Teaching Grammar without Teaching GrammarInput-Oriented Grammar InstructionUsing Listening and Reading to Provide Structured Input
Ken Herbert—Nomen Global Language CentersJessica Hercules—Granite Peaks Adult Education
Intermountain TESOL Conference October 16, 2014
CreditsMaterial for this presentation adapted from:
Lee, J., & Van Patten, B. (2003). Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen. New York: McGraw Hill.
Farley, A. (2007). PPT Presentation, Texas Tech University.
Benati, A. (2011). Generalizability of Processing Instruction Research. Presentation at International Seminar on Instructed Second Language Learning. Vitoria-Gastiez, May 13, 2011
Do you teach a specific grammar section?
Do you have a textbook you are required to use?
What does grammar instruction look like in your classroom?
What are some specific approaches to teaching
grammar you have heard of?
Do you follow any of these approaches in your classroom
currently?
Change the following into negative statements:
1. I am happy._______________________.
2. We are sad._______________________.
3. They are tired._______________________.
4. You are funny._______________________.
5. She is hungry._______________________.
Conjugate the be verb in each sentence.
1. I (be) happy._______________________.
2. We (be) sad._______________________.
3. They (be) tired._______________________.
4. You (be) funny._______________________.
5. She (be) hungry._______________________.
Have you seen or used activities like these?
Objectives for this sessionDemonstrate understanding of
the issues involved in learning and teaching grammar
the nature of input, intake, and input processing
Processing Instruction (PI), Structured Input (SI) and the role of the form-meaning connection
by participating in the development of SI activities.
What we will explore in this session
A brief look at traditional approaches to teaching/learning grammar
Processing Instruction (PI) and Structured Input (SI)
Your Take-away Undergo a paradigm shift in terms of how you teach
grammar in relation to the process going on in a student’s head as the brain attempts to construct a version of the target language (implicit, developing linguistic system)
Realize where in the process you are introducing skill getting activities and where you are introducing skill using activities
Catch the vision of what Structured Input activities can mean to your students and to your approach to introducing grammar concepts
If this stuff is so good, why isn’t everybody doing it?10-15 years for published research to work its way through an extremely convoluted system
This particular research is within the context of SLAForeign languages (other than English) are often the first to apply the “new” model.
For wider acceptance, there are some closely-held beliefs within “traditional” approaches to teaching grammar that must be overcome.
Some research into the (in)effectiveness of traditional approaches to teaching grammar:
Barcroft & Wong (2013); Benati (2003); Bybee (1991); Doughty & Williams (1998); Ellis (1983; Ellis (1989); Farley (2003); Gass (1997); Gass & Selinker (1992); Kaplan (1987); Krashen (1982); Larsen-Freeman & Long (1991); Lee & VanPatten (2003); Lightbown (1983); LoCoco (1976); Muscemi (1997); Pica (1983); Sanz & Morgan-Short (2003); VanPatten & Mandell (1999); Terrell, Baycroft, & Perrone (1987); VanPatten & Oikennon (1996); White (1977); Wong (2003); …….
Lee & VanPatten (2003), pp 117-129
Traditional Approaches to Teaching Grammar
Traditional Approaches to Teaching Grammar
1. That’s the way I learned, so…
2. Drills are effective tools for learning grammar• Mechanical Meaningful Communicative
3. Explicit explanation is necessary
4. The first language is the source of all errors
5. Acquisition involves the learning of paradigms
Lee & VanPatten (2003), pp 117-129
Traditional Approaches to Teaching GrammarMechanical approaches
• behavioral in nature• focus on form through • detailed explicit instruction• paradigms/diagrams• mechanical drills • repetition• rote memory
• do not allow for communication or self-expression
• usually lead to “planned parrot-hood.”Lee & VanPatten (2003), pp 117-129
Traditional Approaches to Teaching Grammar
Communicative approaches • focus on exchange of information• deem explicit grammar instruction
unnecessary • place focus on form on back burner • reward communication at expense of
accuracy • lead to “false” advanced and
intermediate learnersLee & VanPatten (2003), pp 117-129
Traditional Approaches to Teaching GrammarSome research into the (in)effectiveness of
traditional approaches to teaching grammar:
Benati (2003); Bybee (1991); Doughty & Williams (1998); Ellis (1983; Ellis (1989); Farley (2003); Gass (1997); Gass & Selinker (1992); Kaplan (1987); Krashen (1982); Larsen-Freeman & Long (1991); Lee & VanPatten (2003); Lightbown (1983); LoCoco (1976); Muscemi (1997); Pica (1983); Sanz & Morgan-Short (2003); VanPatten & Mandell (1999); Terrell, Baycroft, & Perrone (1987); VanPatten & Oikennon (1996); White (1977); Wong (2003); …….
Lee & VanPatten (2003), pp 117-129
Some working assumptionsInput“. . . acquisition involves the creation of an implicit linguistic system, one that exists outside of awareness.”
(Lee and VanPatten, 2003, p. 132).
This developing system is dependent upon input grows as learners receive and process a significant
amount of input requires input that is both comprehensible and
meaningful
Some working assumptions
“The concept of input is perhaps the single most important concept of second language acquisition.” (Gass, 1997, p. 1)
“All cases of successful first and second language acquisition are characterized by the availability of comprehensible input.” (Larsen-Freeman & Long, 1991, p. 142)
Some working assumptions
Successful Language Acquisition Begins with INPUT
Language Acquisition Cannot Happen Without INPUT
Some working assumptionsInput defined in the context of this presentation
Samples of meaning-bearing language that learners are exposed to in a communicative setting
This meaning-bearing language communicates some kind of message
Some working assumptionsIntake Intake = linguistic information in the input that learners attend to and hold in working memory during real-time comprehension.
The way in which learners process input can have a huge effect on the intake they derive from it.
Some working assumptions Input Processing Attempts to explain how learners get form while
their primary attention is on meaning. Humans possess
a finite, short-term “working memory”mechanisms to selectively filter the input coming in
“…during the act of comprehension, learners will do whatever is necessary to grasp whatever meaning they can from the input.” (Lee & VanPatten, 2003, p. 138)
Some working assumptionsStructured Input (SI) Input that is structured in ways that push
learners to become dependent on grammatical form and structure to get meaning Form-meaning connections (mapping)
SI is more effective than input provided through traditional means.
SI helps the learners build the their developing linguistic system.
Some working assumptions Input = raw, unfiltered, unprocessed linguistic data
Intake = the linguistic info that learners actually attend to Filtered and stored in working memory for processing
Processing Mechanism = converts intake into form-meaning connections that build the developing linguistic system
Structured Input = input that has been modified to force learners to become dependent on grammatical form and structure to get meaning
Traditional LessonIntroduce the simple past Review present tense Introduce simple past tense Compare/Contrast structures Go over rules Explore paradigm charts Show how certain words require a past form
“yesterday” requires “walked” Complete practice drills—MechanicalMeaningful Perform a “communicative” activity
Traditional Lesson
Listen to each sentence. Does the action take place in the past or in the present? (Teacher reads each sentence aloud.)
1. Yesterday, I walked my dog around the block.
2. Right now, the restaurant across the street is open.
Why traditional approaches to teaching grammar are ineffective
Input Intake
Developing
Linguistic System
Output
Focused Practice
Processing Mechanism
s
Rules Paradigms
Explicit Instruction
Without access to meaning
Tarzan and Joe
J: “Hi, I’m Joe.”T: “Me Tarzan.”J: “Awesome outfit. Where are you going?”T: “Go to dance.”J: “Really?! Are you part of the entertainment?”T: “Find Jane. Dance.”
Brief Recap
Importance of learner’s developing linguistic systemReasons for focusing on input/intakeThe role of intakeThe interaction among input, intake, the learner’s
developing system, and outputHow the traditional approach reinforces the
learner’s faulty processing strategies (“yesterday”; “right now”)
Processing-Oriented Approach to Teaching Grammar
Lee and Van Patten propose a different model of instruction Processing instruction
focuses on input and how learners process input (intake)proceeds from input to output
from decontextualized sentences to richly contextualized connected discourse
Processing-Oriented Approach to Teaching Grammar
Before producing output, learnersare given information about a particular linguistic structure or form
are provided with information about helpful strategies for learning the form or structure
process the form or structure using structured input activities to promote form-meaning connections
Only after this phase will learners be required to produce output.
Input Processing
Two main principles:1. The Primacy of Meaning Principle. Learners process input for meaning before they process it for form.
Today, Jill is working at home.
2. The First Noun Principle. Learners tend to process the first noun or pronoun they encounter in a sentence as the subject or agent.
With John, he has to be extra careful.
(Lee and VanPatten, 2003, p. 139)
Input Processing
The Primacy of Meaning Principle. Learners process input for meaning before they process it for form.
The Lexical Preference Principle. Learners tend to rely on lexical items as opposed to grammatical form to get meaning when both encode the same semantic meaning.
Input Processing
The Lexical Preference Principle. Learners tend to rely on lexical items as opposed to grammatical form to get meaning when both encode the same semantic meaning.
Listen to each sentence. Does the action take place in the past or in the present? (Teacher reads each sentence aloud.) 1. I walked my dog. 2. The restaurant is open.
Things to Notice
I walked the dog. ___Past ___PresentHighly decontextualizedThe form, “walked” encodes meaning (past time)
The learner must extract meaning from form
As the learner connects form with meaning, intake is occurring
Rethinking Grammar Instruction: Processing Instruction and Structured Input
Input Intake
Developing System Output
Structured Input
Processing Mechanism
s
Rules Paradigms
Explicit Instruction
Structured Output
Focused Practice
with access to meaning
(Adapted from Lee and VanPatten, 2003, p. 142)
The Goal of Structured InputTo push learners away from faulty processing strategies…
lexical preference
first noun strategy
sentence location
Yesterday, Bill walked home.
With John, he has to be extra careful.
With John, he has to be extra careful.
Adapted from Farley (2007)
The Goal of Structured InputTo push learners toward better processing strategies…
attending to the form itself to get meaning and build form-meaning connections
identifying the function of nouns (and other parts of speech) correctly.
processing sentence-medial items
Adapted from Farley (2007)
Change the following into negative statements:
1. I am happy._______________________.
2. We are sad._______________________.
3. They are tired._______________________.
4. You are funny._______________________.
5. She is hungry._______________________.
Conjugate the be verb in each sentence.
1. I (be) happy._______________________.
2. We (be) sad._______________________.
3. They (be) tired._______________________.
4. You (be) funny._______________________.
5. She (be) hungry._______________________.
● ordering and ranking● surveys● matching● selecting alternatives● agree/disagree● true/false
Alternatives to “make these sentences negative”
Guidelines for Developing SI ActivitiesPresent one thing at a timeKeep meaning in focusMove from sentences to connected discourse
Use both oral and written inputHave the learner do something with the input
Keep the learner’s processing strategies in mind.
Guidelines for Developing SI Activities
Keep the learner’s processing strategies in mind.Learners should focus on
grammatical itemsNOT ON
other elements of the sentence
2 Types of SI Activities
Referential AffectiveReferential activities are those for which there is a right or wrong answer and for which the learner must
rely on the targeted grammatical form to get
meaning.
Affective structured input activities are those in which learners express opinions,
beliefs, or have some other personal response in
processing information about the real world.
Referential
AffectiveFollow-up
Teacher assesses intake
Follow-up Activities: Output
Agree or Disagree Voting “for” or “against” something Share and compare Survey Compare old and new opinions
following new information
The culminating task:
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