Professor: dilafruz abdumajidova

Analysis of grammar activities
TESL 5710 GRAMMAR FOR ESL/EFL TEACHERS
SPRING II
PROFESSOR: DILAFRUZ ABDUMAJIDOVA
APRIL 20, 2021

Done by: Khasanov Mirzohid. Group: 4T

Grammar as a product.
Appendix 1, The exercise is taken from “Destination B1” book which is targeted at grammar on the first place. We can clearly see the examples and the tasks connected and guided accurately. Here students practice using the form and differentiating the grammar form. They learn the component parts of the language system as Batstone (1994) mentioned. Here we can see grammar is explained and isolated, where it is explained and framed so the student is not exposed to the other forms of the grammar. The main goal of the unit is teaching present simple and continuous and giving the guided instructions. Here we can see that the students will be able to distinguish the difference between the two tenses but while using the language (in terms of process) they yet can differentiate them and apply into real communication.
Couple of weeks ago I was suggested to watch a very interesting stand up comedy where a Russian comedian explains his experience learning a language. He says “I cannot talk to a native speaker or translate a scene from a movie, but I can make up a sentence in past continuous. I also can talk about past habits or talk about an action which was finished before an action in the past.” Here we can see that He actually was taught the grammar as a product and he can actually notice the form and function, but yet he can use it as a skill. According to Batstone (1994) A thorough knowledge of the formal grammatical system is not sufficient to enable us to communicate, in other words, all the effort we put in teaching grammar as a product is equal to nothing when it comes to a real communication. The main disadvantage of the activities is that, we cannot see any noticing or context-based teaching grammar. All the exercises are focused on form only. Another disadvantage of focusing on form is that, the form we teach may never occur in process says Batstone (1994) (p.99). A good example would be using present continuous with the word “always” for annoying situations, but, would a native speaker use always and present continuous to talk about something that annoys him/her? Even if yes, the learner would be really confused while speaking thinking of annoying situation and the structure of the situation, in my opinion we would forget the rule when we are annoyed. To put it in a nut shell, the activities would be helpful if they are improved by adding more authentic and noticing activities. Simply changing the exercise 1 into a listening activity where the students notice the grammar and form by listening. Another activity with an example of the annoying situation could be turned into a short video dialogue where the students could see the speakers face expression and feelings.
Appendix 2.
A very nice activity taken from “Cambridge grammar for IELTS” by Pauline Cullen. The main advantage of the given activities is that from the very beginning the instruction is focusing on noticing. Batstone (1994) mentioned that listening and reading activities furnish rich opportunities for learners to notice grammar in context as wider skill of making sense of spoken and written discourse.
The given activity first focuses on noticing and then goes to the grammar point where students work out the rules for the grammar, it is when implicit teaching of the grammar. There is a great deal with implicit teaching because according to Batstone (1994) we cannot control the flow and see the understanding while teaching implicitly. In other words, there can be problem while understanding and noticing the grammar when there is lack of explicit knowledge. Students suffer from fossilization when they are not given a clear instruction as it is given in inductive way of teaching. In this unit we can see that the book is targeted at B2 level learners who can easily work out the grammar rules independently. Another key component that is worth mentioning is that, the book contains another page where the learners see the form and function with clear explanations.
Appendix 3
Here we finally see the usage of grammar as a skill. This activity encourages the student produce a speech depending on the grammar he or she learnt inductively and deductively in process, this activity is the wrap up activity where we can clearly see the actual usage of the learnt grammar in their speech. However, there is again an activity before the student starts to speak, it is grammar activity focusing on form but by noticing the mistakes and the form.
I chose these activities because I have been teaching these materials for couple of months, and it was interesting to analyze and understand what I am offering and teaching my students.

Reference

Batstone, R. (1994). Grammar. Oxford University Press.
Batstone, R., & Ellis, R. (2009). Principled grammar teaching

Appendix 1



Appendix 2


Appendix 3