From Judith Diamondstone: [following a discussion of explicit vs. implicit learning] >>>>>With respect to gtrammar instruction, the problem is one of WHAT is >explicated -- wh. pretty much covers the history of discussion on ATEG. >WHICH meta-language, which concepts.... Maybe this isn't the most productive focus . . . If you really want to get grammar back into the curriculum, we need to look not only at the WHAT, but also at the HOW. Teachers that associate grammar instruction with drill and kill are of course going to be reluctant to putting it back into the curriculum -- it looks like a focus away from really critical thinking skills, although it doesn't need to be that way. We need to rethink our approaches to teaching grammar, and look at new possibilities. Connecting sentence structure to style is one vital component of that, but may not be the only possible way of critically approaching grammar instruction. It definitely needs to go beyond memorizing names for structures and being able to identify them in boring grammar book exercises that consume time but do little else of worth. It may also be worth noting, that if we look at different types of HOW, some of our understanding about WHAT is possible might conceivably change. We might find that when the HOW is approached differently, children are capable of doing things they hadn't been when we tried other approaches to teaching them. Not to say that there is one right way, but we do need different approaches than is currently the norm. >>>>>>>But for me, questions of identity (motivation) enter the >picture from the start. The question of explication has to follow what it >is the student wants to know. Woops - I'm about to veer off topic so I'll >stop here. Ah, but perhaps this is an important topic, as well. If you catch a student's attention, the student just might start to want to know things s/he wasn't interested in previously. (Another benefit of sentence structure imitation, BTW -- it's just plain fun. It allows a certain amount of humor and creativity even as it restricts the form. The kids love it!) Susan To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/