Thank you. Those reports are interesting. I find this
part especially intriguing:
"Taking into account the results and conclusions of
the accompanying in-depth review on the teaching of
formal grammar the main implication for policy of the
current review is that the National Curriculum in
England and accompanying guidance needs to be revised
to take into account the findings of research: that
the teaching of formal grammar (and its derivatives)
is ineffective; and the teaching of sentence combining
is one (of probably a number of) method(s) that is
effective."
Because I do a combination of what many would term
"skills/drills" exercises, lessons in grammar which
are unit specific (fragments, run-ons, comma
splices,verb problems, adjectives & adverbs, and
more), and contextually rich grammar exercises that
use the students' own essays, I am wondering what the
results of this type of study would prove. I believe
that a combination of approaches is useful when
teaching grammar, and never under the pretense that
this teaching is displacing other "more important"
aspects of teaching writing. I think of grammar
instruction as an integral addition to a writing
curriculum that is richly diverse.

--- "Castilleja, Janet" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> I currently teach a grammar class for prospective
> teachers.  I always
> have them read the Hartwell article, which I believe
> I first read around
> 1985 or 86.  
> 
> I would encourage anyone interested in a synthesis
> of research into the
> effect of grammar-teaching on student writing to
> read these reports: 
> 
> http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=229
> 
> http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=232
> 
> The EPPI Centre "conducts systematic reviews of
> research evidence across
> a range of topics and works with a large number of
> funders" according to
> their website.  What they are trying to do is
> influence public policy by
> studying research that has been done in a number of
> areas, including the
> teaching of English, to determine what the research
> actually shows.
> Their question is "what has been shown to work?" 
> I'm surprised more
> people in the US aren't aware of this group.
> 
> Janet Castilleja
> Toppenish  WA
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol
> Morrison
> Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 3:17 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Patrick Hartwell's Article
> 
> Thank you. I am only halfway through his article,
> but
> it seems quite important. I currently give formal
> grammar instruction to four freshman sections of
> basic
> writing (at the most basic level) and I am trying to
> figure out why so few of the other composition
> teachers do this. I am sure that there is value in
> it,
> but I suppose that this needs to be proved.
> CLM
> --- Bob Yates <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> > Carol,
> > 
> > In the grammar course I teach for pre-service
> > English teachers, I make specific mention of them.
> 
> > 
> >  If there is one grammar Hartwell leaves out, it
> is
> > one that describes the kind of grammar an second
> > language learner of English needs to have.  
> > 
> > Bob Yates, University of Central Missouri
> > 
> > >>> Carol Morrison <[log in to unmask]>
> > 10/18/2007 12:30 PM >>>
> > Can someone tell me whether the (5) categories of
> > grammar that Hartwell outlines (Grammar 1-Grammar
> 5)
> > are commonly referred to when one speaks of
> teaching
> > grammar? The article to which I am referring is
> > "Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar."
> > Until reading this article, I did not realize that
> > grammar had been divided into those
> classifications.
> > Thank you.
> >    
> >   Carol Morrison 
> > 
> > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit
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> > 
> > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
> > 
> 
> 
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