Fitting Grammar into the

Fitting Grammar into the

Language Learning
Language Learning
Experience
Experience
Grant Goodall
Grant Goodall
UCSD
UCSD

The basic problem

Given meaningful exposure to language

learners! implicit grammar "ill develop#

Should "e as teachers intervene$ Should

"e do more than %ust provide meaningful
input and interaction$

&f so "hat should "e do$

'ou might thin( ans"er is clearl)
*)es+

,fter one )ear of stud) most students!

abilities are still poor#

-ould the) be able to survive in the target

culture$

-hat (ind of %ob could the) have$

-ould an)one "ant to be their friend$

Don!t the) need all the help the) can get$

.ut let!s (eep things in perspective

/ )ear 0 12 "ee(s 3 4 hours5"ee(

/42 hours

For a )oung child 6the *best+ 7

nd
8language
learner9 /42 hours 0 42 da)s#
6,ssume 1 hours of contact per da)#9

, )oung child "ill learn a lot in 42 da)s

but s5he "ill still have a long "a)s to go#

&s it reasonable to expect more of
an /:8)ear8old$

-e (no" their language learning abilities are

significantl) diminished compared to a )oung
child!s#

This does not mean that "e should %ust sit bac(
and do nothing#

This does mean that "e should be cautious in

assuming intervention is needed#

-hat does the research sa)$

Does intervention have an effect$

That is does grammar8focused instruction

affect students! learning of language$

Let!s divide this into explicit learning and

implicit learning#

Does grammar instruction affect
explicit learning$

'es#

&t "ould be ver) surprising 6and

discouraging;9 if the ans"er "ere *no+#

Does grammar instruction affect
implicit learning$

'es and no#

T"o complications<
8=o" do )ou measure implicit learning$
8-hat exactl) do )ou mean b)
*grammar instruction+$

=o" do )ou measure implicit
learning$

Usual techni>ue< learners produce

spontaneous speech#

This ma(es it hard to test beginners

"hose abilit) to produce spontaneous
speech is ver) limited#

So most studies deal "ith *intermediate+

learners#

-hat exactl) do )ou mean b)
*grammar instruction+$

This is crucial#

?esearch suggests that some t)pes of

grammar instruction have an effect on
implicit learning and others don!t#

Grammar instruction that ma) have
an effect on implicit learning

Loo( for activities that encourage5force

students to pa) attention to<
6/9 The grammatical form
,@D
679 The meaning

Example A/< Text enhancement
The mouse ran do"n the hall and %umped
onto Tom!s bed# Tom felt something fuBB)
near his ear but thought it "as the corner
of his pillo"# =e reached up to touch it
but b) then the mouse "as alread) in his
hair# The mouse made a nice little nest in
Tom!s hair and neither Tom nor the
mouse "o(e up until morning#

Example A7< Structured input
-hich of the follo"ing are true$
a9 Sand"iches are usuall) eaten b) people#
b9 The computer "as invented b) George
-ashington#
c9 French is spo(en in &ndonesia#
d9 The blouse "as removed b) Custin
Timberla(e#
e9 Deople are often ridden b) horses#
f9 =orses are often ridden b) people#

Example A1< &nformation gap

Student ,<
The co" "as ridden b) the EE$EE #

Student .<
The bear rode the co"#

,ll of these examples encourage
students to pa) attention to<
6/9 The grammatical form
,@D
679 The meaning

Grammar instruction that seems
not to have an effect on implicit
learning

,ctivities that involve<

Sentence manipulation or creation "here
students do not need to pa) attention to
meaning#

Examples

,dd yesterday to each sentence and

ma(e an) necessar) changes to the verb#
Daul eats dinner at F<12#
Gar) runs to catch the bus#
,lice brea(s the record#

Examples
Create a proper sentence using the
follo"ing elements<
the5boo(5"rite5famous5author

Examples
Choose the correct form<
The car "as 6sell9 for H/F22#

,ll of these examples

?e>uire students to manipulate or create

sentences#

Do not re>uire students to pa) attention to

meaning#

Summar) so far

Some grammar8focused activities seem to

help implicit learning others don!t#

The crucial distinction<

Those that help all encourage attention
to grammatical form ,@D meaning#

Should )ou do sentence
manipulation5creation activities at
all$

@o effect on implicit learning but

presumabl) do have effect on explicit
learning#

?eadil) available# Gost textboo(s have

lots#
.ut (eep in mindI

First do no harm#

Sentence manipulation activities do not

help students! implicit learning

.ut could the) actuall) do harm$

& "ill suggest that some of them probabl)

do#

=o" could a grammatical activit)
do harm$;$

&magine an activit) that encourages

students to focus on a misleading
generaliBation#

Such an activit) could encourage the

students! implicit learning to go do"n the
"rong path#

Unfortunatel) there are man) such

examples#

,n example

Gan) textboo( exercises focus on areas

"here the target language ma(es a
distinction that the native language does
not#

For instance man) ?omance languages

have t"o past tenses 6"ith slightl)
different meanings9 "hile English has
onl) one#

Spanish preterite vs# imperfect

T"o "a)s to sa) *Cuan "ent to .arcelona+

Dreterite< Cuan fue a .arcelona#

,ction completed#

&mperfect< Cuan iba a .arcelona#

,ction not 6)et9 completed or action done
repeatedl)#

-h) this is hard

'ou must choose# There is no *neutral+

past tense form#

English doesn!t ma(e this same

distinction#

The classic exercise

,noche )o EEEEE 6ir9 a un concierto#

JLast night & "ent to a concert#!

Dossible ans"ers<
6a9 ,noche )o fui a un concierto#
6b9 ,noche )o iba a un concierto#

The classic right ans"er< 6a9

-hat could possibl) be "rong "ith
this$

Students need to learn to ma(e the

preterite5imperfect distinction and this
exercise addresses exactl) that#

,ll languages ma(e difficult distinctions of

one sort or another so this t)pe of
exercise "ould seem to be needed in all of
them#
But notice

Droblem A/< The sub%ect pronoun

Spanish verbs agree "ith the sub%ect<

fui & "ent
fue he5she "ent etc#

Sub%ect must be included so that student

(no"s ho" to con%ugate verb<
,noche yo EEEEE 6ir9 a un concierto#

The result$

,lmost ever) sentence in this exercise has a

sub%ect pronoun#

&n real life Spanish uses overt sub%ect pronouns

onl) in specific discourse conditions 6emphasis
contrast etc#9#

This exercise desensitiBes learners to the

presence of a sub%ect pronoun encouraging
them to thin( of this as the default# Dossible
long8term damage to their implicit grammar#

Droblem A7< =o" students
approach this exercise

Students are taught 6or >uic(l) figure out9 to loo(

for<
Specific point in past K preterite
Time frame in past K imperfect

&n our example<

Anoche )o EEEEE 6ir9 a un concierto#
Anoche Jlast night! is specific point in past so use
preterite#

-hat "ould a real spea(er do$

-hen uttering a sentence real spea(ers

surel) don!t loo( for a time expression in
the sentence to decide bet"een preterite
and imperfect#

&nstead the) (no" "hat each tense

means and the) choose the one that best
expresses their idea#

.) training our students to loo( for a
time expression<

-e are training them to use exactl) the

"rong strateg) to choose bet"een the
predicate and imperfect#

,gain possible long8term damage to their

developing implicit grammar#

Droblem A1< The *right+ ans"er

Students understandabl) get the idea that

there is a single right ans"er#

.ut this is often not true#

&n our example<
Dreterite<
6a9 ,noche )o fui a un concierto#
&mperfect<
6b9 ,noche )o iba a un concierto#
6a9 is li(el) 6b9 re>uires more imagination but both
are clearl) possible#
&t %ust depends "hat )ou are tr)ing to sa)#

Summar)< "h) this exercise could
harm students
/# &t desensitiBes them to the use of sub%ect
pronouns#
7# &t trains them to use exactl) the "rong
strateg) in choosing bet"een the t"o
forms#
1# &t encourages them to thin( there is onl)
one right ans"er "hen this is not true#

Summar)< -ill this exercise help
"ith<

&nput$
@o

&mplicit learning$
@o

Explicit learning$
'es but not ver) "ell#

-h) do "e do exercises li(e this$

The) are eas) to create or find in boo(s#

Students feel that the) are mastering

something#

Teachers feel that the) are teaching

something#

Ever)bod) is happ)#

.ut it!s a fool!s paradise#

=o" do "e help students! implicit
learning of these distinctions$

,n) activit) that re>uires them to attend to

both the form and the meaning
For exampleI

Some sample activities

Gatching sentences to pictures video clips

8 E#g# *The airplane landed+

,cting out sentences

8 E#g# *Cohn fell+

Dra"ing pictures
8 E#g# *Gar) "as sad because Cohn went to .arcelona+

Text enhancement
8
E#g# =ighlighted imperfect forms in stor)#

Structured input
8 E#g# T5F >uestions that cruciall) depend on distinction#

Conclusion

Can grammar8focused activities help

learners! implicit grammatical
development$
'es#

Do all such activities help$

@o# &n fact some ma) cause harm#

=o" do & (no" "hich activities "ill help$

Choose those "hich re>uire attending
to both form and meaning#