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