In the current module of our course, we've been asked to address the following issue, which I’m sure has arisen in more than one English class, and will continue to be brought up. It goes something like this:Learner: I’m very bored with the grammar lessons. I feel that I can learn English without learning grammar separately.
Teacher: I understand that you might be feeling frustrated. I sometimes get frustrated as well, when I’m trying to learn something new. For example, when I was learning German as a second language, I used to get confused and embarrassed when people laughed at me if I got something wrong. In German, the article (the, that...) changes depending on the gender of the noun. That’s really confusing, and I almost gave up trying. Then one day, a friend of mine explained that as long as I knew the noun gender, it was easy to apply a few simple rules. It took me a few tries, but I got it eventually. I learned the rules well enough to be able to hold a conversation, and try making new sentences of my own. It even helped me when I took German as a course at university.
Why do you feel that you don’t need grammar?
Learner: I don’t talk to my family in English much, and when I’m at work, I have friends from back home who can talk to me in my own language.
Teacher: OK, so in some situations for you it’s easier to speak in your own language. But, what about when you want to talk to the Cable service company? Or, maybe you want to order food in a restaurant? Do you ever have English-speaking friends visit you and have conversations with them? Have you ever needed to explain something to a Doctor, Government Agency, or had a conversation over the phone with a market research company? There are lots of everyday reasons for needing to be accurate as well as fluent in English. If you can master just a few simple rules, and see the patterns of how these rules work to make sentences, you’ll feel so much more empowered and independent. You’ll be able to help your friends and family, and maybe socialise with your English speaking coworkers.
But let me know what you think I can do to help you enjoy the grammar lessons more. I’d be more than happy to listen to your suggestions.
As a change to the lessons, I would want to include the learner more in the activities, by perhaps making them an assistant in the classroom, where they feel motivated to learn the grammar and to encourage others as well.
There are so many reasons why a learner might feel that they are bored in your class. The above script touches on only one such possibility. However, in order to deal effectively with such a situation, it's imperative that you be a good listener. Discover from the learner the true (either spoken or unspoken) reason for their dissatisfaction with your classes, and address the immediate problem. We can't satisfy every learner all of the time, but we should at least give it our best shot :)
I like how you have shared in the frustrations of this student by telling him/her about your own experiences with language learning. I also really liked how you made it clear why this is an important aspect of language learning to study by illustrating all the situations in which one uses language in authentic situations.
ReplyDeleteOne challenge for you - how would you articulate this with a much lower level student? How would you ensure this conversation would be comprehensible, and that the student really understood why grammar is important? (Hint - people often learn better by doing or experiencing than by being told.)
The scenario was with a learner who was obviously able to express themselves very clearly (high Stage 1 to low Stage 2), and this is how I would address the situation with this learner. Naturally, every learner, never mind every level of learner, is different, and each situation must be handled on a case-by-case basis. I cannot cover every situation or potential scenario in one answer. The response was based on the information given. A lower level student would be far less likely to articulate, or even question, the learning of grammar as represented in this situation.
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