I have been teaching for nearly 20 years, but have only been using TPRS/CI methods exclusively for a little over a year. As a recent convert to this method of teaching, which involves very little formal grammar instruction, I still find myself wanting to drill my students with subject pronouns, verb tenses, and adjective agreement. (Sorry direct and indirect pronouns, I never enjoyed teaching you.) I know in my heart and my head that this does not aid in acquisition whatsoever, but old habits can be hard to break.
However, a couple of “light bulbs” have gone off recently that are solidifying my beliefs to never go back to grammar drills as instructional methodology. In order to teach grammar, especially at the novice level, I have been using pop up grammar with quick, simple explanations (in English), and it is working. My first year students can already recognize the difference among conjugated verb forms and they can consistently identify the subject based on the verb form. A couple of high flyers can already produce speech that is grammatically accurate with regards to singular first and third person verb forms. And we have not spent one minute on formal instruction of verb conjugation. Without formal grammar instruction, I have also noticed that my second year students are more willing to spontaneously share comments than previous students. My current students understand that I will not correct their “incorrect” speech, and that I do not place a lot of value on using grammatical accuracy in speech, especially at the novice level. As such, they are more willing to experiment with the language than students I have had in the past. I have also found that while filled with grammatical inaccuracies, their classmates are able to understand one another easier than in previous years. This further cements the idea that I am following a better path. Even though I am seeing positive results in the classroom without formal grammar instruction, I still often feel like I have a devil on my shoulder telling to “Just do it. Give the students a grammar worksheet. You know they need it.” I recently found a suitable reply to that devil that made complete and total sense to me. As I was reading the Green Bible, I stumbled upon the following. "But there is probably nothing we can do to make students be passionate about language accuracy. When I was in high school, I wasn’t passionate about music. I was a sports person. As a senior, I took a semester of choir. I don’t think there is anything that teacher could have done that would have made me want to sing in an opera." (Ray & Seely 231) That clearly reminds me of where my teenage students are at when they enroll in my course. They are in my classroom for a number of reasons, none of which is to complete worksheets on grammatical concepts. With the results I have seen by doing pop up grammar, in addition to the words above, the light bulb is now burning brightly, and I am never going back to sustained formal grammar instruction again.
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After nearly three years of benefiting from all the wonderful, helpful teachers and trainers that are part of the blogging world, I feel it is time for me to pay it forward, and return the favor to others who may be where I was a few years ago, or for any other teachers looking for a way to connect, reflect, and improve their practice.
When I first discovered the world of teacher blogs, #langchat, and TPT stores, I was completely overwhelmed by how much help was out there for language teachers. Coming from nearly two decades as a department of one, I was overjoyed to know that I had finally found a PLC that I could not only connect with, but also learn from. This realization came at a time when I was doing some soul searching about my profession, and the blogs and chats I discovered re-energized my career. I am proud to say that I have completely changed my methodology as a language teacher, moving from a “legacy” teacher (teaching about the language) using grammar drills and memorized word lists, to a “proficiency” teacher (teaching the language) using research based CI strategies such as PQA, and storyasking. And the change has been wonderful. Difficult at times, but wonderful. So, here I am three years later, ready to give back in honor of all those who have given to me, and continue to do so graciously. Más vale tarde que nunca. I sincerely thank all the bloggers and participants in #langchat who have pushed me to think critically about what is best for students and continue to do so. Thank you all! |
Jessie Oelke
#deptofone providing compelling and comprehensible input Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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