1. Teaching Grammar, Approaches and Tips
Hadeel AlKamli & Shatha Alorabi

2. Session Outline Approaches to teach grammar
Advantages and disadvantages of each approach
Teaching grammar do’s and don'ts
Tips on how to teach grammar

3. Approaches to Teach Grammar
Presentation- Practice-Production PPP
Test-Teach-Test TTT
Text Based TB

4. Approaches to Teach Grammar
1. Presentation- Practice- Production (PPP) focuses on:
Presenting target language in a meaningful context.
Encouraging accurate production.
Drilling
Purposeful production.

5. Approaches to Teach Grammar
2. Test- Teach- Test (TTT) focuses on:
Testing students by giving them a communicative task before and after teaching.
Adjusting the teaching stage according to the learners' abilities.
Communicative purpose.
Raising learners' awareness of their language needs.

6. Approaches to Teach Grammar
3. Text- Based (TB) focuses on:
Building a context.
Deconstructing and constructing the given text.
Students reflection on the lesson.

7. Advantages and Disadvantages of each Approach

8. Advantages of PPP: Disadvantages of PPP:
 PPP may appeal to learners whose educational background means they
don’t like taking risks with language
do not want to be exposed
 Less experienced teachers may find this approach more reassuring because
there are clear language aims and learning outcomes
there is less/no risk of other language forms arising that they haven’t planned for
Disadvantages of PPP:
being very teacher controlled
not being humanistic
assuming that the learners all have the same language needs

9. Advantages of TTT: Disadvantages of TTT:
This is a learner-oriented activity, because it is adjusted to meet the learners needs.
Learners play more active role in their learning.
Disadvantages of TTT:
The teacher needs to be very careful in selecting the initial task.
Some learners may perceive the initial stage as a waste of time.

10. Advantages of TB: Disadvantages of TB:
The language is in context, so the meaning is clearer, and learners can see how the language is naturally used in a written text or   in spoken discourse.
there is a learner-centered approach to grammar analysis.
Disadvantages of TB:
the language in the text can seem a little contrived.
Students can get confused by grammatical terms.

11. How to Teach Grammar Effectively; "Do's" and "Don'ts" To Keep in Mind

12. Do's for Effective Grammar Instruction
Use authentic writing situations every day.
Find short periods of time during the day to ask grammar questions or oral “grammar quizzes”.
Use a variety of assessment measures to support student learning.
Go deep with a few skills and concepts.
Use engaging and relevant writing situations to engage students in grammatical exercises.
Encourage students to read a variety of nonfiction, informational, and fiction texts in order to expose them to multiple texts and a variety of writing situations.
Directly teach and model each grammar concept; use your own writing and think-aloud to model grammar instruction.
Continue to reinforce skills and concepts throughout the year.

13. Don'ts for Effective Grammar Instruction
Assess every single grammatical choice a student makes.
Have students complete only grammar worksheets without purpose for practice.
Teach too many skills at one time.
Learn skills and abandon them.
Become overwhelmed by the number of grammar skills students need to know.

14. How to Teach Grammar Effectively; Tips!

15. Tips! 1. Concept Checking Questions (CCQs)
 Concept checking question is designed to check for understanding of grammar, vocabulary,… etc. and for anytime a teacher wants to ask, ‘Do you understand?’”
A big no-no in any classroom should be “Do you understand?” or any variant thereof for three simple reasons:
Students may think they understand and therefore answer “yes;”
Some students are too shy to answer “no.”
It is a lazy way to “check” understanding without actually doing so.

16. Tips! There are a few rules about using CCQs:
Always prepare these in advance.
The questions need to be simple and require closed-ended answers.
CCQs should never be directed to the whole class or just the top students..
New language or vocabulary that students are not familiar with should not be added to the CCQs.

17. Tips! 2. Break your grammar lesson into chunks
You should break up the grammar that you need to teach. You need to introduce and explain the grammar. Also, you need to show how it can be used in a context, then give the students an activity or two to practice the target language..
One of the key things with teaching grammar is preparation beforehand.
Choose examples that clearly reinforce the target language, and if there is time at the end of the lesson, then briefly talk about the exceptions and save it for the next lesson (or review lesson).

18. Tips! Steps to follow to break up the grammar into manageable pieces:
Use the white board to write down the grammar rule.
Explain the grammar and point out why and when we use it.
Use contextual oral and written examples that will target both auditory and visual learning styles.
Ask the students to give you some additional examples.
Point out the exceptions to the grammar rule if applicable.

19. Tips! 3. Start from the Beginning
This one is really important. You need to make sure that your students have a solid understanding of the basics before you move to more abstract concepts.

20. Tips! 4. Motivating Your Students
If your students don’t already have a natural interest in something, they need to see why learning about it is necessary.
You can engage your students in a discussion of whether or not grammar matters and why.
Older students are closer to the “real world” and they have an interest in their future careers. Because of that, you could have a discussion about grammar as it relates to job prospects.

22. References
(Six Musts for Teaching Grammar)