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North Eastern Mindanao State University

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A HANDOUT IN EL 108 (Teaching and Assessment of Grammar)

MODES OF TEACHING GRAMMAR (Linguistic mode and Storytelling mode)

Prepared by Josheen D. Nisperos, Vincent Roy Buenaflor, and Hazel Anne B. Honculada BSED English
2

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson discussion, the students are expected to:
1. Students will be able to identify and explain the different modes of teaching grammar, including the
linguistic mode and the storytelling mode, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Students will develop a positive attitude towards grammar learning by appreciating the importance
of grammar in communication and understanding how it can be used to enhance their own language
skills.
3. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of grammar rules and principles to effectively
communicate in both written and spoken English, demonstrating their ability to use grammar
accurately and appropriately in various contexts.
Different teaching modes, such as a separate mode, an integrated mode, skills mode or knowledge
mode, can be adopted depending on certain variables in the language teaching contexts, such as leaner
variables and instructional variables. But today we will only discuss two kinds of mode of teaching grammar,
the linguistic and the story telling mode
I. Linguistic Mode
 This focuses on the technical aspects of language. It involves teaching students about the structure
of the language, including its grammar rules, syntax, and morphology.
 This mode often includes activities like parsing sentences, identifying parts of speech, and practicing
grammatical constructions. It's a more traditional approach that emphasizes explicit instruction and
exercises.
 Larsen-Freeman (2002, 2014) maintained that students need to know about the use of structures so
that they understand the consequences of their choices since the grammatical system offers its
users’ choices in how they wish to realize meanings and position themselves ideologically and
socially.
Three functions of passive voice:

• To place emphasis on the agent, using by-phrase.

• When the agent is unknown or unimportant.
• The speaker does not wish to mention the agent.
Example 1:
A: I won’t go to the party.
B: Why?
A1: You haven’t invited me.
A2: Nobody has invited me.
A3: I haven’t been invited.

- The text discusses the different ways of expressing dissatisfaction or complaint, with A1 being the most
direct and A3 being the most polite. It emphasizes that learning about other forms of grammar, such as the
English passive voice, not only helps learners internalize rules and functions but also encourages inquiry
and understanding of cross-cultural differences. This can contribute to raising learners' cross-cultural
consciousness and their knowledge of different worldviews and ways of constructing experiences in the
world.

Example 2:
a. Mary bought a skirt, a shirt, a coat and a handbag.
b. Mary bought a skirt and a shirt and a coat and a handbag.
 - Sentence A only tells us a fact, but Sentence B entails more than that. When and is used between
all the noun phrases instead of being used only between the last two, it not only functions as
connecting two coordinate structures but also embodies some emotional effect and rhetorical effect.
- (Haimen, 1985) Linguistic mode emphasizes more reasoning and inquiring the pragmatics of
grammar than understanding the form and meaning. It starts with a certain use of grammar and ends
with more uses in different contexts. Its circular process is the perfect combination of form, meaning
and use and can be formulated as “general use→specific use→reasoning→different
meanings→forms→other uses”.

Nine Strategies for Improving Learning in Linguistic Mode in Instructional Design:

1. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback - Provide learning objectives that improves performance,
which in turn, has a positive impact upon the organization. In addition, provide timely feedback and
assessments that correlates with the learning objectives and corrects non-performance.

2. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition - Reinforce the learner’s efforts to show appreciation for
their newly learned skills in order to build self- esteem. This will help to give them the belief that effort pays
off.

3. Collaborative Learning - Collaborative learning differs from cooperative learning by emphasizing a more
radical departure where there is not always a known answer, aligning better with the dynamic needs of
organizations. While cooperative learning involves working together in small teams for deeper learning,
collaborative learning thrives on exploring a wide range of possible answers based on learners' perspectives.

4. Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers - Questions give the learners a chance to retrieve their newly
learned knowledge, which provides reinforcement of their newly acquired skills and knowledge.

- Cues can be thought of as a brief preview of a skill, action, or information that will later be presented
in the learning process. For example, "I wonder what will happen if I push this button?" This simple
statement can raise the learners' curiosity levels so that the importance of pushing that button
remains in their memory.
- An advance organizer is information supplied prior to learning a new concept or idea that assists
students to arrange and analyze new information as it comes in (Mayer, 2007).
5. Non-Linguistic Representations - The use of visuals, such as graphs, demonstrations, charts, pictures,
and models help to reinforce the understanding of concepts.

- Models (as in people, drawings, or three-dimensional) help to reinforce both the declarative and
procedural network by giving them a visual cue Marzano (1998, p.91) reported an effect size of 1.48
(which indicates that achievement can be raised by 43 percentile points) when graphic
representations are used to support linguistic learning modes.
6. Summarizing and Note Taking - Note taking has a positive impact since it involves the learners in the
subject matter that is transpiring in class, it cause us to reflect on the subject and then record our thoughts.
You can help them with note taking by providing rough outlines and fill-in-the-blanks.

- Pascarella and Terenzini (1991, p.98) reported that the greater the learner's involvement or
engagement (which includes note-taking) in the learning process, the greater the knowledge
acquisition.
7. Providing Practice and Experience - Activities (manipulative-hands-on learning) engage learners. While
we can learn the basics of such activities as football, chess, PowerPoint, or leading by observing or hearing
about it, we do not really understand it until we actually do it.
8. Identifying Similarities and Differences - This helps the learners to gain insight, draw inferences, make
generalizations, and develop schemas.

9. Generating and Testing Hypothesis - Encouraging prediction and explanation around these predictions
forces learners to think about the content in terms of outcomes.

II. Story-telling Mode

 This method involves teaching grammar through narratives or stories. This can make grammar more
engaging and relatable for students. This can include activities like reading stories and identifying
grammatical elements within them, creating their own stories using specific grammatical structures,
or retelling stories with a focus on using grammar correctly.
 A grammar lesson is not complete without an application stage. Ur (1988) shared that application is
believed to require "volume and repetition", that is, learners need to be given adequate opportunities
to use the items to be learned as much as possible. (Ur, 1996) Storytelling mode is an effective way
to apply what the students learn to real communication.
  English grammar can be taught in real communication through four language skills listening,
speaking, reading, and writing some stories of both the teacher and the students. Therefore, it is also
called integrated mode.

Teaching English grammar to beginners through storytelling is an effective method to enhance their
understanding and usage of tenses and aspects. The process involves:
1. Listening to Stories:

- Start by sharing personal stories like "My Love for Sports" to introduce different tenses.
- Ask students to identify various tenses and answer related questions to reinforce comprehension.
2. Reading Material:

- Provide reading materials focusing on simple past and present perfect tenses to illustrate form and
meaning.
- Encourage students to grasp the concept through reading exercises.
3. Small Group Discussions:

- Facilitate free talks in small groups where students discuss their hobbies and learning experiences.
- Promote engagement by allowing students to share personal stories related to the grammar concepts
learned.
4. Motivation through Storytelling:

- Utilize storytelling as a motivational tool, ensuring students are engaged with topics that interest them.
- Encourage students to write and share their own stories, reinforcing grammar learning through practical
application.
5. Grammaring Approach:

- Emphasize the concept of "grammaring", where students apply grammar rules to create grammatically
correct sentences.
- Foster a deeper understanding of grammar through real-life context and personal narratives.
6. Interpersonal Connection:

- Promote mutual understanding and connection among students by encouraging them to share and listen
to each other's stories.
- Create a supportive environment for language learning through meaningful interactions.
7. Culminating Activities:

- Provide follow-up communicative activities that combine meaning, form, and use of grammatical
structures.
- Encourage students to apply learned grammar in diverse contexts, reinforcing comprehension through
practical application.
8. Circular Learning Process:

- Establish a continuous learning cycle where grammar rules are applied in specific contexts, leading to
enhanced understanding of meanings and forms.
- Encourage students to explore different meanings and contexts to deepen their grasp of grammar
concepts.

Conclusion
Grammar can be taught both as knowledge and skills. Teaching grammar as knowledge, linguistic
teaching mode emphasizes the dual features of grammar learning, understanding grammar rules and doing
research of implicit grammar functions. This mode will empower the English learners with the potential and
enthusiasm for inquiry learning and active learning. Exploring the modes for teaching grammar from linguistic
and social perspectives will be a pilot study for researching from other perspectives as well as for teaching
grammar to the learners of other languages.

Reference
 Alimpolos, S.M. (2024) Modes For Teaching Grammar. Retrieved from:
https://www.scribd.com/document/712676861/Modes-for-Teaching-Grammar-Topic-tuesday