3. Teaching Grammar in Light of Communicative Language Teaching Tran Hien Lan, MA. College of Foreign Languages, VNU Ha Thi Lien Hoan, MA. Ngo Thi… [622841]

3. Teaching Grammar in Light of Communicative Language Teaching
Tran Hien Lan, MA. College of Foreign Languages, VNU
Ha Thi Lien Hoan, MA. Ngo Thi Nham high school, Ha Noi
Innovation in teaching and learning English is happening everywhere in Vietnam, especially
in Vietnamese secondary schools. However, how to implement changes in the way of teaching is a
real challenge. In this paper the two authors would like to introduce a new way of teaching
grammar in light of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in comparison with traditional
ways of teaching it so that those who want to change can compare it with their traditional ways of
teaching grammar and learn how to change.
Traditional teachers often focus on grammatical rules rather than meaning when teaching a
grammatical structure as they believe that learning a foreign language is about learning to master its
linguistic system and if students know the grammar rules, they will be able to communicate in the
language. The facts shows that although students can learn and remember grammar rules very well,
they can not communicate in the target language at all. The following is the typical traditional
grammar lesson in Vietnam (Nguyen Bang et al, 2003)
1.The teacher writes down the name of the grammar point on the board.
2.The teacher presents the rule and structure.
3.The teacher gives examples (in English) to illustrate the rule given.
4. The teacher gets students to make up their own sentences using the rule they have just been
given.
5.The teacher gets students to do some translation from L2 to L1 and visa versa. Very often
these are only at sentence level and are disconnected and decontextualised.
6.For homework the teacher often gets students to learn the grammar rule by heart and make
some further sentences with them.
During this kind of lesson the teacher controls the activities till the end of the lesson and
s/he tries to minimize the possibility of students making mistakes.
In a CLT classroom, however, the teacher pays more attention to enabling students to work
with the target language during the lesson and communicate in it by the end of it. The following
is the typical procedure of a grammar lesson according to a CLT author- Adrian Doff (1981).
1.The teacher uses visual aids to present the grammar structure to be taught.
2.Students deduce the meaning, the form and the use of it.
3.The teacher checks students understanding by asking yes/ no questions focusing on form,
meaning and use.
4.The teacher gets students to practice the structure through Repetition and Substitution
Drills, Word Prompts, and Picture Prompts. The teacher tries to provide maximum practice
within controlled, but realistic and contextualised frameworks and to build students’
confidence in using the new language.
5.The teacher provides students with opportunities to use new language in a freer, more
creative way. The teacher creates activities in which students can integrate new language
with the previously learnt language and apply what they have learnt to talk about their real
life activities.
What makes this kind of lesson different from the traditional is that the teacher tries to make the
language used in the lesson real and true. The teacher creates real or like-real situations in
which the language can be used. This will better enable students to communicate in Enlgish
outside the classroom. During the CLT lesson, the teacher often plays the important role of
facilitator who facilitates activities to work with the target language.
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Here is a grammar lesson for illustration of the way to teach grammar communicatively. The
grammar structure to be taught here is ‘had better’. The material is taken from lesson 8, of
Tieng Ang 11.
Teacher’s and students’ activities On – board content
Presentation : Use the dialogue in page 66
– Teacher reads the dialogue.
– students find five things the doctor and Bill
ask John (not) to do.
– Teacher writes the sentences on board.
– Students read the examples after the teacher.
– According to the situation, find out the
meaning and the form and the use of the
structure.(students do with the teacher’s help.)-You’d better take off your shirt.
-You’d better not move.
-You’d better stay a few days for
observation.
-You’d better stay here for a week or
two.
-You’d better not be worried
Practice :
Controlled practice : ‘LOOK AND SPEAK I’
-Practice making pieces of advice using
the pictures provided.
-The sentences are written on board and in
students’ textbooks.
Guided practice :
– Set a situation ‘at the doctor’s office’
-Some cue words are provided.
-Group work.
-Students ask for and give advice.
-Teachers listen, helps and correct the
grammatical mistakes .
-He’d better get up early and do
morning exercise.
-She’d better get into a non – smoking.
………
-You’d better not smoke in the cinema.
-You’d better not fish here.
……………
“ At the doctor’s office”
-Cold : – drink ginger tea
– stay in bed
– go out
-Headache: – take aspirin
– rest in bed
– stay up late
Production :
-Group work: the class is divided into groups
of fewer than 10 students each. Teacher
assigns the work: each group must have a
‘secretary’ to record everything, all the
members of the group have to take turn to
express their own problems and the others
have to give advice using structure ‘ had
better (not)’
– Go round to offer some help if necessary
and to make sure that the students use English
in their conversations.
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