Teaching foreign language presupposes the gradual improvement of the knowledge of linguistic units and grammar rules that are needed to build sentences and communicate. However, the second domain is a complex sphere that includes many regularities that can be difficult to comprehend (Mitchell, 2019). For this reason, there are multiple debates about how to teach grammar and perspectives on its importance. One of the disputable statements is that teaching grammar is necessary to learn a language.
It can be considered a relevant idea that describes the basics of foreign language learning. Regardless of the shift of priorities towards the cultivation of communicative patterns and their use in real-life conditions, grammar remains an integral component of studying as it helps to build complex and meaningful sentences and express thoughts appropriately. For this reason, one should understand that teaching grammar is fundamental to master a language and become an active speaker. It also means that conscious knowledge of all rules is critical to speak a language proficiently as it helps an individual to build complex structures and avoid mistakes.
Another question that is discussed nowadays is the ways in which grammar rules can be explained to students. There is an opinion that the presentation of paradigms, or the creation of reference tables for students helps them to internalize rules more efficiently. This statement can also be considered true because of the ability of teachers to explain the logic of using certain models and how they should be created (Mitchell, 2019). The introduction of tables also helps to visualize presented material and achieve better understanding levels among students which is critical for beneficial results and learners’ ability to utilize explained paradigms in communication or real-life situations.
Among the two types of grammar instruction, the explicit one can be considered the most effective. The fact is that it is focused on full and clear expression, definition, and formulation of all grammar rules for students. The central advantage of this approach is that it minimizes the chance of the incorrect understanding of some paradigms and provides learners with extensive knowledge about the existing peculiarities of various constructions’ use. It also prevents individuals from learning wrong paradigms that should be corrected. The results of the implementation of this paradigm are also observable, which means that an educator can evaluate progress and introduce some additional exercise or explanations if needed. This form can also be considered the easiest to teach as a specialist has to possess outstanding comprehension of grammar rules and present them at the beginning of the lesson avoiding the need to integrate them with some naturally arising communicative situations.
At the same time, some students might prefer implicit grammar instruction to the explicit one considering it the easiest way to learn rules because of the absence of the necessity to study sets of presented paradigms; instead they might acquire the knowledge in the course of their learning, when mastering skills and receiving information from a teacher. For this reason, foreign language learners might demonstrate their desire to avoid using explicit forms because of their possible complexity and focus on the improved understanding of the most important grammar rules that should be used in various contexts (Mitchell, 2019). It means that it is critical to find the balance between these two approaches to achieve positive results and contribute to the formation of appropriate skills among students.
Reference
Mitchell, R. (2019). Second language learning theories. New York, NY: Routledge.