26th October 2019

1. 21st Century Approaches to ELT Teaching Grammar in Context:Principles and PracticeMr Sterling WuDepartment of English Language Education Education University of HK 26th October 2019

2. Are we teaching our students English language knowledge or skills? “Pay attention class! Today we’ll continue learning how to ride a bike.”

3. Participation required: The following activities are intended to explore the relationship between language form and language meaning.

4. To participate in the activities, please go to the following link: http://tgic2019.blogspot.hk

5. Activity 1: Acceptability of Form • The reason I’m worried is because I think she is ill. • His work is different than mine. • Can I have another helping of dessert, please? • I encountered less difficulties than I expected. • Everyone put on their coats and went home. • How to spell? • Who did you meet?

6. Sentence-level Language Choices(contrasts in language form not meaning)

7. Activity 2:Sentence-level Open Choices 1. I was suddenly instructed to ______ the guard at the entrance of the embassy last night. 2. The inspector said he was not in a ______ to comment on the case. 3. ‘Cigarette?’ ‘No thanks, _______________ .

8. Activity 3:Sentence-level, Forced Choices 1. I was suddenly instructed to… the guard at the entrance of the embassy last night. • relax • relieve • stand • place 2. The inspector said he was not in a… to comment on the case. • place • position • space • power 3. ‘Cigarette?’ ‘No thanks, I’m not smoking/I don’t smoke. A. B.

9. Activity 4:Meaningful Grammar Assessment Part I - Lexical bundle activity* Use the groups of words to write a sentence. You may not change the form of any of the words. • is going to be _________________________________ • one of the things _________________________________ *Shows meaningful use of the relationship of word form and sequence.

10. Activity 4:Meaningful Grammar Assessment Part II - Meaning comprehension* Choose the sentence (A, B, or C) that has the same meaning as the given sentence. 3. "Lizzy hadn't been to the party before Tom left." A. Tom came to the party early. B. Tom and Lizzy were at the party together. C. Lizzy came to the party and didn't see Tom. *Shows comprehension of the relationship of form and meaning

11. Activity 4:Meaningful Grammar Assessment Part III - Discourse completion activity* Write a sentence in response to the situation given. 4. You need to miss class next week because of an important appointment. How would you ask your teacher for permission? __________________________________________________________________________________________ *Shows an understanding of the relationship of form and function.

12. The Dictogloss Method Dictogloss is a grammar-in-context activity that guides students to focus on the meaning of a text while noticing how specific grammar features contribute to specific meaning. Students have a chance to demonstrate target language and prior learning. Steps in Dictogloss activity: Warm-up activities (Schema building on the cultural context, social situation, text type, etc) Grammar orientation Listening to the text for meaning Reconstructing the text (individually, then in groups) Checking the text Follow-up activities (including explicit focus on grammar)

13. Dictogloss Demonstration Moroccan Cuisine and Culture http://youtu.be/yR7bgBVrr4g

14. 5 Human Needs Love (Connection, Community) People need connection and community to develop strength and thrive. Power (Autonomy, Significance) People need power and autonomy us to achieve our goals and gives our lives significance beyond Fun (Relax, Integrate) People need to recharge physical, mental and willpower energy and often integrate thinking and bond with others while playing. Survival (Safety, Protection) People need to feel safe and protected in body and soul in order to focus attention on thinking, learning, remembering. Freedom (Choice, Dignity, Respect) People need to have choices and distinguish themselves from others in order to achieve human dignity.

15. Idiom of the day: “down the rabbit hole” The idiom “(to go) down the rabbit hole” means “to enter into a situation or begin a process or journey that is particularly strange, problematic, difficult, complex, or chaotic, especially one that becomes increasingly so as it develops or unfolds”. (An allusion to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.)

16. Language learning machine: Every student has a brain; let them use it. The human brain is naturally very good at making meaning, seeking connections, integrating information and solving problems. English teaching should involve students actively in language practice and making meaning… using their brains.

17. What prevents us from using context-based activities in class? Don’t shop here!

18. Introduction to (a) grammar Lexical functional grammar (LFG) is a grammar framework in theoretical linguistics with constraint-based and generative varieties. It is a type of phrase structure grammar, as opposed to a dependency grammar. It mainly focuses on syntax, including its relation with morphology and semantics. LFG views language as being made up of multiple dimensions of structure. Each of these dimensions is represented as a distinct structure with its own rules, concepts, and form. The primary structures that have figured in LFG research are: • the representation of grammatical functions (f-structure). • the structure of syntactic constituents (c-structure). For example, in the sentence The old woman eats the falafel, the c-structure analysis is that this is a sentence which is made up of two pieces, a noun phrase (NP) and a verb phrase (VP). The VP is itself made up of two pieces, a verb (V) and another NP. The NPs are also analyzed into their parts. Finally, the bottom of the structure is composed of the words out of which the sentence is constructed. The f-structure analysis, on the other hand, treats the sentence as being composed of attributes, which include features such as number and tense or functional units such as subject, predicate, or object.

19. Now let’s learn something about…The structure of an interrogative (question) Ungrammatical questions with fronted main verbs (Swam John?) are blocked by auxiliary constraint on the fronted verb position. Since do has the auxiliary feature and does not add unwanted meaning, it is the only verb that can be chosen for inverted questions lacking any other auxiliary. Ungrammatical sentences with both a fronted and a medial auxiliary (Can he can go?) are blocked by the consistency requirement: all tokens of a given semantic predicate are given distinct indices in f-structure*. In these double-auxiliary non-sentences there are two separate entries at the same level of f-structure and consistency is thus violated. Of course, life is never that easy. *grammatical functions structure analysis (from Language Learnability and Language Developmentby Steven Pinker, page 248)

20. I know what GRAMMAR means!

21. What Is a Grammar? A grammar is a negotiated system of patterns that governs the relationship of parts within a system of systems. A grammar may provide a “framework” for most characteristics of language, including personal, emotional and culturally predetermined characteristics, including “rules”. Grammar may be simultaneously clarifying or very confusing; a natural part of a language systemor a highly technical academic subject.The difference is grammar as meaning or grammar as knowledge.

22. Let’s simplify…Pedagogical Grammar Pedagogical Grammar primarily deals with syntax and morphology: sentence-level and word-level rules and order. It includes grammatical analysis and instruction designedforsecond-language students. It often presents language in a simplified and inauthentic manner in order to facilitate teaching.

23. Characteristics of Pedagogical Grammar • Focus on correctness instead of comprehensibility orappropriateness • Grammar rules (but every rule has exceptions) • Sentence-level analysis • Contrastive analysis leaves students with the feeling of being wrong without knowing what is right • Prescriptive language is highly valued • Knowledge-based instead of skills based • Often inauthentic in an effort to conform language to teaching topic

24. Rule: Use the auxiliary verb “do” with interrogative and negative sentences; do not use “do” with affirmative sentences Exception: Use “do” with affirmative sentences to add emphasis • Does my sister live in New York? (Interrogative) • My sister does not live in New York. (Negative) • My sister lives in New York. (Affirmative) And • Do I agree with you? (Interrogative) • I do not agree with you. (Negative) • I agree with you. (Affirmative) But • My sister does live in New York! • I do agree with you! • My sister lives not in Hong Kong, but in New York.

25. Know your Auxiliary Verbs! OVERVIEW OF AUXILIARY VERB USAGE DO / DOES Used in simple present question and negative forms: What time does he get up? They don't drive to work. They take the bus. DID Used in simple past question and negative forms: When did they arrive yesterday? He didn't finish his homework last week. IS / ARE / AM Used in present continuous and for the future with 'going to': They are working hard at the moment. She is going to study medicine at university. WAS / WERE Past continuous: I was watching TV when you arrived. What were they doing while you were cooking dinner? https://www.thoughtco.com/know-your-auxiliary-verbs-1210731

26. Know your Auxiliary Verbs! (continued) HAVE / HAS Present perfect and present perfect continuous: How long have you lived here? I've been working since seven this morning. HAD Past perfect and past perfect continuous: He had eaten by the time I arrived. She had been studying for two hours when he finally telephoned. WILL / WON'T Future with 'will': What will the weather be like tomorrow? He won't understand. If you don't understand all of these tenses, don't worry. This overview chart shows the positive, negative and interrogative (question) forms of all the principal tenses in English with a brief description of the principal usage. The timeline tenses chart provides a handy visual reference sheet to English tenses and their relationship to the past, present and future. Included you will find active, passive, simple and continuous forms positioned according to their occurrence in time.​ https://www.thoughtco.com/tense-tables-1212198

27. Secondary 2: Present Perfect

28. Secondary 2: Present Perfect (cont)

29. Who’s ready to learn about the subjunctive!!!

30. Idiom of the day: “down the rabbit hole” Meaning: to enter a strange and difficult to escape place or situation When teaching grammar, teachers sometimes find themselves, like Alice, down a rabbit hole.

32. Scott Thornbury’s 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching • The Rule of Context • The Rule of Use • The Rule of Economy • The Rule of Relevance • The Rule of Nurture • The Rule of Appropriacy

33. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 1 The Rule of Context Teach grammar in context. If you must take an item out of context to focus on it, recontextualize it as soon as possible. Always associate grammar form with the meaning of the speaker or author.

34. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 2 The Rule of Use Teach grammar with the objective of improving the learners’ understanding and production of real language – never as an end in itself. Always provide opportunities for students to put the grammar to some communicative use: practice, practice, practice!

35. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 3 The Rule of Economy In order to obey Rule 2 (The Rule of Use), be economical. Minimize presentation and direct explanation time in order to provide maximum practice time. SHOW! Don’t Tell By practicing, students think, communicate, experience learning and remember language.

36. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 4 The Rule of Relevance Do not waste time on grammar items or rules that students already know or will soon forget (e.g., every kind of question tag in one lesson or more than one or two contrastive examples). Allow Chinese to facilitate instruction (e.g. task design), not to simplify or replace English language meaning and objectives.

37. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 5 The Rule of Nurture The most difficult rule: teaching does not cause learning. The right environment, conditions and opportunity for learning and practice do. Language learning is not an “ah ha! Eureka!” kind of learning. It is orienteering: finding one’s way through a jungle step by step, accumulating knowledge and skills through a long, slow, deliberate process.

38. The 6 Rules of Grammar Teaching: Number 6 The Rule of Appropriacy Consider all these rules according to the level, needs, interests, expectations and learning styles of the students. These same rules may lead one teacher to focus on explicit grammar teaching more and another to explicitly focus on grammar…not at all.

39. In Summary Teach Language Context Teach Language Meaning Practice Language Skills

40. Why Grammar Matters:A difference in form may be a difference in meaning I eat dinner with dad. The old man was hit by the car last night. Sue eat sandwiches for lunch. If I’m you, I’ll go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday). I ate dinner with dad. The car hit the old man last night. Sue eats sandwiches for lunch. If I were you, I’d go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday).

41. Why Grammar Context Matters:A difference in form may be a difference in meaning Example: Target is meaning in context. I eat dinner with dad. The old man was hit by the car last night. Sue eat sandwiches for lunch. If I’m you, I’ll go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday). I ate dinner with dad. The car hit the old man last night. Sue eats sandwiches for lunch. If I were you, I’d go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday).

42. Why Grammar Context Matters:A difference in form may be a difference in meaning Example: Target is meaning in context, acceptable form I eat dinner with dad. The old man was hit by the car last night. Sue eat sandwiches for lunch. If I’m you, I’ll go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday). I ate dinner with dad. The car hit the old man last night. Sue eats sandwiches for lunch. If I were you, I’d go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday).

43. Why Grammar Context Matters:A difference in form may be a difference in meaning Example: Target is specific meaning in context, acceptable form. I eat dinner with dad. The old man was hit by the car last night. Sue eat sandwiches for lunch. If I’m you, I’ll go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday). I ate dinner with dad. The car hit the old man last night. Sue eats sandwiches for lunch. If I were you, I’d go on Thursday (instead of Wednesday).

44. Conclusions • Meaning is most motivating • Minds are adapted for language learning – harness the tendency to seek meaning • Children’s mental lives are rich, complex and creative – use topics and contexts that are relevant and engaging • Pre-adolescent children need meaningful language experience and practice, not labels (metalanguage) or decontextualized word/sentence level language exercises • Adolescent and post-adolescent students can analyze the meaning of language and its relationship to grammar – in order to make good choices; but such analysis should be subordinate to practicing meaningful interactions

45. Takeaway Learning knowledge requires instruction and recall. Learning skills requires coaching and practice.

46. Thank you for coming! Questions or Comments?

47. Notes for English Teachers Lesson Design

48. Guidelines:Alternative Ways to Teach Grammar Goal Content Process Grammar lessons should be: • Text-based (Content Focus) • Awareness-Raising (Inductive Process Focus) • Task-based (Goal Focus) • Production-based (Meaningful Practice and Recycling)

49. T - Text-based Instruction Every grammar lesson should begin with examples of the target form modelled within a comprehensible English text.

50. AR - Awareness-Raising Grammar Instruction Grammar lessons should require students to think about and understand the relationship between grammar form and language meaning.