автор: Нагорная Елена Дмитриевна
учитель английского языка г. Тихвин Ленинградская область МОУ » Лицей № 7″
Коммуникативные технологии в обучении грамматике.
Communicative technologies in teaching grammar
Grammar helps students to learn the language but our textbooks give very few ideas for interesting, meaningful and contextualized grammar practice. We, teachers, want to use a broadly communicative methodology in our teaching grammar. Of course, there are grammatical exercises but they are for the most part based on uninteresting manipulation of forms. That’s why teachers need a kind of supplement with the game-like communicative grammar- practice procedures.
Grammar is important in language teaching
There is no doubt that a knowledge of grammatical rules is important for the mastery of a language: you cannot use words unless you know how they should be put together. It means that grammar should be taught together with the other kinds of language activity such as vocabulary, speaking , listening, and reading. But the problem is that in a formal course of study there is very little time available , and a teacher has to organize learning process for optimum efficiency. The learning of grammar should be seen in the long term as one of the means of acquiring a thorough mastery of the language as a whole. Thus, although at an early stage we may ask our students to learn a certain structure through exercises that concentrate on meaningless manipulations of language, we should quickly progress to activities that use it meaningfully. We must understand that learning grammar is incidental to the main objective: successful communication.
How to organize grammar teaching
There are four stages in teaching grammar:
- Presentation or introduction
- Isolation and explanation
- Practice
- Test
Presentation or introduction
We usually begin by presenting the class with the text in which the grammatical structure appears. The aim of the presentation is to help the learners to understand the structure ,its form and meaning , in both speech and writing forms and to take it into short-term memory. Often a story or a short dialogue appear in written form in the text and are read aloud by the teacher or /and students. Students may be asked to read aloud , repeat, reproduce from memory, or copy out examples of the use of the structure within the text.
Isolation and explanation
At this stage we move from the context , and focus on the grammatical items themselves: what they sound, look like, what they mean, how they function- in short, what rules govern them. Students should understand these various aspects of the structure. Sometimes we need to make extensive use of the students’ native language to explain, translate, make generalizations and so on.
Practice
The practice stage consists of a series of exercises done both in the classroom or as home tasks. The aim of it is to make the learners absorb the structure thoroughly or to transfer what they know from short-term to long -term memory. A learner who has worked through a series of exercises may find it easier to express him or herself correctly in language that will be acceptable to a native speaker. Here in my work I would like to present most effective and most interesting types of exercises in which the stress is on the production or comprehension of meaning. Such practice may be obtained through information or opinion-gap communication techniques or through activities based on the production of entertaining ideas.
Test
The main objective of tests is to provide feedback, without which neither teacher nor learner would be able to progress very fast. We have to know where we are in order to know where to go next. Usually tests are made to check the knowledge of this or that grammar material but not the ability to use it in speech, how students can perform, communicate using correctly learnt grammar phenomenon.
Соmmunicative activities to practice grammar
The problem of learning grammar is that students know the rule of some grammar structure, can easily do any grammar exercise, put the correct form into gaps, but when they start communicating, they have difficulties in choosing the right form to arrange their speech grammatically correctly. This happens because teachers do not organize effective communicative activities at the lesson. These activities reinforce the grammar students already know by providing realistic settings in which they can practice their knowledge. All activities should be interactive to liven up a grammar class and allow students to react fast and spontaneously. They can be used on different levels; in a higher-level class the teacher can make them more complicated by using advanced vocabulary. They can be adapted to any level of students. Learners are usually fond of participating in such game-like activities, and even difficult grammar units are learnt easier. Lessons also become more effective, and authentic communication is created. A teacher can collect different activities from different sources or make them him/herself and at last create a resource book for practical need. Here in my work I would like to present some examples of the activities and to show how they are used in class. The teacher should take into account that there must be success- orientation at the lesson. A person whose performance is successful will develop a positive self-image as a language learner, whereas one who frequently fails will be discouraged and demotivated. Thus, success-orientation contributes significantly to a positive classroom climate of relaxation , confidence and motivation. Using practice activities the teacher will greatly increase the interest in grammar learning, dull, boring exercises will be substituted by interesting communicative tasks where the learners see why they learn the language where they can use it. Moreover, because boredom, particularly in younger classes, often produces bad behavior, more valuable teaching time may be wasted on coping with discipline problems. If, however, the class is interested in what it is doing, its participants will not only learn more efficiently, they will also enjoy the process and want to continue. Unfortunately, many teachers teach grammar in such a way that students must fill in the missing word or insert the correct form. It is common in classrooms to administer than to practice. And the teachers and the textbook authors are often unaware that they are testing more than teaching. A learner becomes interested in learning only if it touches him or her as a person, his or her feelings, ideas, opinions or experience. Interaction should be based on personalization. It is very important that there should be pleasurable tension at the lessons of grammar activities. What does it mean? For example, the teacher shows a picture and asks to describe it using Present Continuous. This objective is rather ill-defined and there is no challenge. But if he or she asks to make up 20 sentences using Present Continuous within three minutes, it immediately rises the interest and the tension. Students ask themselves: can’t we?
Adverbs
1) Miming sentences with adverbs.
Students practice in using manner adverbs in speech. The teacher prepares two sets of cards for students: one set contains adverbs, the other one – short sentences describing actions that can be mimed. All should be based on vocabulary known to the class. A student takes one card with an adverb and one card with a short sentence and mimes the combination. For example, run to school; fast. The other students should guess what was on the two cards and say: You are running to school fast.
Guessing actions and adverbs:
- slowly a) turn off a computer
- happily b) make a bed
- nervously c) feed a cat
- heavily d) put on a shirt
- angrily e) type a letter
- lovingly f) climb a tree
- gently g) drink a cup of coffee
- violently h) wash the dishes
- quickly i) put things into a schoolbag
- reluctantly j) do homework
2) What do you do when..?
Students practice how to use frequency adverbs. The teacher asks students a question like What do you do when you are depressed? and the students give some ideas using frequency adverbs: always, often, never, rarely, seldom, sometimes. For examples, I sometimes go out with my friends. Or I usually listen to music. Then each student should find other classmates with similar reactions and report to the class. Alternative situations: when you are happy, tired, annoyed, bored, nervous, etc. or when you have free time, quarrel with your friend, have an exam the next day, have no money, don’t do homework, lose the keys and so on.
Conditionals
1) Chains of events:
You can use any type of conditionals: from zero to mixed. Give the class one if-clause, for example, If I won a million dollar,… The first student continues the sentence: If I won a million dollars, I would buy a new house. The next student takes the main clause, the result and re-forms it into a condition suggesting his own result: If I bought a new house, I would take my mum to live with me. The same goes with the other students in the class. The teacher can take another conditional, for example, zero: If I feel unwell, … The students add: a)I stay at home. b) If I stay at home, I miss classes. c) If I miss classes, I learn worse. And so on.
3) Looking back
Students use third or mixed conditionals to describe their desires, past situations. Then there is discussion. First, they write down three things they have done or haven’t done and now regret about it and three things they are happy they did or didn’t do:
Things I regret
I didn’t pass the exam
I quarrelled with my friend
My granny died early
I didn’t learn English well
Things I am glad about
I came to study in this school
I won in a school competition
My new sister/brother was born
I met a new friend
Then they write or say what might have happened or mightn’t have happened if these things had occurred or hadn’t occurred. For example, If I had passed the exam, I would have gone to study in England.
Students take turn and choose one item to talk about, the others comment on what (s)he says adding their experience. Then students can be offered to write an essay on topic “ Why I regret… or Why I am glad I ….
Present Perfect
1) Find someone who…
Students are practicing how to use Present Perfect with ever, never. Each learner gets a slip of paper with the task: ‘ Find someone who…’plus Present Perfect. For example: Find someone who has been to Egypt. Students go round and ask classmates, making notes in their exercise-books. Then they report their results to the class. They say: I have asked 8 students. The question is: Have you ever been to Egypt? Two students answered “Yes, they have been there; 6 students answered “ No, they have never been to Egypt.”
Examples:
- Find someone who has had a car accident.
- Find someone who has eaten a frog.
- Find someone who has slept in a cave.
- Find someone who has spoken English to a native.
- Find someone who has read “ Harry Porter”.
- Find someone who has been to England.
- Find someone who has driven a car.
- Find someone who has smoked a cigarette.
- Find someone who has seen a bear alive.
- Find someone who has bathed in the sea.
The examples can be changed according to the topic which is learnt at the moment.
2) Exclamations
Students use Present Perfect to describe past events resulting in present situations.
The teacher gives students slips of paper with exclamations such as Oh! Or Ah! Then they pronounce their exclamations showing their emotions, and the other students should say what has just happened that made the speaker say them. For example, a student shows surprise and says: “ What?” The students say: (s) he has just been surprised at something.
Examples of exclamations:
- Yes? 2) Thank you! 3) Rubbish! 4) Touch wood! 5) Cheers! 6) No! 7) Welcome! 8) My God! 9) Stop it! 10) Sorry! 11) Good luck! 12) Bad luck! 13) Great! 14) Oh dear! 15) Thank goodness! 16) Congratulations! 17)Damn
Passives
1) Describing changes
The students need pairs of pictures which show the place before and after changes. For example, a school before and after repair, an area before and after renovation, an island before and after reconstruction and building, a table before and after dinner, a tidy and untidy room and so on. The teacher asks learners to describe what has been done, is being done, was done , will be done next year, is going to be done and so on. The students can imagine and add any changes they like, especially about the future. As a variant the students are shown only the first picture and they guess what has been done or will be done in the second one. Then, after they have seen the second picture, they say where they were right or wrong. The teacher can suggest them any passive form to use. For example, the room. In the first picture the room is untidy. The students speculate on what will be done to clean the room: The bed will be made, the floor will be washed, the things will be put in order, the furniture will be dusted. Then they look at the second picture and add what they didn’t say or correct themselves.
2) Election campaign
The teacher tells the students that they are preparing a candidate’s campaign for election to a post in either national or local government. They should make a list of things which will be done in order to gain votes. For examples: The roads will be built. A new hospital will be opened. Salary will be increased. Houses will be repaired.
The class can be divided into two groups. Each of the groups supports a different candidate. They work out the programme including there the suggestions. Then the candidates present their programmes supported and prompted by the group. Finally, there should be decided whose candidate was the most convincing.
Present Progressive
Guessing mimes
The teacher is giving students cards with the description of the action. Each student mimes the action for the rest of the class to guess what he is doing. They ask him or her questions until they have guessed. For example, in the card it is written: You are making a cup of tea. A student shows how he or she is making tea and the other students ask questions: Are you cooking? Are you washing the dishes? And so on.
Mimes:
1) You are opening a tin.
2) You are watching a comedy on TV.
3) You are reading a very sad story.
4) You are waiting for the dentist.
5) You are trying to catch a butterfly.
6) You are crossing a very busy road.
7) You are dressing.
8) You are cleaning the room.
9) You are waiting for the train.
10) You are doing sport.
Modals
Uses of an object
The teacher prepares pictures of simple objects or objects themselves. For example, a stone, a cup, a nail, a box of matches, a sheet of paper, a piece of cloth, a piece of wood, a piece of string, a plate and so on. Students should suggest as many uses for the objects as they can using can and could. For example, if the object is a pen, the students can say: You can use it to dig holes. You could write something with it. You can use it as a stick. The teacher helps with new vocabulary if necessary. This activity can be used as a competition between groups to see who can give more ideas. To make it more entertaining students can suggest unusual uses of objects.
Past Simple
Story- telling
Students are given the beginning or the end of the story in the Past Simple tense and they make up their end or beginning also in the Past Simple tense. The teacher can give the verbs if necessary in the first form or in the second if learners are weak. This activity can be done in groups and the children will choose whose story is better. Or it can be done as a chain- story: one student begins, another continues, and so on. For example, Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife. Soon the husband fell ill and asked his wife not to get married after his death. The wife promised him not to marry. The husband died . Some time passed and the widow met another man. They fell in love with each other and decided to marry. But since that time a ghost of her husband started to come to the widow and blame her for breaking the promise. The widow decided to go to a sage to ask for advice. Then students make up the end of the story and they can act it out in class.
Conclusion.
Grammar activities make learning grammar more interesting, vivid and help to organize communication in class. Students see how in this or that real situations some grammar phenomenon can be used. They will never say any more that learning English grammar is boring and dull.
