grammar teaching, also called
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“express method”. The main objective is to master grammar by learning grammar

rules, being aware of the learning process. The less favourable points are that
grammar is learnt in an isolated way not conducive to foster students’ communicative
competence.

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 In the following table, we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the
deductive approach.

EXPLICIT GRAMMAR

1 ADVANTAGES 2 DISADVANTAGES

Learn the language rules. No practical use in communicative

situations.
Reveals exceptions.
Lack of fluency in oral skills.
Good method for students with a
mathematical and visual intelligence. Focuses on memorization not on
deep learning.
More relevant for adult learners.

Control students’ understanding of

grammar rules.

Figure 2. Advantages and disadvantages of explicit grammar.

Below is an example of a lesson using the deductive approach:

The teacher aims the students to use the present perfect continuous as result of an
action:

 The teacher shows pictures of people who have been doing some type of activity
for example, covered with mud or paint, sunburnt or with a broken arm, and they
have to match them with the related activities.
 The teacher presents the new language, specially the key words, for the students
to describe what they have done.
 The teacher then explains the structure and gives some examples.
 Students, then, practice matching the cards using the present perfect continuous
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as the result of an action, e.g. His shirt is all full of mud because he has been playing
rugby all day.

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 1.4. Teaching grammar from examples: an
inductive approach

Also known as Suggestive Method, its main focus is on learning grammar through
communicative situations. The teacher is in the centre of the learning process and
the students experiment how grammar rules and vocabulary are used for simple daily
communication.

In the following table we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this
approach.

IMPLICIT GRAMMAR

1 ADVANTAGES 2 DISADVANTAGES

Learners discover knowledge. Students are unaware of their

objectives.
Fosters learner’s autonomy.
More time consuming than explicit
Teaches how to use language in real
approach.
contexts.
Not suitable for all types of teaching
Applied to all levels.
styles.
Good to reflect learning, group work.

Figure 3. Advantages and disadvantages of implicit grammar.

Here is an example of a lesson using the inductive approach:

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The teacher aims the students to revise different grammar concepts through a
reading.

 The teacher gives students a reading and they will have to answer to some
questions.

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Unit 1. Key ideas
  They will have to work in groups of 4-5 students and each group will be asked to
find a different grammar category, for example group 1, verbs; group 2, adjectives;
group 3, prepositions, etc.
 The teacher will give some guidance throughout the activity.
 The students will write the results on the board.

Video. Different theories teaching-learning foreign languages.

Access to the video through the virtual campus

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Video. Learning styles.

Access to the video through the virtual campus

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 Video. Exercises to teach grammar implicitly.

Access to the video through the virtual campus

Video. Exercises to teach grammar explicitly.

Access to the video through the virtual campus

1.5. Bibliographic References

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Hawkey, R. (2006). Teacher and learner perceptions of language learning activities.

ELT Journal, 60, 242–252.

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Unit 1. Key ideas
 Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition (pp. 58-59).
Oxford: Pergamon.

Schulz, R. (1996). Focus on form in the foreign language classroom: Students’ and
teachers’ view on error correction and the role of grammar. Foreign Language
Annals, 29, 343–364. Retrieved from:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es-LA/dictionary/english/grammar
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Unit 1. Key ideas
 In Depth
Presenting new language

The British Council. Official website.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/presenting-new-language

This resource is very useful to discover either you like teaching in an implicit or in an
explicit way. It is of special interest if you still have not find your teaching style.
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Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

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Unit 1. In Depth
 Does grammar matter?

Calude, Andreea. (2006, April). Does grammar matter? [Video file]. Retrieved from:
https://www.ted.com/talks/andreea_s_calude_does_grammar_matter

This webpage shows the importance of using grammar efficiently to get your message
through. At the same time it defines descriptivism to understand how people use
grammar opposed to prescriptivism where the most common grammar patterns are
described.

Implicit and Explicit Corrective Feedback and the acquisition of L2

Ellis, R., Loewen, S. y Erlam, R. (2006). Implicit and Explicit Corrective Feedback and the
Acquisition of L2. SSLA, 28, 339-368. University of Auckland.

This article is very useful for teachers and students to use the most efficient way to
provide feedback during the learning process. Throughout the experiment, some
approaches are proved to lack efficiency like recasting while others are more
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efficient.

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Unit 1. In Depth
 Bibliography

Ling, Z. (2015). Explicit Grammar and Implicit Grammar Teaching for English Major
Students at University. Sino-US English Teaching, 12(8), 556-560.
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Unit 1. In Depth
 Test
1. The inductive approach to teach grammar is based on these principles:
A. The teacher is the centre of the learning process, it is adapted to all levels, and
it exploits authentic material.
B. It encourages learners’ autonomy, applied to real communicative situations,
learners discover knowledge.
C. Applied to all levels, it adapts to different methods, it reveals exceptions.

2. The deductive approach to teach grammar is based on these principles:

A. Lack of fluency in oral skills, control students understanding the rules better,
more relevant for adults.
B. Lack of fluency in oral skills, more relevant for adults, fosters learner’s
autonomy.
C. None of the previous answers is correct.

3. Grammar is composed of three dimensions:

A. Form, use and knowledge.
B. Form, meaning and knowledge.
C. Form, meaning and use.

4. According to Hawkey (2006), teachers are aware of the importance of grammar

among students of all ages.
A. True.
B. False.
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Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

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Unit 1. Test
 5. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. The “express method” focuses on students’ mastery of grammar applied to a
specific communicative situation.
B. The “express method” focuses on students’ mastery of grammar being aware
of the learning process.
C. The “express method” focuses on students’ mastery of grammar being unaware
of the learning process.

6. Analyze the form, meaning and use of the following sentence “She was given a
reward”.
A. The form is the different elements of the passive voice, the meaning is the
importance of the agent opposed to the recipient and the use is the acquisition of
the previous dimensions.
B. The form is the main elements of the passive voice, the meaning is the
importance of the recipient opposed to the agent and the use is the acquisition of
all dimensions.
C. The form is the different elements of the passive voice, the meaning is the
importance of the recipient opposed to the agent and the use is the acquisition of
all dimensions.

7. If you present the following activity in class to teach the passive voice, which of
the two methodologies are you using?
You introduce the passive voice through role-play where one student is the
patient and the other the doctor. Patients must pretend to feel sick and have
to use the passive voice.
A. Deductive Approach.
B. Inductive Approach.
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Unit 1. Test
 8. If you want students to achieve deep learning, deductive approach should be
implemented in the classroom.
A. True.
B. False.

9. Which of the following statements is correct?

A. Inductive approach fosters students to be the protagonists in the learning
process.
B. Inductive approach fosters learner’s autonomy but the teacher has the leading
role.
C. Inductive approach fosters learner’s autonomy and cooperative learning but the
teacher is just a mediator.

10. Who quoted the following statement: “Grammar is a set of finite rules which if
learned and mastered can generate an infinite set of sentences.”
A. Chomsky.
B. Hawkey.
C. Krashen.
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Unit 1. Test