In a message dated 9/10/2007 5:45:53 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Though it is clearly desirable to trial approaches which engage  students' 
interest and involvement, one should not confuse the latter with  effectiveness 
in improving studens' production of more accurate  grammar.


Hello,
 
I absolutely agree that empirical evidence is necessary.  I'm  a loooong way 
from a book.  However, my students are lucky to be from the  upper middle 
class and in some cases, the wealthy upper class.  Their  production of "correct" 
grammar is very good, barring a few "between you and I"  and lesser/fewer 
problems.  My aim is to engage them in analyzing grammar  and making it seem 
interesting at the same time.  I can't teach  lesser/fewer with countable nouns if 
they don't know (and don't care) what a  countable noun is.
 
At this point the class is less about error  detection/prevention than it is 
about helping them find out that grammar is  fascinating.  With a little luck, 
they will stay interested enough to want  to take a linguistics class in 
college, rather than avoiding it at all  costs.  My little class is obviously 
silly in many ways (see original  subject line).  But for the first time in many 
of their lives, grammar is a  class to which they look forward. I hope that's 
worthwhile.
 
Thanks,
Gretchen



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