TEACHING GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT FOR EFL CLASS
*) Written by Sudiro
<!–[if I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Problem
The sine quo non regular curriculum changes in Indonesia seem to frustrate most of school teachers. Beside they should deal with the changes of their paradigm in goal and the insight of the basic theory of the curriculum itself, they also face new burden of more technical jobs of designing the instructional equipments, teaching methods and documents of administration as it is ruled. Indonesian SMP and SMA EFL teachers also face instrumental factor of how to make the students pass the National Standard of Final Examination (which tends to be away from the nature of language as a means of communication) as it seems to be the only target of the ruling government standard indicator of success for the students, teachers, schools and the related department.
The impact is even worse in the practices of classroom teaching learning activities, methods and material designs. The invention of communicative approach for example hindered EFL teachers to design the visible language components materials. In the Competency Based Approach, however, teachers are given wider chance to develop the essential materials needed by the students. Grammar as one language component has been neglected for a long time. Some teachers remain operate inductive approach, some use deductive, others use both approaches and the rests even traumatically avoid teaching grammar. Most of them still teach the language components such as vocabulary grammar partially individual themes which seem to be unrelated one another. It is really insufficient to provide students real language use as it to be. English class should be a language class, not as a vocabulary class, grammar class or other certain language component and skill class.
There are two problems arise:
1. Is teaching grammar in context effective to develop students’ language skills?
2. What are the advantages of teaching grammar in context?
By teaching and learning grammar in context, students get acceptable grammatical discourse competence of English as a live language. Eliciting students’ ungrammatical expressions avoid misrepresentation of language.
D. The Scope of the Study
The practice of teaching grammar is often misinterpreted to be carried out as an individual subject which leads into incomprehensible ELT. Consequently, incomprehensible language teaching contributes ELT fails in the classroom practices. Therefore, it will be discussed about the nature of grammar itself, its components to be taught, contextualization of grammar material design, selection of match teaching approach and the immediate students’ needs for natural use of language.
E. The Significances of the Study
1. To meet teachers’ needs of what components of grammar to be taught and the right teaching approach may be implemented.
2. Students get not only clear organization of the grammar materials but also how grammar works in the language.
<!–[if II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Grammar
Frost (2004) says Grammar is a branch of linguistics dealing with the form and structure of words (morphology), and their interrelation in sentences (syntax). The study of grammar reveals how language works. (Richard Frost, 2004)
Petrovitz (1997) states that most people first encounter grammar in connection with the study of their own or of a second language in school. This kind of grammar is called normative, or prescriptive, because it defines the role of the various parts of speech (see Parts of Speech) and purports to tell what is the norm, or rule, of “correct” usage. It is stated how words and sentences are to be put together in a language so that the speaker will be perceived as having good grammar. When people are said to have good or bad grammar, the inference is that they obey or ignore the rules of accepted usage associated with the language they speak.
Without grammar, words hang together without any real meaning or sense. In order to be able to speak a language to some degree of proficiency and to be able to say what we really want to say, we need to have some grammatical knowledge. By teaching grammar we not only give our students the means to express themselves, but we also fulfill their expectations of what learning a foreign language involves. Fortunately, nowadays with the emphasis on a communicative approach and a wealth of stimulating resources, teaching grammar does not necessarily mean endless conjugation of verbs or grammar translation. (Rothschild, Mmi, 2008).
In teaching grammar, conservative ESL instruction with traditional textbook use a model in which every rule is presented by means of general explanation followed by an exercise consisting of a series of non contextualized sentences. While recent approaches have attempted to supplement with model of correct usage and exercises which provide a greater degree of contextualization.
Linguistically, there are some grammatical components familiar to be operated in ELT classes, they are lexical, syntactic and semantic (pragmatic and discourse factors). Morphological rules for some extent belong to both lexical and syntactical components.
Lexical information provides the basis for rules in which the operation is crucially dependent upon the properties of individual words including non productive inflectional morphology, verb complementation and collocations.
Syntactical information identified by the presence of elements of particular structural description. Once the requisite conditions are met, the rule operates without exception. This rule includes yes/no questions formation, the placement of complements, and subject – verb agreement.
Semantic information is distinguished by the fact that it is often impossible to decide on their applicability in a given sentence apart from consideration of meaning. (Walter Petrovitz, 1997).
In short, even if the presentation of grammatical rules is simplified for pedagogical purposes, it must accurately reflect what we know about the grammar of the target language. Consideration among rules of grammar allows the instructor to avoid the error frequently made in textbooks, and to use contextualized materials and other strategies for the teaching of grammar to their greatest advantage.
B. Teaching Approach
There are two main approaches to teaching grammar. These are the deductive and the inductive approach. A deductive approach is when the rule is presented and the language is produced based on the rule (The teacher gives the rule). Whereas, inductive approach is when the rule is inferred through some form of guided discovery (The teacher gives the students a means to discover the rule for themselves).
In other words, the former is more teachers centered and the latter more learners centered. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.
The deductive approach is undoubtedly time saving and allows more time for practicing the language items thus making it an effective approach with lower level students. The inductive approach, on the other hand, is often more beneficial to students who already have a base in the language as it encourages them to work things out for themselves based on their existing knowledge. (Jack C Richard, 2002; p 154).
Both the two main approaches can be implemented in the following instructional approaches:
1. Presentation, Practice and production (PPP)
The teacher presents the target language and then gives students the opportunity to practice it through very controlled activities. The final stage of the lesson gives the students the opportunity to practice the target language in freer activities which bring in other language elements.
a. Presentation
In this stage the teacher presents the new language in a meaningful context. For example, presentation by building up stories on the board, using realia or flashcards and miming to present the language.
b. Practice
There are numerous activities which can be used for this stage including gap fill exercises, substitution drills, sentence transformations, split sentences, picture dictations, class questionnaires, re-ordering sentences and matching sentences to pictures.
It is important that the activities are fairly controlled at this stage as students have only just met the new language. Many student’s books and workbooks have exercises and activities which can be used at this stage.
c. Production
Again there are numerous activities for this stage and what the teachers choose will depend on the language they are teaching and on the level of the students. However, information gaps, role plays, interviews, simulations, find someone who, spot the differences between two pictures, picture cues, problem solving, personalization activities and board games are all meaningful activities which give students the opportunity to practice the language more freely.
When teaching grammar through PPP, there are several factors need to take into consideration and the following are some of the questions must be taken for granted:
How useful and relevant is the language?
What other language do the students need to know in order to learn the new structure effectively?
What problems might the students face when learning the new language?
How can teacher make the lesson fun, meaningful and memorable?
Although the teacher try to only use English when teaching a grammar lesson, it is sometimes beneficial to the students to make a comparison to L1 in the presentation stage. This is particularly true in the case of more problematic grammatical structures which students are not able to transfer to their own language.
It is also important to note that using the PPP model does not necessarily exclude using a more inductive approach since some form of learner centered guided discovery could be built into the presentation stage.
2. A Task-based approach
Task-based learning approach (TBL) is one of the ways to structuring, planning and implementing lessons to be more effective. It highlights its advantages over the more traditional PPP approach. It offers an alternative for language teachers. In a task-based lesson the teacher doesn’t pre-determine what language will be studied, the lesson is based around the completion of a central task and the language studied is determined by what happens as the students complete it. The lesson follows certain stages.
a. Pre-task
The teacher introduces the topic and gives the students clear instructions on what they will have to do at the task stage and might help the students to recall some language that may be useful for the task. The pre-task stage can also often include playing a recording of people doing the task. This gives the students a clear model of what will be expected of them. The students can take notes and spend time preparing for the task.
b. Task
The students complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they have as the teacher monitors and offers encouragement.
c. Planning
Students prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during their task. They then practice what they are going to say in their groups. Meanwhile the teacher is available for the students to ask for advice to clear up any language questions they may have.
d. Report
Students then report back to the class orally or read the written report. The teacher chooses the order of when students will present their reports and may give the students some quick feedback on the content. At this stage the teacher may also play a recording of others doing the same task for the students to compare.
e. Analysis
The teacher then highlights relevant parts from the text of the recording for the students to analyze. They may ask students to notice interesting features within this text. The teacher can also highlight the language that the students used during the report phase for analysis.
f. Practice
Finally, the teacher selects language areas to practice based upon the needs of the students and what emerged from the task and report phases. The students then do practice activities to increase their confidence and make a note of useful language. (Richard Frost, 2004)
A natural context is developed from the students’ experiences with the language that is personalized and relevant to them. The students will have a much more varied exposure to language with TBL. They will be exposed to a whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns as well as language forms. The language explored arises from the students’ needs. This need dictates what will be covered in the lesson rather than a decision made by the teacher or the course book. It is a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of time communicating. Just watch how much time the students spend communicating during a task-based lesson. It is enjoyable and motivating.
C. Grammar in Context
English is highly implicit. There are meanings behind the construction. Effective communication involves achieving harmony between functional interpretation and formal appropriateness. The teacher’s role is to help students by giving them tasks that dramatize the relationship between grammatical items and the discoursal contexts in which they occur. In genuine communication beyond the classroom, grammar and context are often so closely related that appropriate grammatical choices can only be made with reference to the context and purpose of the communication. (David Nunan, 1998)
<!–[if III. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
A. Recent Advantages and Disadvantages of Teaching Grammar
Most Indonesian EFL teachers teach grammar only because it is stated in the curriculum. Even, some still blindly choose grammar points through the sample syllabus (as some teachers’ profession organization such as MGMP and books publishers give them so). Unfortunately, they swallow it directly from left to right without realizing its relevance to students’ needs (as it should be in KTSP).
The next reason of teaching grammar is also because it can be presented as a limited series of tidy things that students can learn, apply, apply in exercises and tick off one by one separately. It is testable, reassuring and comforting both for the teacher and the students because it gives the feeling that they can understand easily after a certain assessment. Worst of all that grammar material is used to make an esteem that older generation overvalues grammar teaching materials and it bears a powerful device to make students sit, listen, learn rules, do grammar exercises, make mistakes and get corrected ( to demonstrate teacher holds control).
The most logical reason of the ineffective of teaching grammar practices and is considered to be fixed by this paper is that grammar regarded as a single element of an interconnected system of a language and should be learned deeply one by one to enable the language system works properly.
Some beneficial reasons for teaching grammar are to know how to build and use certain structures comprehensively which makes it possible to communicate common types in context of meaning successfully. Therefore, grammar precision is carried out acceptably in the society that makes clear and right meaning in the right discoursal context.
B. Teaching Grammar in Contextual Perspective
Nowadays, many teachers have shifted gradually from formal grammar teaching into more contextual approaches as they become more experienced. It does not mean to avoid grammar in teaching or to rely on it completely either. It seems obvious that it would be much more helpful to look at the situations students will find themselves in and then look at the types of language that will be suitable for them. The idea of contextual grammar can also improve listening, reading, speaking and writing skills.
Students achieve their communicative ends through the appropriate deployment of grammatical resources. Therefore in teaching grammar, teachers should take into account the interrelationship between grammatical form and context. This awareness can be activated through:
1. Teaching language as a set of choices that a learner can express an idea in many different ways.
2. Providing opportunities for learners to explore grammatical and discoursal relationship in authentic data.
3. Teaching language in ways that make form/function relationships transparent.
4. Encouraging learners to become active explorers of language.
5. Encouraging learners to explore relationship between grammar and discourse.
The process of teaching and learning grammar contextually will be more effective than the ones in linear, traditional and partial detached units of grammar elements activities where:
1. Learners are exposed to authentic samples of language so that the grammatical features being taught are encountered in a range of different linguistic and experiential context.
2. It is not assume that once learners have been drilled in a particular form that they have acquired it and drilling is seen only as a first step towards eventual mastery.
3. There are opportunities for recycling of language forms, and learners are engaged in task designed to make transparent the links between form, meaning and use.
4. Learners are given opportunities to develop their own understanding of the grammatical principles of English by progressively structuring and restructuring the language through inductive learning experiences which encourage them to explore the functioning of grammar in context.
5. Learners encounter target language items in an increasingly diverse and complex range of linguistic and experiential environment.
<!–[if IV. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion
From the above discussion, we can see that by teaching and learning grammar in context will be more beneficial and effective to gain students’ mastery of the language itself. For good language communication must be grammatically acceptable and reflected in the proper discoursal context.
The awareness can be activated by an approach that enables learners to more freely participate in the meaning construction to relate grammar, authenticity and their discourse competence.
B. Suggestion
Contextualizing grammar materials will, somehow, contribute to the students in the grammar mastery. Teaching grammar in context is a mandatory for EFL teachers. They need sufficient time and creative design of grammatical enclosure in the target language. Supplying wider chance for the students is inevitable to enable them find the relationship between their environment and the linguistic principles they learned. In so forth, their degrees of discourse competence will be an ever expanding ability to face the immediate growing importance of the EFL in international communication.
<!–[if V. REFERENCES
Richard, J.C. (2002), Methodology in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Nunan, David (1998). Teaching Grammar in Context, (ELT Journal Volume 52/2), Oxford University Press, 1998.
Petrovitz, Walter (1997). The Role of Context in the Presentation of Grammar, (ELT Journal Volume 51/3), Oxford University Press, 1997.
Rothschild, Mmi. (2008). The Great Grammar Debate: Part I, Home Schooling Online with The Jubilee Academy, http://www.thejubileeacademy.org, 2008.
Frost, Richard (2004), A Task-based approach, BBC British Council teaching English, http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk, 2004.
