中学英语语法教学.docx

中学英语语法教学

　　[Abstract] This paper analyzes the history of English grammar teaching, from 16 century to 19century. English grammar teaching method changed from Grammar-Translation Method to Direct Method, and to Audio-lingual Method. Nowadays, teachers and students are accustomed to 3P teaching model. According to the status quo of English grammar teaching, this paper defines the conceptions of language and language learning; introduces that grammar learning must follow the second language acquisition. Through the analysis of traditional grammar conception and teaching methods, this paper discovers the problem of grammar teaching.
Traditional grammar teaching was just for learning grammar. Teacher was the center in the class. But now as the different study level and unsuitable textbook and inappropriate teaching methods, English teaching quality is low. Therefore, to find suitable teaching methods is the best way to develop grammar teaching. At the same time, this paper studies three popular teaching methods for grammar teaching in order to solve the “five recognition, five underestimate” problem of grammar teaching in China. It advocates fostering students’ language using competence; grammar teaching not only focuses on forms but also on meaning.
[Key Words] grammar teaching; communicative ability; task-based approach; communicative approach; situational approach.
[摘 要]本文分析了英语语法教学的历史，对从16世纪到19世纪的语法教学情况作了详细的阐述。语法教学经历了从翻译法到直接法，再到视听法的发展过程。现有语法教学现状是大部分教师及学生习惯了3P教学模式，本文根据了当前的现状,对语言及语言学习的概念进行界定,提出了学习语法应该遵照第二语言习得的意识发展进行。通过分析传统观念对语法的定义以及教学的方法，发现中学英语语法教学的问题及难点。语法教学的目的是培养学生掌握语言规则和运用语言的能力。
传统语法教学单纯只是为了学而学，教师是教学活动的中心。但是现在，不同学生不一样的学习水平，不恰当的教学方法，甚至不合适的教科书，造成了英语教学质量的低下。因此，找到适合的教学方法和合适的教科书是发展语法教学最好的途径。同时本文对任务型教学法，交际法，以及情景教学法这三种现在最流行的教学法，提出适合并能解决现在语法教学问题的教学方法。倡导语法教学要注重培养学生运用语言的能力，不仅仅注重语法形式，更要讲求意义，从而提高交际能力。
[关键词] 语法教学；交际能力；任务型教学法；交际法；情景教学法
1. The History of English Grammar Teaching
From 16th to 18th century, European most popular foreign language teaching method was called the Grammar-Translation Method. At that time, in Europe, Latin is the school compulsory course; some English elementary schools are called simply Grammar school. Students study and drill the grammar rule in the class. The translation is the Latin grammar class’s important content. This kind of Grammar-Translation Method takes the grammar as a center in the study foreign language, it focuses on the study and the memory grammar rule. In the classroom, teachers explained grammar in native language. Students did a lot of translations practice to strengthen the memory. However, the shortcoming of this teaching method was very clear. It had neglected the spoken language and the listening training, student‘s communicative ability is poor; it purely pursued the accuracy of the grammar, and had neglected student‘s language creation ability, and cannot fully exploit the students’ subjective initiative.
In 19th century, the European countries exchanged a lot; the Grammar-Translation Method had been challenged. The direct method arose at that moment and was promoted in Europe and America. During this teaching method, the grammar still took the leading position, but it emphasized the actual application, the different context becomes the factor, which the grammar teaching must consider. The direct method started to exclude the native language. The characteristics of the direct method were that, using induction method to teach grammar rules; paying attention to the speaking and listening practice; choosing the talking material as the text book. It did not contrast with the native language This method could foster the oral communicative ability, but had revealed its weakness in the ability of reading, writing, and the absorption language information.
In the 50‘s of 20th century, as a result of the structuralism in American dominant position, there appeared Audio-lingual method in the US foreign language teaching. The American linguists have formulated a plan to train skills that were good at oral speaking. The Direct Method developed into Audio-lingual method under the influence of structural linguistics. The Direct Method’s characteristics were that, to master the grammar rules through a lot of listening and speaking practice, not to use native language and translation as far as possible. For example, in Fries’s Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language, he considered that the difficulties of foreign language learning are the result of different language structure system’s conflict.
Audio- lingual Method and other teaching method, which based on the theory of structural linguistics, their teaching point is on the sentence constitution rules. Afterward, as the use of the electrified aids, the audio-lingual method developed into the Audio—Visual Method. The criticism to the Direct Method, Audio-lingual method and other teaching method is their too limited grammar conception and abstract grammar teaching that divorced from the reality. Those students who were educated under these teaching methods cannot communicate with others naturally. There is another weakness that the Direct Method, Audio-lingual method neglects students’ acknowledged ability and language creation ability.
Otherwise, Hymes advanced his famous view about “communicative ability”. In his opinion, people should have the ability of language and communication, so they can communicate with others at anytime, anywhere, with anyone, in any way. Advocated by Hymes and Labov, the social linguistics flourished in USA .The foreign language teachers began to realize that it’s positive to practice grammar rules in the meaningful context; however, context was limited, mechanical practice can not foster students’ communication flexibility. Therefore, there appeared the Communicative Approach. It took the cultivation of communicative ability as their teaching aim; it emphasized on the meaning but not the accuracy of the sentence pattern. Grammar teaching must follow the communicative approach; some grammar rules are even completely neglected.
In the late 70’s, Krashen distinguish the conception between “acquisition “ and “study “. He proposed that study was to learn language rules, but it is useless to master language. Therefore, in Krashen’ theory, grammar lost its position. Till late 80’s, Krashen started publicly to reject the grammar teaching’s important position in the foreign language teaching. During 80’s, grammar teaching had once disappeared in class.
Nowadays, many foreign language teachers considered that grammar teaching could make language learning more easily. They emphasize on the importance of the grammar teaching in the class. After the development of teaching method, people all focus on the grammar awareness, they disagree to learn grammar rules through mechanical practice, their research stress is to find a best way to master grammar .So, how to teach grammar effectively is an important task. [1] p1-3
　　2. The Status Quo of English Grammar Teaching
From 1980’s, task –based grammar teaching held the view of communication, and took the meaning as its task. Although the learner says words smoothly, but they are lack of accuracy; the learners complete the task with enhancement, but the language usage and the pattern need more actually exercises. Under the development of the task –based grammar teaching, the communicative ability that including the grammar ability is discussed by all linguists. So, to express meaning, complete language task, people must be taught grammar. The grammar teaching cannot be given up at any time, any stage, in any situation. The foreign linguists also consider that is helpful for the accuracy of people’s expression. Student‘s study effect must depend on the human relations -like study effect. Regarding lacks of enough significance, the foreign language cannot only depend on the acquisition, but also depend upon the study. The grammar teaching’s essence is to use the language knowledge to help students with their communication in the real life.　P31
The duty of grammar teaching is to foster people’s real communicative ability. By Janewills’ flexible modal for tasked-based learning, the alignment between form and meaning apply a real environment for students, and cause the students to study language easily, to learn the language knowledge at same time. In the pre- task period, the teacher introduces the topic and the duty to the students; pops out the key point, and help the students to understand and prepares for their task. In the while task period, students develop their task in pairs or in groups first, teacher is just a monitor around the class. The teacher should just encourage students to communicate in various ways, and not to interrupt them in order to make students feel relaxed. However, in this period, the communicative task doesn’t pay too much attention to the language form. In the post-task period, each group must show the task they have finished to the whole class. After the preparation for the task, students must give a report and have a discussion about their task, and listen to others’ representation, so they can have a comparison with others’ task. In this period, the teacher should play a role as an assessor, he must do two things, that is, correcting mistakes and organizing feedback.　P38 And in the post-task period, the teacher can give examples to tell students how to learn foreign language in order to cause students to reflect. After these task periods of sensation, suspicion, supposition, attempt, students could understand the language point clearly. At this moment, the teacher can design some activities in order to consolidate students’ mastery of language knowledge. To the learner who is accustomed to the traditional 3P model, task-based grammar teaching is an attractive and creative model for them. This kind of teaching method achieves the aim of making the task-based teaching ideas and grammar teaching into conformity. It affords students chances to foster communicative ability.
　　3. Defining Language
Definition of language from the literature
1. Language is a means of cultural transmission.
2. Language is what people use to talk about the things that are important to them, for example, occurrence in their everyday lives.
3. Language is a set of rules through which humans can create and understand novel utterances, ones that they have never before articulated or encountered.
4. Language is a means of interaction between and among people.
5. Language is the means for doing something-accomplishing some purpose, for example, agreeing on a plan of action for handling a conflict.
6. Language is a vehicle for communication meaning and message.
7. Language is a medium through which one can learn other things. P1
The link between definition of language and theories of learning
Although there is not a unique connection between a particular view of language and a particular theory of learning, some theories of learning fit more naturally with certain definitions of language than others Consistent with those conceptions of language was the habit-formation view of language learning, in which it was essence to be the responsibility of the teacher to help students overcome the habits of the native language and replace them with the habits of the second language. P3
　　4. Views on Language Learning
Behaviorist theory
Behavioral psychologist Skinner initiated the behaviorist theory of language learning. Based on linguists’ experiments, behaviorist linguists formulated a stimulus-response theory of psychology. In this theory all complex forms of behavior—motions, habits, and such are seen as composed of simple muscular and glandular elements that can be observed and measured. They claimed that emotional reactions are learned in much the same way as other skills. The key point of the theory of conditioning is that “you can train an animal to do anything (with reason) if you follow a certain procedure which has three major stages, stimulus, response, and reinforcement” (Harmer, 1983:30)　P5
Cognitive theory
The term cognitivnism is often used loosely to describe methods in which students are asked to think rather than simply repeat. It seems to be largely the result of Noam Chomsky reaction to Skinner’s behaviorist theory, which led to the revival of structural linguistics. The key point of Chomsky’s theory is relected in his most famous question: if all language is a learned behavior, how can a child produce a sentence that has never been said by others before?　P5
According to Chomsky, language is not a form of behavior; it is an intricate rule-based system and a large part of language acquisition is the learning of this system. There are a number of grammatical rules in the system and with knowledge of these rules an infinite number of sentences can be produced. A language learner acquires language competence that enables him to produce language.
　　5. The Problem of the Grammar Teaching
The “Inert Knowledge” Problem
As the important part of the foreign language teaching, grammar teaching has two common problems for a long time. One is that unsatisfactory effect. In the class, it seems that the teacher has explained the grammar rules clearly, and students has understood the rules distinctly, and they can do all exercises; however, they cannot prevent from making many mistakes when they are talking or writing. This phenomenon of that learners cannot make full use of the knowledge in the class in their real life, it was called “inert knowledge”. Moreover, the other problem of grammar teaching is that, a lot of students feel dull when they learn grammar rules.　Pf4 Few students sustain their enthusiasm for learning when the lesson focuses on the parts of language. Indeed, when students are asked to shift from a communicative activity, to say, a grammar exercise, there is often an audible response of displeasure.
The problem of China ’s grammar teaching
After the publication of The New Standard of English Lesson, people have found the demerits of China’s English grammar teaching.
As for Chinese, the grammar teaching is inclined to “five recognition, five underestimate”. It is that, mind knowledge teaching, underestimate skill; mind clear explanation, underestimate repetitive practice; mind written practice underestimate oral practice; mind grammar analysis, underestimate grammar usage. [10] p189
The reason of the problem
In China, students’ duty is to pass the university entrance examination. What
determines their destiny is the mark of their written examination. So, in the English examination, students who learn grammar rules well can get the high mark. Therefore, for a long time, teachers just pay all attention to the grammar rules and grammar pattern. Lots of teachers use translation method and deductive method in grammar teaching. But these kind of methods are often criticized because