TEACHING
GRAMMAR IN SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
“GRAMMAR IS
A BIG BONE OF A LANGUAGE”. The idiom was actually believed for decades before.
For many years, language teaching was equated or emphasized with grammar
teaching. It was convinced that language was mainly composed of grammar rules
and by mastering or knowing these roles deeply and more the result is it will
be easy to acquire a language. With the rise of Communicative Language Teaching
(CLT) approaches in the 1970s that came from the rejection of Audiolingualism method
in the previous era, the teaching of grammar was considered undesirable.
Teachers were hypnotized and started to believe that grammar instruction was
old-fashioned, uninteresting, and a kind of complementary stuff. Additionally,
there are some researchers who claimed that teaching grammar had only a little
impact on learners’ grammatical development and did not lead to the development
of communicative competence; hence, it had to be eliminated from L2 classrooms (e.g.,
Krashen, 1981, 1985, 1993; Krashen & Terrell, 1983). Seeing this point of
view, there should be some alternatives in teaching grammar in a proportional
mien which is not reducing the sense of grammar itself. Therefore, I review these
books to show up and describe the close relation between them on Teaching
Grammar in Second Language Classroom.
The first book that I have read
,which provides the alternatives, is a draw out book written by Hossein Nassaji
and Sandra Fotos, entitled Teaching
Grammar in Second Language Classrooms-Integrating Form-Focused Instruction in
Communicative Context. This book is a kind of teaching grammar scientific
book which intended for those who are interested in second language learning
and the implications for second language teaching. It is particularly related
to the teachers and teacher trainers who wish to explore the different ways in
teaching grammar. Hossein Nassaji is
Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at the University
of Victoria, Victoria, BC and currently the Department Chair. His teaching and
research interests include second language acquisition, corrective feedback,
form-focused instruction, task-based teaching, classroom discourse, and the
application of sociocultural theories to second language research and pedagogy.
The materials of this book are clearly and well-explained
because the writers separate them into sub topics that are actually contain of
many relevant and valid data. There are some providing methods like
input-based, output-based, and also context-based. Neomy Storch from The
University of Melbourne, Australia, said that “This
comprehensive and up-to-date book addresses the contentious topic’’” of L2 grammar instruction. Unique
in combining theory, research findings, and practical activities, it is written
in a very accessible and reader-friendly style.”
There is no doubt that this book is great and satisfying for those who had
already became the reader. Regarding with Shawn Loewen from Michigan State
University, USA, “……they also present
classroom activities that are
supported by the latest research in SLA. Given the controversy surrounding grammar instruction, this book
will provide teachers with practical,
research-based information, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their own classroom practices.” Thus,
I finally suggest this book and state it as a high recommended book for those
who have the same interest in teaching grammar in second language classroom.
The next book which supports my idea
about teaching grammar in second language classroom is a written textbook by K.
Lynn Savage with Gretchen Bitterlin and Donna Price, entitled Grammar Matters-Teaching Grammar in Adult
ESL Programs. This book tends more on teaching grammar in Adult English Second
Language Program. Lynn proposed in his book that ESL students in adult
education classes are very diverse in age and educational background. They may
be as young as 16 or as old as 90. Yet,
the one characteristic that all these students have in common is the need and
desire to learn English. Lynn and friends stated a brilliant statement that the
goal of this booklet is to help teachers develop and deliver grammar lessons
that are effective and relevant with a range of students.
There are some
crucial chapters in this book which are provided to help the reader organize it.
The first three chapters explore the role of grammar in adult ESL and stated an
eclectic approach to teaching grammar, while chapters 4 to 6 describe three
stages of a grammar lesson, with an emphasis on oral communication: presentation,
guided practice, and communicative practice. The way the writers wrote and
develop the major and minor details in this book was can be classify to high
level class of writing. I again highly recommend this book as a reading
material, handbook, or even an obligatory book.
In conclusion, the grammar itself could not be separated
from teaching and learning matters. The teachers are the basic elements of
teaching beside the method and students themselves. There should be a
structural and relevant method to study grammar related to the environment
where it is being taught, whether it is on second language or foreign language
program. The two books above have a relation each other in building grammar
teaching method in second language classroom through a really excellent writing
technique. The writers can be categorized as master on their special skill;
grammar. The skin and the presentation of the books are great where they are eye
catching and easy to be understand. Talking about the weaknesses, I only
briefly state that the scoop of the reader is a small less point. As these
books were written for teachers and also trainers, hence they will be a little
superfluous for the learners. Yet the learner can also read these to help their
teacher organize the classroom. As
Rodriguez (2009, 4) concludes, “To help
learners improve their grammatical accuracy, instructors should embed explicit
focus on form within the context of meaningful learning activities and tasks
that give learners ample opportunities for practice.”
