I, too, can see why someone might be dissatisfied with the ATEG list,
but this might stem from believing that the list exists to serve only
one purpose. Certainly the list exists to share techniques and concepts
for teaching grammar that work, and this does happen on the list. But it
also exists for exploration and explanation of grammatical structures. I
do believe we should do our best to keep these accessible to
nonlinguists who subscribe to the list. I believe that when we do this,
those subscribers have an opportunity to see what it is really like to
explore grammar. It also lets them know that there might be different
ways to analyze a grammatical structure, disabusing folks of the idea
that there is always only one right answer. Often there is, but
sometimes there isn't.

I disagree strongly with the idea that no one is working on 'teachable
grammar'. Numerous individuals on the list are working on this very
goal: for instance teaching grammar to nonstandard English speakers
through contrastive analysis, image grammar, and KISS. The project which
produced _Grammar Alive_ had such development as a goal, but we have to
recognize that this is a long-term goal. As Bill Cleary remarks, it is
difficult to get the attention and respect of research universities for
this kind of work (I know this from much personal experience!) The
principle thing blocking me from devoting a lot of attention to such
work is lack of time, and insufficient recognition and support from my
institution. I have found many ways to make grammar more accessible to
my college students. I work on it a little bit each time I teach
grammar. Right now, I am working on a book proposal for a college-level
book designed for future schoolteachers. The book will model what I
consider to be good techniques for teaching grammar. Getting such a book
written when I have to teach nine college courses per year is pretty
daunting. I don't say this to whine, but to give one example of the
difficulties I'm sure many of those on the list face.

However, there is a ray of hope right now, as last year's president of
the Linguistic Society of America (Ray Jackendoff) takes an active
interest in just such work, including testing it in schoolrooms. One of
the things that he and others are coming to recognize is that linguists
have dropped the ball in trying to apply linguistics in education, and
that linguists who do such work should be recognized for doing so. But
such attitude changes take time. I hope that research universities will
move towards rewarding such work. Until they do, those of us who teach
at teaching institutions, as well as schoolteachers and composition
teachers, will continue to have little time and little reward for doing
such work, and academics with this interest will have little chance of
landing positions at research universities.

One of the things that Jackendoff has done is facilitate the involvement
of the Center for Applied Linguistics in such a project. This is a
research institution which can write grants that could give interested
and competent parties support in such work. We'll see where this goes.

We clearly could use more joint projects that bring together the work of
a number of individuals. Right now, creating teachable grammar is
happening in spotty fashion, not from the point of view of quality, but
of coordination. It is clearly a very, very large task for one
individual to come up with an entire K16 grammar curriculum. It is
obvious that both linguists and schoolteachers (who know what kids are
capable of at different ages and who would have a feeling for what kids
would respond positively to) will have to work together to create such
an object. One such partnership is that of Rebecca Wheeler and Rachel
Swords. More of us should seek to establish such partnerships, perhaps
focusing on just one or two grades. But eventually the work has to be
brought together.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Johanna Rubba   Associate Professor, Linguistics 
English Department, California Polytechnic State University
One Grand Avenue  • San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 
Tel. (805)-756-2184  •  Fax: (805)-756-6374 • Dept. Phone.  756-2596
• E-mail: [log in to unmask] •      Home page: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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