Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Fri, 7 Jan 2000 09:35:53 -0600 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
I wish we would not confuse teaching grammar to non-native speakers to
teaching grammar
to native speakers.
"William J. McCleary" wrote:
>
> As for ESL, wasn't it the work of somebody named Krashen that suggested
> that studying grammar doesn't work in ESL any better than it does for
> native speakers of English? I think he said that it was the use of English
> rather than the study of English that really helped people learn English.
Bill, Steve Krashen has said many things and most of them are wrong. I
have
had several exchanges with him recently on a list devoted to foreign
language
teaching. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the only
way to develop competence in a second language is explicit focussing on
form. Perhaps the most recent
review of this literature can be found in
Doughty, C. & Williams, J (1998). Pedagogical choices in focus on form.
In C. Doughty & J. Williams (eds.) (p 197-261) New York: Cambridge.
I have tried publically to have Krashen consider the implications of
Platt, E. and Troudhi, S. (1997). Mary and her teachers: A
Grebo-speaking child's place in the mainstream classroom. Modern
Language Journal, 81, 28-49. This article reports on the "learning" of a
young girl submerged in an content classroom with a teacher who followed
a Krashen-inspired pedagogy. He hasn't.
However, we must keep in mind that native speakers come into the
classroom already knowing a great deal about English. By definition,
non-native speakers do not. The kinds of problems which native speaker
have with the grammar of English is fundamentally different than the
problems that non-native speakers have. One of the ways to look at this
difference is to examine a grammar handbook written for native speakers
and one written for non-native speakers. For example, I have never seen
a grammar book written for native speakers that deal with do-support,
the article system, much-many distinction, etc.
Bob Yates, Central Missouri State University
|
|
|