Consciousness Raising Approach to the Teaching of Grammar
Ahmed Saeed / Thibroazuge, G.Dh. Madaveli. (Dec 2008)
Introduction:
Language is an effective tool used in everyday communication. Grammar is the key concept of the language, although people are not conscious of if in their own language use. Noting the influence of grammar in the language (Batstone, 1994, p.3), suggests “language without grammar would certainly leave a seriously handicapped”. Grammar is the major influence in syllabus design, the main focus of many class room exercises and the most familiar student query (Batstone, 1994).
It is certainly clear that grammar teaching is important in order to achieve greater clarity in conveying messages or meaning. Two basic components of grammar which enable to identify grammatical forms and help to enhance and sharpen the expression of meaning are syntax and morphology (Batstone, 1994). Therefore it would be impossible to learn or teach a language effectively without drawing on grammar in some way, whether grammar as a “process’’ or as a “product”, whether implicitly or explicitly.
The two major techniques of teaching grammar are the consciousness-raising approach and the conventional approach. In the consciousness-raising approach, learners discover grammatical rules and notice the structure by themselves and also they taught implicitly. These types of activities are notice by the learners. In contrast, conventional tasks are more guided or directed by the teacher and are taught explicitly, where the formulated information about forms and their functions are taught directly. However, research shows that consciousness-raising approach is the most accepted and effective technique in teaching grammar (Ranalli, 2001).
This essay highlights the consciousness-raising approach to the teaching of grammar and also views over how consciousness-raising approach challenges conventional task types. Three consciousness-raising tasks and three...