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Ellis, Rod. (2006) Current Issues in the TeachingofGrammar:An SLA Perspective,

in TESOL Quarterly,40, 83-107.

Bettys comments:

To me, Rod Ellisarticle in the March 2006 TESOL Quarterly is a significantmilestone.It would

appearthat, afterall theyearsof the zero-grammarwars, the academiccommunity has at last reached

a consensusthat there is ample evidencetodemonstrate the teachingofgrammar works. (p. 102)

With this consensus,I feel the academiccommunity has come closerto thepractitionercommunity

vis--visthe teachingofgrammar, which, through the eyes of manypractitioners,is vibrantlyalive

and well (and has been throughout ourcareers), is ever-evolving in innovative ways,and is an

effective component ofsecond languageinstruction.

Ellis states that research has

. . . borne out the overall effectiveness ofgrammar teaching.Further, there

is evidence that, contrary to Krashens (1993) continued claims,

instruction contributes to both acquired knowledge (see Ellis, 2002a) as

well as learned knowledge. There is also increasing evidence that

naturalisticlearningin

the classroom . . . does not typicallyresult in high levels ofgrammatical

competence.In short, there is now convincingindirect and direct

evidenceto support the teachingofgrammar. (pp. 85-86)

Forsomeone(me) who 30 years ago investigated and rejectedKrashensclaimsabout the role of

grammarin second languageacquisition,it is heartening to read a similar rejectionin academic

literature. It appearsthat to a great extent ourfieldhas movedbeyond zero grammar and thenaturalist movement. Ibelieve we are only now on the threshold ofunderstanding the many

exciting and effective ways grammarcan be integrated into well-balancedprograms of second

languageinstruction.

Ellisarticle is highlyworth reading.I havejust two other quickcomments, though, and they have

to do with the ordering ofgrammarsyllabi.Ellis doesnot indicatean understanding of how and why

pragmatic pedagoguessuch as myself determine the ordering ofmaterial.At one point he sayswe

text writersordermaterialthe same old way overthe years becauseitssafer. Safetyhas

absolutelynothing to do with it. I weave mosaicsappropriate to the studentslevel and needs.

He also suggeststhat areas ofdifficultyforstudents, such as finals, are introduced early in a coursesimply becausethey are areas ofdifficulty. That is not so, either. Finals,problem that it maybe,

is introduced logicallyand pragmatically within the larger areas grammaticalconcepts in which it

playsa role: conceptsof how English marks number with nouns and verbs, forexample,orconcepts

ofexpressing possession.I dont introduce final -s when I introduce it justbecauseits a problem.

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Minormisunderstandingsof thepragmaticsand theories underlyinggrammar syllabusconstruction

are not infrequent in academic literature in my experience.

Thoseare just two very minor points. One other I might mention is the old warhorseEllis

brings up that we grammarteachersbelieve that the idea thatpractice makes perfect is the

primary justificationfor the intensive approach. (93) I dontbelieve that is so. I think most of

us who arepractitionersofGrammar-Based Teaching (GBT)believe we are laying foundations

for growth and do not expect immediatemastery nornear-native idiomatic usageof thegrammarstructures we teach. Thepurposes ofpractice are many but immediatemastery,

immediate internalization,immediate automaticityare not among them. We GBT practitioners

do not pretend to know

when or how anyparticularstructure orvocabulary word orcollocationwillbe internalizedby any

particularstudent.Weprovide understanding, noticing, practice.And in ourexperience,most adult

and young adult students find these things helpfulon their long road to acquiringa second

language.

Despite a few minordisagreementsI might have, I highly recommend Ellis article. As I said, I

think it representsa major shift in the field awayfrom zero grammarand toward fuller

understandingsof the role ofgrammarin second languageinstruction.

Whatare your perceptionsof the changingattitudestoward grammarteachingtoday?Whatare your

viewson the naturalistmovementandits insistenceonzero gram mar?Share yo ur though tson T eacher

T alk.

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