Dear ATEG members, I thought you all might be interested in this passage from an article by Carol Numrich, "On Becoming a Language Teacher: Insights from Diary Studies,: in the TESOL Quarterllyl Vol 30 No.1 Spring 1996: Under the section of recommendations for teacher educators: Require a grammar course for novice teachers. (p. 147). Lack of knowledge of grammar was probably one of the beggest concerns of the teachers in this stud y. Their diary entries consistently reflected a lack of security in their teaching of grammar. Novice teachers who have received no formal instruction in English grammar may feel particularly unequipped to deal with the kinds of questions posed by ESL students who have previously had a great deal of formal grammar instruction. Whether teachers choose to teach grammar explicitly or use a more inductive approach to teaching grammar, they can be sure that students' questions will abound. In the master's program in which these teachers study, a grammar course is recommended but not required for degree completion. If novice teachers were to take a grammar course prior to or in conjunction with their first teaching practicum, they might have more security facing their students' questions. This passage was very interesting to me and rang true. I hope you will also find it interesting. Does it ring true for you? JoAnne Zoller Wagner, Central College, Pella, Iowa USA