Grammar &
Communication
in the FL Classroom

Maria Sheila Zamar
UH-Manoa, SEASSI
COTSEAL Conference 2008

I. Goals:

1. Discuss the role of grammar

teaching in FL classrooms (HL and

non-HL)

2. Review some of the most influential

ideas in foreign language teaching

3. Describe some examples of

communicative activities for teaching

specific grammar points

II. What do we teach in the FL
classroom?

-language
-communication skills
-socio-cultural functions
-target culture

Which variety do we teach?

-standard
-conversational/colloquial
-academic
-literary

III. Heritage v. Non-heritage
classrooms

Some differences

background
resources
environment
motivation
(varying) proficiency
knowledge of the target culture

Heritage v. Non-heritage L2
classrooms

Some similarities

need for production practice
need to focus on literacy
need for accuracy

VI. Settings for language
learning

Natural acquisition

contexts

Traditional

instructional settings

(grammar-translation

or audiolingual)

Communicative

instructional settings

(content-based or

task-based)

- The learner is

exposed to the TL at

work or in social

interaction.

- If the learner is a

child, s/he is in a

school situation where

most of the other

children are native

speakers of the TL and

the instruction is

directed toward native

speakers.

The language is being

taught to a group of L2

or FL learners.

The focus is on the

language itself, rather

than on the use of the

TL for communicative

interaction.

The instructional goal

is for students to learn

the vocabulary and

grammar of the TL.

- The language is being

taught to a group of L2

or FL learners.

- The focus is on leading

learners to use the TL in

a variety of contexts,

rather than on teaching

specific features of TL.

- The goal is for students

to develop their ability

to get things done in

the TL.

Settings for language learning

Characteristics

Natural

acquisition

Traditional

instruction

Communicative

instruction

Error correction

-/+

Learning one thing at

a time

Ample time available

for learning

High ratio of native

speakers to learners

Variety of language

and discourse types

Pressure to use the

TL correctly

-/+

Access to modified

input

-/+

(often in L1)

(often in TL)

VII. 5 influential ideas in L2
teaching

Getting it right from the beginning

Grammar-translation & audiolingual methods

Negotiating meaning

Communicative language teaching

Input processing

Comprehension-based programs

Teaching what is teachable

Setting realistic expectations

Getting it right in the end

Finding the balance between meaning-based and form-based
instruction

Five influential ideas in L2
teaching

Getting it right from the beginning

Exclusively grammar-based approaches do not
guarantee high levels of accuracy
Overemphasis on accuracy usually results in learners
who are inhibited and some unable to communicate

Negotiating meaning

Learners produce more quantity and greater variety of
speech and language function in learner centered
activities
Modified interaction leads to higher levels of
comprehension than modified input

Five influential ideas in L2
teaching

3. Input processing

TPR gives learners a good start
Comprehensible input is effective in learners’ development of
comprehension skills, fluency and confidence in the TL but not
enough to bring them to high levels of accuracy
Input flood help learners add something new to their interlanguage
Enhanced input makes little difference
Learners who received comprehension-based processing
instruction achieved higher levels of performance on both
comprehension and production tasks than learners who did
production exercises to practice the form. ***
Input processing (explicit focus on form within input-based
instruction) shows better comprehension practice over production
practice

Five influential ideas in L2
teaching

4. Teaching what is teachable

Little/no data on developmental and variational
language features

5. Getting it right in the end

Form-focused instruction and corrective feedback
provided within the communicative contexts are more
effective in promoting L2 learning

Explicit, guided form-focused instruction is needed
when features in the TL differ from the L1 in subtle
ways

IV. Grammar-based v. Content-
based/
Task-based approaches

Focus on the language (accuracy)

grammar translation and audiolingual
methods
ordering of skills (receptive-productive)
deductive learning
error prevention is emphasized

Grammar-based v. Content-
based/
Task-based approaches

Focus on communication (fluency)

communicative language teaching
(CLT)
comprehensible input
inductive learning
error is viewed as natural part of
interlanguage development

V. Key issues

-Do I have a grammar-based, task-
based, function-based/content-based
curriculum?
-How much time do I devote to teaching
grammar explicitly?
-How much metalanguage do I expect
my students to handle?