Abstract
Teaching Grammar: Do our activities fulfill our goals?
For centuries learning a new language was equated with learning its grammar since it was regarded as the only way to have students produce language accurately. This was especially true of AFL classes which depended for decades on grammar-based curricula and teaching material (Ryding, 2006)). However, with the increased adoption of communicative approaches in AFL classes it became clear that knowing the rules does not necessarily mean being able to communicate in the language. As focus shifted from teaching grammar to teaching communicative skills, fears arouse of what Brumfit (1979 in Richards 2003) calls 'fluency first' pedagogy, which would ultimately lead to accuracy problems in our students' production. Taha (1995) therefore argues that AFL programs should be "aiming at accuracy and communicative ability at the same time" (p. 176). Researchers like Taha (1995) however, point out that despite our declared allegiance to communicative accuracy, there is clear discrepancy between our goals (communicative accuracy) and the means we use to fulfill such goals.
In attempt to detect whether such discrepancy actually exists and means of dealing with it, this paper conducts a study that looks into how AFL teachers' goals of teaching grammar relate to the activities they use to fulfill such goals. By using a survey the paper will:
1- Detect the kind of goals teachers set for teaching grammar: As Swan (2003) suggests there are good reasons for teaching grammar and bad ones. It is therefore necessary to reflect on our goals of teaching grammar and whether such goals are in line with "sound pedagogical principles" (Richards & Renandya 2003:146).
2- Detect type of activities that teachers use to put such goals into practice and whether -in light of current research about teaching grammar - such activities are actually expected to fulfill teachers' goals (namely communicative accuracy).
3- Present alternatives to practices that are not expected to help teachers fulfill class goals. Such alternatives will include how to present new grammatical structures and how to practice them in a manner that would fulfill teachers' declared goals of teaching grammar .
Highlighting discrepancies between teachers' declared goals and their teaching practices, is expected to make easier helping teachers increase effectiveness of their teaching and so increase the chances of enhancing AFL learners' communicative accuracy. Furthermore, it makes clear the need to review our goals and activities in all aspects of our teaching.
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