TEACHING LANGUAGE CONSTRUCTION

When the students study the construction of a specific feature of the language, the immediate goal is
to increase knowledge of the language system so that the longer-term aim of improving productive
and receptive skills can be achieved.
* STUDYING STRUCTURE AND USE: the morphology of forms, the syntax phrases, vocabulary, the
meanings and functions that sentences can convey, pronunciation, and spelling.

LANGUAGE STUDY IN LESSON SEQUENCES

The role of language study depends on why and when it occurs (it may be the focus of the lesson or
may be only one element in the lesson sequence). One approach is for the students to study
language in a variety of ways, explore a topic and then use what they have learnt to perform a task
related to that topic. Other approaches are to study it while doing the tasks, or to study the forms
after the students have performed the task (BOOMERANG/PATCHWORK vs STRAIGHT ARROWS).
However, even where we have not planned when and how to include language study in a particular
lesson sequence, we sometimes find opportunities presenting themselves which it is impossible to
ignore. It might take place because completely unforeseen problems present themselves; we might
suddenly become aware of the chance to offer the students some language which up till now they
haven’t been able to use but which will raise their level (OPPORTUNISTIC TEACHING, planning vs
responding to what happens).

CHOOSING STUDY ACTIVITIES (usually disposed in a coursebook or syllabus)

- Following planning principles: offer a variety of activities, both because individual students may
have different learning preferences and because we want to help them to sustain their
motivation.
- Assessing a language study activity for us in class: we need to decide how effective it will be
when we use it in class. It should justify the time we will need to spend on it both before and
during the lesson (TITO: time in, time out).
- Evaluating a study activity after use: evaluate the success of the activity or activities which
focused on language form, formally or informally.

KNOWN OR UNKNOWN LANGUAGE

The fact of mixed ability throws up a problem for the study of new language forms since it will
frequently be impossible to know whether some forms really are new or not for individual students in
a class. And even if most of our students have come across the language before, it is not necessarily
the case that they can all use it. we can give them a task for checking if they already know how to
use the structures or forms that we want to teach them. If we find that our students can produce
them satisfactorily, we will not want to demonstrate or explain them all over again, as it will be a
waste of time.

EXPLAIN AND PRACTICE

Deductive approach, all this

stage of the lesson (repetition,
drilling and controlled
practice) is designed to foster
accurate reproduction of the
language the teacher is
introducing. Finally, the
teacher may ask for
immediate creativity, where the students use the new language (in this case the present continuous)
to produce their own sentences, as described above. If during this stage the students perform badly,
the teacher may return either to the explanation stage or to the accurate reproduction stage to
reinforce what was previously introduced.

EXPLAINING THINGS
- Explaining meaning: the clearest way is showing it (use mime, gesture, hand/arm movements,
facial expressions, body language, etc.), use pictures or diagrams. If we can’t show it, we can
describe it by defining or using synonyms. If we want to be absolutely clear, we can also
translate the words or phrases.
 - Explaining language construction: model sentences and phrases. We may modify one of the
isolated fragments to focus attention on its construction, ex. Using your fingers or hands,
written explanations or diagrams on boards.

PRACTICE OR ACCURATE REPRODUCTION

Repetition: choral or individual, we get all the ss to say the new word or phrase together. They may
murmur it a few times.
Drills: quick cue-response session to encourage controlled practice of the new language, cues can be
verbal or non-verbal.

MEET, NEED AND PRACTICE

We must allow our students to bring language to the classroom – language they may have ‘met’ on
the street, or in an article they have come across. If they want to know what something means, then
this will be an ideal opportunity for good learning, since that interest is a powerful contributor.
Perhaps the most effective situations arise when ss need to say sth. That need is a powerful driver for
memory, and if we can help them to understand how to say something they really want to say, they
will learn the language they need more ‘deeply’.

DISCOVER AND PRACTICE

In a so-called inductive approach, things are organised somewhat differently from the ‘explain and
practise’ sequences. Instead of having meaning and construction explained to them, the students see
examples of language and try to work out how it is put together. This ‘boomerang-type’ lesson is
especially appropriate where language study arises out of skills work on reading and listening texts.
Discovery activities like this suit some students very well; they enjoy working things out. Many people
think that the language they understand in this way is more powerfully learnt (because they had to
make some cognitive effort as they uncovered its patterns) than it would have been if they were told
the grammar rules first and didn’t have to make such an effort. However, not all students feel
comfortable with this approach and would still prefer to have things explained to them.

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

An alternative to the approaches we discussed above (but which is, nevertheless, a combination of all
of these) is to have the students do language research on their own. When students research
language, they are far more likely to remember what they find out than if they sit passively and are
given words. As with discovery activities, when our students have researched language, we may ask
them to use the language they have discovered. However, if they find this impossible to do, we may
have to return to explanations and accurate reproduction.

REVIEW AND RECYCLE

Just because the students have met some new language in a lesson (or in a text, at some outside
event, on the web, etc.), this does not mean that they will have learnt it – that they will remember it.
It will help, of course, if they meet the new language in an engaging way – or perhaps because they
want or need the language.
If their effect (the way they feel) is positive when they see new language, they are certainly more
likely to remember the language for a time. But only for a time. For language to make the transition
from short-term to long-term memory, students must encounter it repeatedly.
However, the best kind of repetition (after the original practice stage we discussed in 13.2.2) is
‘spaced-out’ repetition. What this means is that the students encounter (or must use) the recently
learnt language over a period of time and not all at once: there are spaces in-between its
reappearances.