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Grammar in Context vs Grammar in Isolation

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Submitted By AngelaLeto
Words 373
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There is little room for doubt that teaching grammar in context always has a room in the language learning. According to Stephen Krashen (1981), “Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill.” In my opinion, grammar in context acts as a pathway to provide meaningful interaction in the target language through activities that open the windows for exploration in grammatical structure in context. Through this, learners would be able to use grammar to get things done and allows them to realise how and why alternative forms exist to express the different communicative meanings. According to Bob Adamson, “The deductive method is often criticized because: a) it teaches grammar in an isolated way; b) little attention is paid to meaning; c) practice is often mechanical.” I certainly have no say to the criticism presented but to agree because lesser opportunity is given to practise the target language. But, it certainly has a place in the language teaching field despite the setbacks. Deductive method is rule-driven. According to Michael Swan, there are six criteria of a good rule which are truth, limitation, clarity, simplicity, familiarity, and relevance. As the saying goes, one size doesn’t fit all (Thomas Insel). I believe that this quote is applicable when it comes to the teaching of grammar. This is related to the issue that I would pint-point; how should we teach grammar? Grammar consists of many components and I believe that each component is best taught and learnt in different ways depending on the learners and teaching situation. Learners’ learning styles varied. The Cognitive psychology suggests two main processing modes: an analytic processing (rule-based) mode and a holistic processing (lexically-based) mode (Skehan, 1998). Regarding this, I believe that the lexical approach suggested by

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