1.0 Critical response

1.0 Critical response

(Write a critical response of about 800-850 words for the selected approaches and issues in the teaching of grammar particularly in the Malaysian primary ESL classroom)

. Methodologists and teachers have suggested various ways on how to teach grammar effectively yet it can be a burden to teachers to be experimenting with new techniques of unknown result. Pupils especially in primary school need to have strong foundation in grammar so that they can explore more in English by using correct sentence structure. For example, they can start practicing it by using correct grammar in speaking. Grammar itself has varied definitions. As what W. Nelson (1954) said, grammar is the set of formal patterns in which the words of a language are arranged in order to convey larger meaning. In addition, there are some issues that need to be highlighted so that we can know the problems in the teaching of grammar. I have chosen two approaches which are communicative and task based. Meanwhile, the issues that I want to highlight are grammatical awareness among primary school teachers and also interference in learning English.

Firstly, communicative approach is organized on the basis of communicative functions that a given learner or group of learners need to know and emphasizes the ways in which particular grammar form may be used to express these functions appropriately. As what Arshad & Hawanum (2007) wrote, this approach has had a significant impact on the teaching of grammar as its objective of communicative competence has led to a diminished role for grammar teaching (refer to article 1). In my view, this approach is created as to focus on how pupils will be able to use English to communicate effectively. In order to achieve this, teachers should put pupils in a situation whereby they are using language not merely in response to the teachers instructions, but also because they need to use it in daily life. For example, they use it in order to seek information, solve a problem and asking some questions. Meanwhile, we have to look at the objectives of this method. As teachers, we need to develop our pupils fluency and accuracy. We cannot only focus on accuracy by providing them with lots of grammar rules as it will limit their fluency. This is because pupils will think twice before voicing out their opinions as they need to construct correct sentences. However, we must concern about the grammar rules when we tend to focus on fluency. A study by Higgs and Clifford (cited in Celce-Murcia, 1988) indicates that students who learn English through the communication first model often develop the habit of using ungrammatical forms.

Next, the approach that I have chosen is task-based which the teacher will accommodate learners with grammar problems as they must solve it interactively (refer to article 2). In Malaysian context, pupils get few opportunities to communicate in English. They will converse in English only when they are asked to do so. Furthermore, as what Faith Hsiao (2005) said, from the theoretical perspective which supports communicative tasks, language is best learned through interaction. This statement is supported by Cheon (2003), Activities are structured so that all learners will talk as a means of sharing ideas and opinions, collaborating toward a single goal, or completing to achieve individual goals. In my point of view, it is undeniable that if we are given some tasks, we have to explore about it and try to solve the problems. In fact, some grammar rules are taught indirectly as the pupils will discover the rules by themselves. To sum up, the task-based approach might cultivate students motivation, facilitate grammar learning and train students to be independent learners and problem-solver. This method can be related to the theory of cognitivist as it proposes teaching learners how to analyze problems and how to think for themselves. As what Fotos & Ellis (1991) said, task based approach will not only contribute directly to promote acquisition of implicit knowledge but also contribute indirectly to develop explicit knowledge of L2 rules which will later facilitate the acquisition of implicit knowledge.

Teachers play the most important role in grammar teaching. Therefore, it is very crucial for teachers to have grammatical awareness and contribute towards the improvement of teacher education in the country (refer article 5). An English teacher should be able to draw on both explicit and implicit knowledge of the language. Studies by Grossman, Wilson and Shulman (1989) and Beard (1999), for instance, demonstrated that teachers tend to avoid teaching grammar due to uncertainty about their knowledge of grammar and inadequacy of grammatical knowledge. Teachers must be able to have good grasp of grammatical knowledge to help them develop the target language. Further, to help pupils acquire language successfully, there must be sufficient input by the teachers as pupils can use it productively. I agree with the statement made by Munir Shuib (2008) as she said, Quality input in the classroom demands a strong command of English on the part of the teachers. As pointed out by Andrews (2005) a teacher with a good grasp of grammatical construction will be in a better position to help students.

Another issue is about interference in learning English. As what Shaari (1987) said, in particular, he found that the major difficulty faced by many of the students is learning the English grammar (refer article 6). A research has been done among students in remote areas as their essays were analyzed. As a result, some of them are having problems in determiner; subject-verb agreement and copula be verb (refer to article 6). Although not all errors are due to mother tongue, I strongly presume that it has a big impact towards English learning process. It is because it will affect their performances in writing, reading, listening and speaking. Hence, remedial measures should be taken to implement the best approach that could assist students in these problematic areas. I think interference of Malay grammar should be not being the obstacles for Malay students to be proficient in English. Teachers should also implement measures to minimize the chances of errors by looking at the development of teaching aids and teaching practices.

I believe that assorted teachers have numerous approaches to execute the teaching of grammar and I would recommend using communicative approach whereby students will be able to acquire fluency and accuracy at the same time. This is because it will provide an exposure to the pupils so that they will build their confidence to communicate in English. In grammar context, they will be able to construct sentences correctly and eventually knowing the rules in English. Some issues are clearly stated as it will be a food for thought especially for me whether I am ready enough to be an English teacher in future. As a trainee teacher, I need to delve more on teaching methods and get ready to gain knowledge as many as I can.