Grammar in the Classroom(Part 3): Why do we teach grammar?
We usually assume that the reason things find their way into classroom instruction has something to do with beliefs about their effects on students. In the case of grammar instruction, it's not straightforward.
No on ever learned grammar from their mothers or their friends. In fact, until very recently, virtually no one was literate, so it would have been impossible to teach grammar the way we think of being taught today. Ironically, at the same time that virtually no one could have been learning grammar, multilingualism was the rule of life. So how is that we came to think of studying grammar as a natural part of language learning?
The emergence of a modern, standardized English (ME) combined with the expansion of public education made the teaching of English necessary. Spellings for words had to be taught, as well as standard usages. In its infancy, the teaching of ME was not a straightforward endeavour. Such literary giants as Daniel Webster, as well as Benjamin Franklin and others argued that English could not be taught any other way than the way than nature allowed us to aquire it.
English was hardly the first language to be standardized. One of the first languages undergoing standrdization was Latin. Latin continued to be taught and used well into the period where English was undergoing modernization. In fact, Latin had not only continued to be taught long after its practical use had ended, it had aquired a status as a marker of 'proper' education and upbringing.
For various historical reasons, Latin had aquired a very particular way of being taught. This method is what langauge teachers today generally refer to as Grammar-Translation. This method refers to a method of teaching that relies on the teaching of language through exercise and manipulation of the grammatical properties of the language. It also relies on asking students to translate passages back and forth between Latin and the L1 of the student.
The status that Latin had aquired and the way it was taught had a significant impact of the development of modern language teaching techniques. English teachers of that time ran up against one of the major barriers that EFL teachers today continue to experience. Teaching something that seems to occurr naturally appears simple, and subsequently, the social status of those working in the field suffered. A natural way to address this problem was to aquire the methods of teaching higher status languages.
Subsequently, the instruction of English began to aquire more and more of the characteristics of the instruction of Latin. By the turn of the century 20th ecntury, teaching English to first langauge speakers had become so similar to the teaching Latin that the two were virtually indistingishable. Not coincidentally, it was during the emergence of English as language taught through grammar that we began to see the development of the grammar textbook. Vivian Cook, a leading linguist in this area, points to the time when the term 'native speaker' began to appear. Afterall, how could one have a native speaker if there was no codified grammar for that speaker to be identified from? But that's all another story.
Grammar is taught because it was a way for teachers of English to aquire professional status when the profession first emerged. It is not taught because there is any reason to believe this is an effective way to teach language.
12:07:54 AM 
Grammar in the Classroom(Part 3): Why do we teach grammar?
We usually assume that the reason things find their way into classroom instruction has something to do with beliefs about their effects on students. In the case of grammar instruction, it's not straightforward.
No on ever learned grammar from their mothers or their friends. In fact, until very recently, virtually no one was literate, so it would have been impossible to teach grammar the way we think of being taught today. Ironically, at the same time that virtually no one could have been learning grammar, multilingualism was the rule of life. So how is that we came to think of studying grammar as a natural part of language learning?
The emergence of a modern, standardized English (ME) combined with the expansion of public education made the teaching of English necessary. Spellings for words had to be taught, as well as standard usages. In its infancy, the teaching of ME was not a straightforward endeavour. Such literary giants as Daniel Webster, as well as Benjamin Franklin and others argued that English could not be taught any other way than the way than nature allowed us to aquire it.
English was hardly the first language to be standardized. One of the first languages undergoing standrdization was Latin. Latin continued to be taught and used well into the period where English was undergoing modernization. In fact, Latin had not only continued to be taught long after its practical use had ended, it had aquired a status as a marker of 'proper' education and upbringing.
For various historical reasons, Latin had aquired a very particular way of being taught. This method is what langauge teachers today generally refer to as Grammar-Translation. This method refers to a method of teaching that relies on the teaching of language through exercise and manipulation of the grammatical properties of the language. It also relies on asking students to translate passages back and forth between Latin and the L1 of the student.
The status that Latin had aquired and the way it was taught had a significant impact of the development of modern language teaching techniques. English teachers of that time ran up against one of the major barriers that EFL teachers today continue to experience. Teaching something that seems to occurr naturally appears simple, and subsequently, the social status of those working in the field suffered. A natural way to address this problem was to aquire the methods of teaching higher status languages.
Subsequently, the instruction of English began to aquire more and more of the characteristics of the instruction of Latin. By the turn of the century 20th ecntury, teaching English to first langauge speakers had become so similar to the teaching Latin that the two were virtually indistingishable. Not coincidentally, it was during the emergence of English as language taught through grammar that we began to see the development of the grammar textbook. Vivian Cook, a leading linguist in this area, points to the time when the term 'native speaker' began to appear. Afterall, how could one have a native speaker if there was no codified grammar for that speaker to be identified from? But that's all another story.
Grammar is taught because it was a way for teachers of English to aquire professional status when the profession first emerged. It is not taught because there is any reason to believe this is an effective way to teach language.
12:07:54 AM [Macro error: Can't evaluate the expression because the name "commentLink" hasn't been defined.]
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