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[Abstract] Grammar plays a significant role in language teaching. It is difficult for students to speak English without learning English grammar. However, the traditional teaching methods are so boring that modern language teaching tends to neglect grammar. There have been more and more teaching theories and teaching methods at present. In this paper, some features and rules of grammar teaching have been generalized. Besides, several teaching methods have been introduced and discussed to make students more active in the class and to enhance communicative activities between the teacher and students, so as to make abstract grammar teaching more vivid and interesting.
[Key words] English grammar teaching；teaching methodology
1. Introduction
Grammar is a set of rules for choosing words and putting words together to make sense. Every language has a set of grammar rules. However, with the growing popularity of the communicative language teaching approach, grammar is more and more neglected and grammar teaching is regarded as inherently “dull” or “old-fashioned”. As a consequence, the grammatical knowledge is not timely consolidated, internalized and converted into a practical ability. There are some problems in grammar teaching, which are generalized as “five emphases” and “five neglects”,[1]that is: emphasizing instilling knowledge while neglecting practicing skills; emphasizing explaining in detail while neglecting exercising; emphasizing written exercises while neglecting oral practices; emphasizing the analyses of grammar while neglecting the usage of grammar; emphasizing the mastery of rules while neglecting knowing examples. It is because of these problems and difficulties that grammar teaching is so boring for both teachers and students.
2. Features of English grammar teaching
There are some features of grammar teaching in the class which is worth noticing.
1). Activeness and interest
Grammar teaching should fit the students’ age, the class situation, and the content of teaching materials, such as trying to satisfy the students’ desire of success, teaching them to sing English songs, reading some interesting stories to them or talking about children’s programs with them to satisfy the students’ curiosity and to arouse their interest.
2). Practicality and communicativeness
Listening, speaking, reading and writing should be developed harmoniously. Emphasize communicative usage, such as doing duty report, two minutes’ talk, free chat between students and the teacher, and so on. 3.) Consolidation and development
Grammar teaching should try to avoid forgetting and try to consolidate the knowledge gradually.
3. Principles of English grammar teaching
In order to teach grammar successfully, the following principles should be paid attention to and obeyed. The following principles should be showed in the class.
1). Motivation principle
2). Efficiency principle
3). Variety principle
4). Majority principle
5). Procedure principle
6). Communicative principle
7). Diversity principle
Language ability is the basis of communicative ability. And learning grammar is not the aim but the way of learning language. Teaching does not mean just teaching grammar, neither does language learning. So the useful methodologies should fit the features, suit the principles and display the aim.
4. Methods of English grammar teaching
According to the differences of methods of introducing the structure, there are implicit ways, such as the inductive method, and explicit ways, such as the deductive method. According to the differences of teaching aims, there are communicative approach, situational method and task-based method, which are aimed at developing students’ communicative ability. And all these methods can be adopted to make grammar teaching vivid and interesting.
1). The inductive method
In the inductive method, the teacher induces students to realize grammar rules without any form of explicit explanation. It is believed that the rules will become evident if students are given enough appropriate examples.
2). The deductive method
The deductive method relies on reasoning, analyzing and comparing. In the deductive classroom, the teacher gives a grammatical explanation or rule first, and then ask them to use the rule to do a set of exercises in order to understand the grammatical point and help them master the language item.
3). The combination of inductive method and deductive method
Among the methods for teaching grammar, the deductive method and the inductive method have been discussed and adopted most frequently. Obviously, the inductive method is more interesting. It is believed that the inductive method is more effective in which students discover the grammar rules themselves while engaged in language use. This is especially true with grammatical regularities which are easily perceived, understood and applied. However, it is a good idea to combine both methods, which avoids the bad influences of the traditional infusing method and can motivate students. 4). The communicative approach
Communicative approach, which is aimed at developing students’ practical communicative ability, emphasizes how to use the right communicative context in the process of language study, and holds that language study should meet the students’ needs of exchanging and transferring information in their real life and work. So the core of it is “using language to learn and learn to use language”.
5). The situational method
“Situation” is the occasion where the target language is practiced. The right situation can help students understand and apply language suitably. The teacher should utilize the real environment or create lifelike situation to teach grammar, which includes objects, real language surroundings, postures, non-language ways, multimedia, pictures, examples and so on.
6. Conclusion
Grammar plays an important role in language learning and teaching. “Grammar teaching holds its own position in foreign language teaching. Whether the effects of grammar teaching are good or bad will affect the whole language teaching.”[2]The significance of grammar teaching is not contradictory to the curricular reform which does not negate grammar teaching but requires teachers to change their ideas to give students more time to practice language and enliven grammar teaching to serve the communicative teaching. In the class, students are regarded as the main role, and the teacher is an organizer, participant, controller, and so on.
So the traditional methods should be reformed, and the communicative approach, situational teaching method, task-based method, etc. should be adopted to improve students’ language ability. Besides, diagrams, pictures, games, objects, and so on, should be enough in classroom teaching to motivate students. In a word, the variety of teaching aids and teaching methods in a class will stimulate the students’ curiosity to make grammar teaching more effective and more interesting.
References：
[1]胡春洞. 當代英语教学实用模式（上）[M]. 北京：清华大学出版社，2002，P29-42
[2]H. H. Stern. Issues and Options in Language Teaching[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社，1999，P127-128
[Key words] English grammar teaching；teaching methodology
1. Introduction
Grammar is a set of rules for choosing words and putting words together to make sense. Every language has a set of grammar rules. However, with the growing popularity of the communicative language teaching approach, grammar is more and more neglected and grammar teaching is regarded as inherently “dull” or “old-fashioned”. As a consequence, the grammatical knowledge is not timely consolidated, internalized and converted into a practical ability. There are some problems in grammar teaching, which are generalized as “five emphases” and “five neglects”,[1]that is: emphasizing instilling knowledge while neglecting practicing skills; emphasizing explaining in detail while neglecting exercising; emphasizing written exercises while neglecting oral practices; emphasizing the analyses of grammar while neglecting the usage of grammar; emphasizing the mastery of rules while neglecting knowing examples. It is because of these problems and difficulties that grammar teaching is so boring for both teachers and students.
2. Features of English grammar teaching
There are some features of grammar teaching in the class which is worth noticing.
1). Activeness and interest
Grammar teaching should fit the students’ age, the class situation, and the content of teaching materials, such as trying to satisfy the students’ desire of success, teaching them to sing English songs, reading some interesting stories to them or talking about children’s programs with them to satisfy the students’ curiosity and to arouse their interest.
2). Practicality and communicativeness
Listening, speaking, reading and writing should be developed harmoniously. Emphasize communicative usage, such as doing duty report, two minutes’ talk, free chat between students and the teacher, and so on. 3.) Consolidation and development
Grammar teaching should try to avoid forgetting and try to consolidate the knowledge gradually.
3. Principles of English grammar teaching
In order to teach grammar successfully, the following principles should be paid attention to and obeyed. The following principles should be showed in the class.
1). Motivation principle
2). Efficiency principle
3). Variety principle
4). Majority principle
5). Procedure principle
6). Communicative principle
7). Diversity principle
Language ability is the basis of communicative ability. And learning grammar is not the aim but the way of learning language. Teaching does not mean just teaching grammar, neither does language learning. So the useful methodologies should fit the features, suit the principles and display the aim.
4. Methods of English grammar teaching
According to the differences of methods of introducing the structure, there are implicit ways, such as the inductive method, and explicit ways, such as the deductive method. According to the differences of teaching aims, there are communicative approach, situational method and task-based method, which are aimed at developing students’ communicative ability. And all these methods can be adopted to make grammar teaching vivid and interesting.
1). The inductive method
In the inductive method, the teacher induces students to realize grammar rules without any form of explicit explanation. It is believed that the rules will become evident if students are given enough appropriate examples.
2). The deductive method
The deductive method relies on reasoning, analyzing and comparing. In the deductive classroom, the teacher gives a grammatical explanation or rule first, and then ask them to use the rule to do a set of exercises in order to understand the grammatical point and help them master the language item.
3). The combination of inductive method and deductive method
Among the methods for teaching grammar, the deductive method and the inductive method have been discussed and adopted most frequently. Obviously, the inductive method is more interesting. It is believed that the inductive method is more effective in which students discover the grammar rules themselves while engaged in language use. This is especially true with grammatical regularities which are easily perceived, understood and applied. However, it is a good idea to combine both methods, which avoids the bad influences of the traditional infusing method and can motivate students. 4). The communicative approach
Communicative approach, which is aimed at developing students’ practical communicative ability, emphasizes how to use the right communicative context in the process of language study, and holds that language study should meet the students’ needs of exchanging and transferring information in their real life and work. So the core of it is “using language to learn and learn to use language”.
5). The situational method
“Situation” is the occasion where the target language is practiced. The right situation can help students understand and apply language suitably. The teacher should utilize the real environment or create lifelike situation to teach grammar, which includes objects, real language surroundings, postures, non-language ways, multimedia, pictures, examples and so on.
6. Conclusion
Grammar plays an important role in language learning and teaching. “Grammar teaching holds its own position in foreign language teaching. Whether the effects of grammar teaching are good or bad will affect the whole language teaching.”[2]The significance of grammar teaching is not contradictory to the curricular reform which does not negate grammar teaching but requires teachers to change their ideas to give students more time to practice language and enliven grammar teaching to serve the communicative teaching. In the class, students are regarded as the main role, and the teacher is an organizer, participant, controller, and so on.
So the traditional methods should be reformed, and the communicative approach, situational teaching method, task-based method, etc. should be adopted to improve students’ language ability. Besides, diagrams, pictures, games, objects, and so on, should be enough in classroom teaching to motivate students. In a word, the variety of teaching aids and teaching methods in a class will stimulate the students’ curiosity to make grammar teaching more effective and more interesting.
References：
[1]胡春洞. 當代英语教学实用模式（上）[M]. 北京：清华大学出版社，2002，P29-42
[2]H. H. Stern. Issues and Options in Language Teaching[M].上海：上海外语教育出版社，1999，P127-128