Methods of Teaching Tefl:Unit 2: PHD Mercedes Pérez Agustín

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PhD Mercedes Pérez Agustín

METHODS OF TEACHING TEFL:Unit 2


Teaching grammar
Designing grammar-based lessons and activities
•. Before teaching grammar, we should choose the content and input we expect
our students to learn.
• To carry out this process you should create a syllabus that relies on
usefulness, simplicity, teaching methods and authenticity.

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives
•. Curriculum design can start from input, process or output leading into the
following distinction: forward design, central design and backward design.

Forward design is based on the fact that before taking into account
decisions related to methodology, teachers should be aware of the
contents they should teach.

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives
•. Wiggins and McTighe (2006, p. 15) illustrate the process with the following
example of a forward design lesson plan:

•The teacher chooses a topic for a lesson (e.g. racial prejudice).


•The teacher selects a resource (e.g. To Kill a Mocking-bird).
•The teacher chooses instructional methods based on the resource
and the topic (e.g. a seminar to discuss the book and cooperative
groups to analyze stereotypical images in films and on television).
•The teacher chooses essay questions to assess student
understanding of the book.

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives (III)
.

Forward Design Curriculum can be found through CLT (Communicative


Language Teaching) methodology and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated
Knowledge).

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives (IV)
.

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives (V)

Central design opposed to the others does not need to define specific


outcomes or objectives. The purpose ‘will vary according to the needs of the
students and their particular interests’ (Krashen and Terrell, 1983, p. 65).

The backward design is based on the outcomes to develop the input and
the process also known as “ends-means” approach. Some critics argue
that it could turn education into something too mechanical where learning
is only focused on objectives.
1-Identify the desired results (What will students be able to do?).
2-Determine acceptable evidence (How will the students know they have
reached the goal?).
3-Plan learning experiences and instruction (How can I prepare them for
the assessment?).

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Teaching grammar
Introduction and objectives (VI)

Example of backward design

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Teaching grammar
Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic
approach
Teachers decide the approach or methodology depending on the aims of the
lesson for example we can start a lesson teaching the present continuous
with an inductive activity, then use TPR to represent some verbs that express
a progressive function and end with a Task Based Approach to work on the
vocabulary about sports.

Grammar-Translation Method
It derived from the traditional method to teach Greek and Latin. The main
purpose is to translate sentences and texts from the target language to the
mother tongue. This method is suitable for beginners but only focuses on
written skills. Sentences are taught in an isolated way, not attached to an
authentic context and there is no scope to use it through oral skills.

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Teaching grammar
Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic
approach
Direct Method
It was introduced in 1900 after a strong opposition to the Grammar-
Translation Method. The main purpose is to develop communicative
competence among students. Meaning is conveyed in the target language
directly through visual aids. In this approach grammar is taught inductively
because students have to think and respond in the target language.
According to Brown (1994: 56), “it did not take well in public education where
constraints of budget, classroom size, time and teachers’ background made
such a method difficult to use”.

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Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic
approach (II)
Audio-Lingual Method
It was developed during the WWII at the University of Michigan (US). In the
1950s and 1960s it was widely spread in foreign language teaching. It mainly
pursues to acquire structures and patterns in daily conversations. Audio-visual
aids are used to teach vocabulary effectively and focus on pronunciation and
intonation patterns.

CLT (Communicative Language Teaching)

This approach was a response to the disadvantages of all he previous


methodologies. It was introduced in the 1970s and 1980s and aimed to develop
communicative competence among students. The teacher plays the role of the
facilitator who does not use a textbook but develops listening and speaking skills
before reading and writing. Some critics to this approach state that it is mostly
addressed to speaking skills rather than to reading and writing.

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Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic approach (III)
•Silent Way: through this approach teachers hardly speak because students
should discover knowledge themselves. In the same line as CLT, the teacher
is the facilitator of knowledge and the students focus on inducing meaning
rather than memorizing.
•Cognitive Approach: It is meant to develop cognitive strategies that help
learners to learn and use language successfully. Through this approach
teachers use a wide array of strategies like mind maps, visualization, key
words, matching to foster learning content in various ways and students are
aware of their progress through self-assessment and monitoring.
•Task-Based Language Learning: It is aimed to accomplish a task rather
than to achieve vocabulary or content. As it occurred in CLT and Silent Way,
the teacher acquires the role of a facilitator helping the student with some
doubts that may arise. Language is merely acquired by students’ outcomes
from the different tasks.
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Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic approach (IV)

The main benefits of the Eclectic approach:


•This approach turns teaching into an enjoyable and innovative
experience.
•Teachers can attain good results not putting too much pressure on
the students.
•Learners are aware of their progress.
•This methodology involves multiple tasks, high interaction, lively
learning.
•It is suitable for a heterogeneous classroom with different needs.
•It follows natural language acquisition process starting with the oral
skills and then the written.
•The four skills are taken into account.

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Effective grammar teaching. An eclectic approach (V)

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs 

Glazer & Burke (1994) stated that from a linguistic perspective, stories help
us to introduce grammar, vocabulary and structures in a meaningful context
which eases the understanding of the narrative world and the content of the
story. 
Cameron (2001) also highlighted that stories offer real opportunities for
conversation which help children to widen their repertoire of vocabulary and
be in touch with new words like listening to the story.
Pre-storytelling stage
During this stage the teacher has to introduce the key ideas or concepts to
ease the comprehension of the story, e.g. if we are going to read Jack and
The Beanstalk, students should get familiarized during this stage with words
like: beanstalk, golden, axe, harp and with topics like fear, generous.

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs 

While-storytelling stage
We will welcome students to bring additional material or typical objects, for
example the red apple in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs will evoke a
bad souvenir that conveys the message of “you should never accept a gift
from a stranger” opposite to this, the magic lamp in Aladdin will evoke a good
memory. Throughout the story the narrator should ask questions to reassure
students comprehend the story.
After-storytelling stage
The teacher will verify whether the students have achieved the vocabulary
and expected content, thanks to their interest and attention. Children will
have to draw an imagen the story has inspired to them from specific details.
In order to ease memorization, it is recommendable to introduce songs
related to the topic and/or the characters of the story. Throughout the activity
students should also be encouraged to adopt different roles which will also
help them to cope with daily life issues. 16
Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs
(I)  
Music has been proven to be one of the most beneficial approaches to teach
a Foreign Language from the linguistic, affective and sociolinguistic
perspective. As Brown (2011) pointed out, language and music are similar
due to their origin and progress. Hereby we enumerate the similarities
between language and music:
•They are an innate capacity of human beings.
•They are produced by the vocal-auditory system.
•Music and language have fixed structures and codes that should be felt and
respected.
•Both means of expression allow human beings to be creative by combining
notes in music or vocabulary and sentences in language.
•Singing and speaking are developed at early stages through imitation and
repetition.

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs
(II)  
Moreover, music is a good way to explore the connections between language
and cultural identity in an authentic context. A clear example of this is the use
of Jolly Phonics for the early stages of education to teach synthetic
phonemes through gestures and catchy songs. This methodology has been
implemented in the UK since the 1960s and proves to teach children all the
English phonemes in just 2 years. Jane Willis (1996) presented a series of
activities where students are offered meaningful opportunities to learn music
through English. As they were listening to the teacher they had to clap, use
music signals or interact in English at the same time.

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs
(III)  

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs
(IV)  
One of the main problems we encounter is that games have been mostly
used when there is some spare time in class, to keep students quiet or to
reward them. However, Lee (1979, p.3) proposes that “games should not be
regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the teacher has
nothing to do” but be integrated in the class as a textbook or other
techniques.

Rinvolucri (1990) clarifies that games can be used during these three stages
as part of grammar instruction:
•Before presenting a given structure.
•After a grammar presentation.
•As a revision of that area.

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Teaching grammar through authentic texts, stories, games and songs
(V)  

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Test your knowledge

What skill can you work through the Task Based Approach?
.
What skills does the cognitive approach focus on?
Explain the difference between a backward and a forward lesson plan
design.
When was the Direct Method introduced?
The forward design focuses on:
A-Outcomes
B-Content
C-Both answers are correct

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