In a message dated 9/22/2007 11:09:54 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Failing this, perhaps he could provide anecdotal
evidence derived from his own teaching. However, if he chooses to
do so, may I suggest that he will need to provide a detailed account
including:
a) what the grammatical problem is;
b) which examplars he gave and how he presented
them;
c) how many of the students reached the correct
generalisation without direct help.
d) how many failed to do
so.
Hi,
I'm a little puzzled. For years I have been a member of this
list. I have posted pleas for curricula, observations of my students,
ideas that I have tested in my classroom, and responses to others' posts.
Even when people have disagreed with me, I have always felt welcome and free to
kick around my middle school experience, even knowing that most of you are
secondary and post-secondary.
Has the tenor of the list changed so that I have to conduct field
tests before engaging in a discussion? It seems that lately, no one
can make a teaching suggestion without being challenged to write a paper, citing
the literature and the psychometric data analysis behind it.
Is there still room on the list for the informal discussion of
grammar teaching? If not, can anyone suggest another list? From the
onslaught of off-list mail I got over my attempts to capture the attention of
middle schoolers in a grammar class, there at least a few people who want
to discuss ideas in a less . . . restrictive manner.
~Gretchen