Carol
and other ATEGers,
I
wonder if I might be the "devil's advocate" in response to Carol's
statement that Hartwell's article "seems quite important." It has
indeed been granted a great deal of importance by many people since its 1985
publication, and it continues to be referred to reverentially by those who,
like Hartwell, despise(d) the teaching of grammar and wish to see it removed from
the English curriculum.
However,
I think that even a cursory reading of Hartwell's 1985 article easily reveals
(1) the serious flaws in his arguments against the teaching of grammar, and (2)
the major inaccuracies in his handling of other scholarly sources, especially
those who do not agree with his point of view. At the time the article was
published, serious objections were raised against his positions by several reputable
scholars.
My
point is that even though Hartwell’s article has been seen by some as one
of the “definitive” statement on the “classification”
of grammar and as one of the major pillars against the teaching of grammar in
the writing classroom, its conclusions are disputed. It’s long past time
for someone to write a thorough critique and refutation of Hartwell’s
article.
Tim
Timothy
D. Hadley
Assistant
Professor of Professional Writing
English
Department
Missouri
State University
Springfield,
MO 65897
office
417.836.5332, fax 417.836.4226
Editor,
ATEG Journal
-----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 5:17 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
>
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