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MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2016 | VOLUME 12

| ISSUE 1

Editor's Note

Teaching Grammar to
Young Learners
Integrating Digital
Storytelling Projects
in Our Teaching

Videogames in ELT
What Thomas Alba
Edison said

Teaching Grammarto Young Learners

By:Virginia Espino

One of the most discussed topics in second language teaching is whether

grammar should be explicitly taught in the language classroom. Up-to-date findings
on this topic emphasize that grammar does play an important role in Second
Language instruction.
In the last two to three decades, investigation and deliberations on grammar
teaching have revolved around three choices: Focus-on-Form, Focus-onMeaning and Focus-on-forms (Long, 1991).

Why Adults Learn

English
In-Service Training
Should I stay or
Should I go?

Arts, Creative
Educaiton and
Sustainable Economic
Propsperity
Talent Show:
An English Project
Bits of Wisdom
Identidad: La Lengua
como caracterstica
Indiscutible

When the Music

changes, so does
the Dance

When comparing the effectiveness of these three approaches to grammar

teaching, findings support that Focus-on-Form has considerable advantages over
the other two, because it helps to improve the language acquisition process, fosters
better retention of forms and promotes more precise use of the language (Doughty
& Williams, 1998; Norris and Ortega; 2000; 2001; Ellis, 2002). Yet, in many
language classrooms around the world, a Focus on forms approach predominates;
making second language instruction primarily traditional because teachers give
explicit grammar instruction, encourage memorization of grammar formulas
and/or translate them into the learners native language (Hinkel and Fotos, 2002;
Krkgz, 2008).
About young learners

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Classroom Link :: Integrating Digital Storytelling Projects in our Teaching

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Continuous investigation is done in

the attempt to find effective ways to
teach grammar to children in the
language classroom. Some experts
advocate for one of the three
approaches mentioned above, others
would follow a more eclectic way.
Generally speaking, there is the idea
that learning grammar rules surpasses
childrens cognitive capability,

Fall II 2011
Fall 2011
Summer 2011
Spring 2011
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Fall 2010
Summer 2010

nevertheless, there is conclusive evidence that grammar indeed holds an

important position in childrens foreign language learning, since it is intimately
related to meaning and use of the language and closely associated with
vocabulary Cameron (2001).
This evidence has led to an eclectic approach called the Noticing and
Consciousness-raising theory, Schmidt (1990; 1993). According to this theory,
learners are persuaded to become aware of specific grammar features of the
language, in order to be able to draw conclusions from what they see and, later on,
they are led by the instructor to systematize their understanding of language
according to the conclusions they have drawn.

Spring 2010

It seems difficult, at first, to begin

shifting to a new way to teach grammar
all of a sudden, when the greatest part of
books follow a grammatical sequence;
however, we should definitively take the
challenge to begin transitioning from
Focus on forms to Focus-on-Form.

Winter 2009
Fall 2009
Summer 2009
Spring 2009

The Challenge
The beginning stages of language are
(or should be) mostly focused on
acquiring vocabulary, using or
memorizing chunks of language and/or
collocations, leaving
grammar out of the picture, at least for a while. Once students have accumulated a
stack of phrases, chunks and basic vocabulary, it is time to introduce some
grammar (Cameron, 2001). It is recommended to take the following guidelines
when teaching grammar to children:

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It is important to keep in mind that

learners all ARE ALL different. Each agegroup has specific characteristics that
need to be taken into account when
planning our classes. Above all, in order
to help learners grow in the use of
language, teachers need to use good
judgment to help them discover rules, as
well as assist them in organizing such
language in a logical way and
systematize it.

Virginia Espino
Academic Consultant
Pearson Education Mexico

References:
Key concepts in ELT Focus on form and Focus on forms:
http://www.zanjansadra.com/attaches/26198.pdf
Role of grammar and error correction in teaching Languages to Young Learners:
http://www.academia.edu/1452766/The_Role_of_Grammar_and_Error

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Correction_in_Teaching_Languages_to_Young_Learners
Ellis, R. (2006). Current issues in the teaching of grammar: An SLA perspective. TESOL
Quarterly, 40 (1), 83-107.

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