Current Issues in the Teaching of Grammar: An SLA Perspective Rod Ellis

The eight questions that the author wanted to address Should we teach grammar, or should we simply create the conditions by which learners learn naturally? What grammar should we teach? When should we teach grammar? Is it best to teach grammar when learners first start to learn an L2 or wait until later when learners have already acquired some linguistic competence?

Should grammar instruction be massed or distributed? Should grammar instruction be intensive or extensive? Is there any value in teaching explicit grammatical knowledge?

Is there a best way to teach grammar for implicit knowledge? Should grammar be taught in separate lessons or integrated into communicative activities?

Defining grammar teaching Presentation of grammar Practice of grammar Intensive grammar teaching: involving learners discovering grammatical rules for themselves Exposing learners to input contrived to provide multiple exemplars of the target structure Providing corrective feedback on learner errors when these arise in the context of performing some communicative task

Should we teach grammar Naturalistic L2 acquisition Corder (1967) and Krashen (1981) argued that grammar instruction played no role in acquisition. They believe that learners would automatically proceed along their built-in syllabus as long as they had access to comprehensible input and were sufficiently motivated..

What grammar should we teach

When should we teach grammar

Should grammar teaching be massed or distributed

Should grammar teaching be intensive or extensive

Is there any value in teaching explicit grammatical knowledge

Is there a best way to teach grammar for implicit knowledge

Should grammar be taught in separate lessons or integrated into communicative activities

Conclusion