Should I use first language to explain grammar points?
This is one question I received from Lucas, an English teacher from the States, who have been teaching English us Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and now Colombia. His question is:
I once taught in a Language Institution that frowned upon teaching grammar to students. Should grammar be a priority in language classes?
(Lucas, USA)
Lucas,
Your question frown upon grammar teaching actually is one of the most common questions and also a debatable one in countries where English is taught as a foreign language. When students learn English as a Second Language, like ELLs here in the States or learning English as ESL students in UK, US, Australia, or Singapore, the curriculum encourages the content-based teaching or grammar should be taught deductively, or in some materials, grammar is just a supplementary or an additional section to complement with other productive skills. Whereas, in institutions and public schools in countries where English is a subject and students do not have chances to get exposed to authentic communicative situations using English, grammar becomes the most important feature of English to be mastered. However, like in Vietnam, China or Japan, although students need to master English grammar at schools to pass their English tests (mainly testing grammar and receptive skills such as writing and reading), they can take extra English classes in private institutes or private language centers, which provide courses of English, focusing on speaking and listening much more than mere grammar drills and exercises.
Thus, let's raise a question for Ms Choi class in the book on why grammar is taught in L1. What is the rationale beyond that? Maybe as the focus of this class is on Speaking, she just did not spend a lot of time teaching grammar deductively in English? Or maybe because she is afraid grammar is abstract to teach in English rather than in L1? Or maybe, as from the perspective of a local teacher, who speaks the same mother tongue with her students, grammar teaching in L1 is faster and easy to catch, so they can move on to spend more time for speaking practice? Actually she should have taken an advantage of explaining the structure in English for students as a language input although they need to negotiate the meaning in an uncomfortable way, yet after all it will benefit them? Also, how about the factor in deciding how much L1 is needed: the level of the students. Should it be more sympathetic to use first language in teaching grammar to low level learners than more advanced ones? Why should it be that difference?
As for native-speaking teachers, especially if they teach abroad, it may be taken to their advantage that because they cannot speak the students' native language fluently, they prefer even explaining grammar in L2. For foreign students, this turns out to be a negotiation-for-meaning experience, as L2 is the only tool for mutual communication and understanding in the classroom setting. In that case, how can the native speaking teachers make sure that the students understand the concept? Learning grammar now is not just drilling with rules, but also to make sense what the native-speaking teachers are trying to discuss. Somehow this way, grammar rules are embedded in communicative situations, and thus, become an input for the students themselves.
In summary, although grammar is just one aspect of English Language Teaching, it is undeniable that studying grammar in crucial for the development of other language skills. Grammar teaching is a great topic to discuss in depth. How about you? What are your viewpoints on the topic?
The discussion above can be considered as a response to Ms. Choi class observation in this book:
Brown, H. D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Tips to teach grammar effectively:
Tips