Nurlanbekova
Y.K.
Kazakh
state women’s teacher training university
Kazakhstan,
Almaty
Presenting new functional-grammatical items
In order to teach a
functional-grammatical item effectively, the teacher must first understand that item him/herself. He/she should know its meaning, how it
is used in communication, how it is structured, its
pronunciation and spelling, and the grammatical
relationships and rules which affect it. The teacher should also be able to anticipate the
specific problems the learners are likely to have with it.
It is very important to remember
that learners do not learn from presentation alone,
or even presentation followed by practice. This first focus on new language
items is only a beginning, and the learners must continually use the language for communication. The teacher will probably have to
focus on most basic functional-grammatical
items again from time to time, right through to
intermediate level and beyond.
The sequence of steps should not be seen as a
rigid, mechanical procedure. The teacher is not only teaching English, but also learners respond to their human
behaviour, often rather unpredictable. The
teacher may find, for example, that the learners do not
know some of the vocabulary items that he/she
expected them to understand, or that they easily
master some aspect of pronunciation with which the teacher expected problems.
Different functional-grammatical items in
English also require some flexibility. Some
items, for example, are more typical in the written language than in the spoken language. We have
considered how the teachers can prepare for and carry out the presentation and early practice of new items with their own ideas and materials.
It is good to do this as much as the teachers
can since no coursebook writer knows
learners' specific needs and interests, and the teachers’ own teaching style, as well as they do. But, especially at the
beginning of teaching career, the teacher will
probably need to use a lot of the presentation and practice material in the coursebook. Even experienced
teachers do not usually have time to
prepare everything themselves, and both institutions and learners often demand regular use of the coursebook.
Below are some ways of presenting grammatical structures. They are divided
into two parts. Some present the structure directly and some indirectly. It is
noteworthy that direct ways of presenting grammatical structures are mostly
form based and indirect ways meaning based. In designing a lesson plan for
grammar, first teachers should use indirect or inductive ways, and at the end
of the presentation they can focus on form by using direct or deductive
methods.
Below are some techniques of presenting grammatical structures
implicitly that are suggested by Baker (2003):
1.
Visual Aids: The simplest and clearest way
is to show the meaning by using things the students can see, for example,
objects, the classroom, the teacher, the students, and pictures.
For example: In order to teach Present Continuous the teacher walks in
the middle of the classroom and says, “I am walking.” Then, s/he points to one of the students and says, “ she is
talking” She points to another students and tells, “She is laughing”…
2. Actions, too, can make meaning
salient, for example, the teacher wants to teach imperative form. S/he can
conduct a Total Physical Response sequence where students act out a series of
commands along with the teacher involving the placement of objects in various
parts of the room. For example:
Put the book under the
desk.
Put the pen on the shelf.
Open the door.
Close the window.
3. Situations: The teacher can
show the meaning of grammatical structures indirectly through an imaginary
situation. In this approach, the teacher does not draw the students’ attention
to any specific grammatical information. The teacher either tells a simple
story or draws a series of pictures, which give an outline of a situation.
Grammatical structure is: He
should have done… / He shouldn’t have done…
4. Students’ knowledge: Another way of presenting
grammatical structure indirectly is by using the students’ knowledge to present
grammar.
The teacher can use familiar
situations and give students practice on this structure.
1. Repetition: In order to
make the students familiar with the way the structure sounds and to give them
according to Doff (1990) the feel of the structure the teacher can use this
method. By giving a clear model and
asking the students to listen and repeat two or three times.
For example: It is too
heavy to lift. It is too heavy to lift…
2. Writing. The teacher writes the structure clearly on the board.
Then, s/he presents rules and explanations by using colored chalk or
underlining important parts.
3. Direct Explanation: The teacher explains directly how
to make a particular grammatical structure.
For example he or she tells the students to make questions in the
present tense by using can. The teacher explains "You must invert the
subject of the sentence and the modal auxiliary. This inversion is then
followed by the bare infinitive of the verb to play”. This is a direct
presentation of the form of grammatical structures.
For example, to teach the question form:
The sentence: He can play
the guitar.
The question: Can he play the guitar?
4. Story: Another way of
presenting the form of grammatical structures directly is by asking the
students to underline particular grammatical points in the text. Students have
to find a grammatical rule. Students can do this by discussion in pairs or
groups.
5. Comparison: A way of presenting the grammar directly is that the
teacher writes two similar grammatical structures on the board. Students must
discuss the difference in form. This technique is particularly useful when
comparing different tenses.
The place of writing in presentation
In the procedure suggested above,
the written form would usually be introduced
after oral presentation, and probably oral practice. It is usually better to present items orally first and the written form later on,
especially at beginner and elementary levels.
When the written form is
presented, it can be used to clarify and consolidate the
oral presentation and practice. This is especially important for those learners
who are more visually oriented..
There is no clear dividing line between
presentation and practice. Presentation normally
develops into practice, often quite naturally. The teacher elicits models the class has already repeated, and then he
elicits new models created by the learners themselves. This is the beginning of
the practice.
REFERENCES
Baker, J. and
Westrup, H. (2003). The English Language Teacher’s Handbook. London:
Continuum.
Doff, A. (1990). Teach English. A training course for teachers. Cambridge
University Press in association with The British Council.
Harmer, J. 1989. Teaching and
Learning Grammar. Harlow: Longman.