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TEAM:
SUBJECT:
TEACHING TECHNIQUES
PROFESOR:
DATE:
Having a plan for the class also shows the level of commitment for the teachers, as
Harmen (2007) explains it “shows students that the teacher has spended time
thinking about the class” (p. 156). For teachers, a plan gives the lesson a
framework. It helps them to define where they want their students to reach and
what they are going to do during the class. A plan also functions as a remainder,
as something ‘unexpected’ might happen teachers tend to forgot what they were
doing or what is next, so a plan helps to remain teachers what they intended to do
(Harmen, 2007).
Foremost, Ur (1996) explains that grammar "is the way words are out together to
make correct sentences" (p. 75). To make a correct sentence, the structure of it
should be grammatically acceptable that is: I am a teacher not I are a teacher. An
ungrammatical sentence will be meaningless as the communicative context will be
lost. For that reason, teaching grammar is controversial in the process of teaching
a foreign language mostly since "the knowledge of a language means, among
other things, knowing its grammar" (Ur, 1996, p. 76).
By contrast, Newmark (as cited in Ur, 1996) states, "the important point is that the
study of grammar as such is neither necessary nor sufficient for learning to use a
language" (p. 77). Here, the author says that learning grammar is no needed as for
instance when we learn our own mother tongue without really knowing its
grammar. However, such statement misses the point not whether teaching/learning
grammar is "necessary nor sufficient" but whether it helps or not. We conclude it
does, as the correct use of grammar contributes to express meaningful and
accurate ideas, opinions or long discourses. In fact, Ur (1996) also stands out that
grammar helps "as a means to improving mastery of the language" (p. 78).
While teaching grammar is important that teachers take all the opportunities that
arise to help students to develop their grammatical knowledge in the foreign
language Cameron (2001) in his book Teaching language to young learners
suggests a few techniques that can make grammar teaching more efficient:
The teacher needs to plan which language form the students will be using. In this
case the students need to prepare and rehearse the questions to ensure accuracy
and the activity must be managed by the teacher so that the question is asked in
full each time.
Imagine that you are a teacher of beginning level English students. How will
you arrange the following structures in order to teach them? State your
reasons.
Chose just one topic from the last task and complete the following grammar
lesson plan for planning your class effectively. While doing so, think about
the questions suggested by Harmen (2007).
Warm up
Pre-
In-
Post-
Wrap up