Pedagogical Grammar (PG)Prepared by:

ANDREW VIRTUCIO GACUMAA report for EDL 201

College of Education, University of the Philippines Diliman

Quick rundown of the report:

•Definitions of PG•Factors of PG•The structure of PG•PG and other grammars•Design of PG•Application on a sample lesson•Discussion of a recent journal article

DEFINITIONS OF PEDAGOGICAL

GRAMMAR

“A comparatively informal framework of definitions, diagrams,

exercises, and verbalized rules which may help a learner to acquire

knowledge.”(Allen, 1974)

DEFINITIONS OF PG

“Pedagogical grammar results from the consolidation and integration of the findings and insights of these areas: LINGUISTICS, LANGUAGE

PEDAGOGY and the FIELD OF APPLICATION (foreign language

teaching).”(Bausch)

DEFINITIONS OF PG

“A mixture of prescriptive and descriptive statements.”

(Greenbaum, 1987)

DEFINITIONS OF PG

“A cover term for any learner- or teacher-oriented description or prescription of foreign language rule complexes with the aim of promoting and guiding learning

processes in the acquisition of that language.”

(Dirven, 1990)

DEFINITIONS OF PG

“Pedagogical grammar usually denotes the types of grammatical analysis and instruction designed for the needs of second language

students.”(Odlin, 1994)

DEFINITIONS OF PG

A pedagogic grammar is a description of how to use the grammar of a language to communicate, for people wanting to learn the target language. It can be compared

with a reference grammar, which just describes the grammar of the language.

Pedagogic grammars contain assumptions about how learners learn, follow certain

linguistic theories in their descriptions, and are written for a specific target audience.

(British council) DEFINITIONS OF PG

Main concerns of PG are:- the aims of grammar teaching (knowing about grammar or using grammar; manipulating sentences or free production)- the categorisation of grammar (form, meaning, use) into units which will form a syllabus or teaching objectives- the extent to which grammar should be dealt with separately from other aspects of language- the use of rules, in particular in how far a cognitive focus on grammar rules assists acquisition- the type of grammatical exercises and activities which will lead to automatization.

FACTORS OF PEDAGOGICAL

GRAMMAR

•Audience•Linguistic theories to establish descriptive framework

•Theoretical assumptions on how learners learn a second language

•Prescription•Complementary exercises

FACTORS OF PG

FACTORS OF PG

STRUCTURE OFPEDAGOGICAL

GRAMMAR

PG structure has the following:

1. A set of grammatical objectives for a syllabus, school textbook, lesson or teaching sequence.

2. Specified grammar rules making them available to learners – by explanation, illustration, exemplification, discovery of rules by students themselves etc.

3. A set of learning aims for specific exercise and activities – that is to say, determining what role a particular exercise might play in enhancing learning.

4. Methodology – devising and evaluating grammar exercises and activities to be given to students.

5. Test of grammatical competence and performance.

PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR

and other grammars

PG and other grammars (Dirven, 1990) Grammar

Pedagogical grammar Descriptive grammar

Learning Teaching Reference Linguistic grammar grammar grammar grammar

What is a reference grammar?

A reference grammar is a prose-like description of the major grammatical constructions in a language, illustrated with examples.

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words

Simple Present

A: He speaks. N: He does not speak. Q: Does he speak?

action in the present taking place once, never or several times

facts

actions taking place one after another

action set by a timetable or schedule

always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually if sentences type I (If I talk, …)

Present Progressive

A: He is speaking. N: He is not speaking. Q: Is he speaking?

action taking place in the moment of speaking

action taking place only for a limited period of time

action arranged for the future

at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now

Reference grammar || Pedagogical grammarDesigned to teach someone about the

language and to give readers a

reference tool for looking up specific

details of the language.

Designed to teach someone how to use a language.

Organized according to universal structural

categories.

Organized according to usefulness and ease

of learning.

Reference grammar || Pedagogical grammarContains chapters which tend to be longer than those in a

pedagogical grammar.

Contains chapters which tend to be short and contain very

brief grammatical explanations.

Contains chapters which consist mostly of explanation plus one or two examples of every point

mentioned.

Contains chapters which consist mostly of exercises that help the reader practice and internalize

the various structures as well as vocabulary and pronunciation.

Reference grammar || Pedagogical grammarWritten for individuals who have some understanding of language as a universal

phenomenon and who wish to learn how the particular language described fits into universal understandings of

human language.

Written for a group a

people.

DESIGN OFPEDAGOGICAL

GRAMMAR

1. The content of the syllabus is useful and relevant to the learners.

2. Instructions contain explanation how language works.

3. Rules drawn from the standard reference grammar are articulated in a way that is definite, coherent, non-technical, cumulative and heuristic.

4. Grammar structures are accurate, meaningful and appropriate.

5. Method used is suited to the needs and interests of the learners.

6. Utilizes authentic texts and contextualized sentences.

7. Chooses activities for accuracy, fluency and restructuring.

8. Uses varied drill sequences.

9. If evaluation is included, it has to be congruent with the learning objectives.

Small group activity: ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLE LESSON

APPROACHES TO GRAMMAR TEACHING

DEDUCTIVE APPROACH (rule-driven)

Kinds of rules:A good rule should observe:• Limitation • Clarity• Simplicity• Familiarity• Relevance

• Prescriptive (says how things are done)

• Descriptive (describes what you say or should do)

• Pedagogic (rule of form and rule of use)

Advantages: Disadvantages:• Time saving• Respects the intelligence and learner’s expectations

• Allows teacher to deal with language points as they come along

• May be off putting for students

• Learners may have not sufficient metalanguage

• Teacher-catered; at the expense of students’ involvement

• Explanation is seldom memorable

INDUCTIVE APPROACH (rule discovery)

• Learners work out rules themselves.• Makes use of various techniques:

- Generative situation- Guided discovery- Minimal sentence pairs- Concordance data

Advantages: Disadvantages:

• More likely to fit into existing mental structures

• Ensures a greater degree of cognitive depth

• Ensures longer memorability• Learners are actively involved,

attentive and motivated• Favors pattern-recognition

abilities, problem-solving abilities

• Extra language practice if done collaboratively

• Conducive to learner’s autonomy

• Rules are not the main target

• Time consuming• Danger of

hypothesizing the wrong rule

• Sometimes, there is no rule formation

• Often frustrating

RULES OF GRAMMAR TEACHING

1. The rule of Context- teach grammar in context

2. The rule of Use- provide opportunities for some

communicative use3. The rule of Economy

- minimize presentation time, maximize practice time

4. The rule of Relevance- teach only the grammar that students

have problems with5. The rule of Nurture

- provide right conditions for grammar learning

6. The rule of Appropriateness- teach grammar according to the level, needs, interests, expectations and learning styles of the students

THANK YOU

REFERENCES:

Allen, J.P.B (1974). Pedagogic grammar. In J.P.B. Allen & S. P. Corder (Eds.), The Edinburgh course in applied linguistics (vol.3, pp. 59-92. Oxford, UK; Oxford University Press.

Altenberg, E. P., Vago, R. M (2010). English Grammar: Understanding the basics. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Dirven, R.(1990). Pedagogical grammar. Language Teaching, 23, 1-18.

Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics 1(2) (2015). 13–34 EJAL Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics The role of theory in pedagogical grammar: A Cognitive + Communicative approach David Newby a * a University of Graz, Austria, and University of Bergen, Norway.

Towell, Richard. 2004. Design of a Pedagogic Grammar. Center for Language, Linguistics and Area Studies. hiitp://llas.ak.uk. Accessed June 16, 2014.

Thornbury, S. (1999). How To Teach Grammar. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited

T. Odlin (Ed.), Perspectives on pedagogical grammar. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Wang, W. (2003). How is Pedagogical Grammar defined in current TESOL Training Practice? TESL Canada Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1.Newby, D. (1989) Grammar for Communication, Vienna: Österreichischer Bundesverlag