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does it work?
Jon Hird, materials writer and teacher trainer, discusses inductive and deductive grammar teaching,
comparing and contrasting the two, and debating the pros and cons of their use in the classroom.
There are two main ways that we tend to teach grammar: deductively and inductively. Both
deductive and inductive teaching have their pros and cons and which approach we use
when can depend on a number of factors, such as the nature of the language being taught
and the preferences of the teacher and learners. It is, however, perhaps generally accepted
that a combination of both approaches is best suited for the EFL classroom.
Some agreement exists that the most effective grammar teaching includes some deductive and inductive
characteristics.
– Haight, Heron, & Cole 2007.
So what is deductive and inductive grammar teaching? In this blog, we will first take a look
at the underlying principles of inductive and deductive reasoning and then look at how this
applies to grammar teaching and learning. We will then briefly consider some of the pros
and cons.
Both approaches are commonplace in published materials. Some course books may adhere
to one approach or the other as series style, whereas some may be more flexible and
employ both approaches according to what the language being taught lends itself to. Most
inductive learning presented in course books is guided or scaffolded. In other words,
exercises and questions guide the learner to work out the grammar rule. The following
course book extracts illustrate the two different approaches. The subsequent practice
exercises are similar in both course books.
Q: Skills for Success Listening and Speaking Level 3 New Headway 4th Edition
(Elementary)
Nevertheless, while there are pros and cons to both approaches and while a combination of
both inductive and deductive grammar teaching and learning is probably inevitable, an
inductive approach does seem to be broadly accepted as being more efficient in the long
run, at least for some learners. Would you agree with this?
References
Brown, H.D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. Pearson Longman.
Haight, C., Herron, C., & Cole, S. (2007). The effects of deductive and guided inductive
instructional approaches on the learning of grammar in the elementary language college classroom .
Foreign Language Annals, 40, 288-309.
Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Pearson.