32.2234, Review: Applied Linguistics: Mammadova (2019)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-32-2234. Thu Jul 01 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.2234, Review: Applied Linguistics: Mammadova (2019)

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Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2021 16:23:25
From: Marijana Javornik Čubrić [mjavorni at pravo.hr]
Subject: Teaching Grammar to a Grammar-Free Generation

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36561940


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/30/30-2740.html

AUTHOR: Tamilla  Mammadova
TITLE: Teaching Grammar to a Grammar-Free Generation
PUBLISHER: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
YEAR: 2019

REVIEWER: Marijana Javornik Čubrić

SUMMARY

The book by Tamilla Mammadova consists of 116 pages. It opens with an
introduction and is thereafter divided into four chapters. The intriguing
title is explained in the Preface which states a simple truth that many
students simply refuse to learn grammar, claiming it to be useless and boring.
Their main target in learning English is just communication. Obviously, any
language specialist is likely to strongly disagree with that. Communication is
not possible without understanding essential rules of grammar. Therefore I
believe that most teachers on all levels have asked themselves the same
question: how to teach grammar to a generation that wishes to be (or in fact
is) grammar-free? According to the author, the aim of this volume is to
present new ways of presenting and practising grammar to language specialists
who are directly or indirectly dealing with the teaching of the English
language. 

In the Introduction, Mammadova states that the approach to grammar and its
teaching today has become far less homogeneous than in the past, stating as
one of possible reasons for that a radical change in classroom management
caused by the new format of textbooks (CDs and DVDs). However, the author
maintains that just a small number of teachers follow these innovative trends.
This is something that is difficult to agree with, as it seems that a vast
majority of teachers are availing themselves of these new materials and
opportunities. The author announces that the volume will address the
importance of evaluation, methods of and approaches to grammar presentation,
practice and production and the analysis of twenty mainstream textbooks. 

Chapter One deals with textbooks, EFL materials and their importance in EFL
classes. A textbook is certainly one of the most important components of EFL
teaching. Obviously, a good textbook makes the job of a teacher much easier.
Unfortunately, opinions about the qualities of a good textbook differ.
Students mostly expect textbooks to be interesting and to make learning easier
and more enjoyable. In their opinion, that excludes any grammar exercises.
This chapter deals with the importance of textbook evaluation and different
types of evaluation. Evaluation can be performed by students and teachers
alike, but the author stresses that the teacher-led evaluation has an
unprecedented role in effective EFL teaching, because it takes aspects of a
planned or intended curriculum as a focal point. In the present volume, the
main objective of evaluation is to assess the methods of grammar presentation,
teaching and practice used in a number of selected textbooks.

Chapter Two is entitled “Grammar teaching approaches and techniques“. It
firstly offers several definitions of grammar and then analyses different
methods of grammar teaching in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The
author conveniently divides grammar teaching methods into traditional ones
(those used before the 21st century) and more recent ones. Traditional methods
include the grammar-translation method, rules learning and error correction
and teaching grammar in context. The author concludes that traditional
methods, even if old, should not be eliminated from general English language
teaching. More recent methods include consciousness-raising approach,
communicative approach, task-based approach, comprehension approach and the
ungrammaticality approach. Strengths of the traditional method are, among
others, that they are good for discussion of alternative grammar patterns,
that they develop associative language learning and allow for revision of
errors. Strengths of more recent methods are that they provoke thinking and
analysing abilities, the tasks are interactive, it increases innovation and
combines explicit and implicit grammar teaching methods. In the second part of
the chapter a number of creative grammar activities that focus on interactive
grammar practice are presented. They include games, jokes, songs and music,
pictures, flashcards and photos. The author also points out that in recent
years technology has become an inseparable part of education. Some
technological tools which are important for grammar teaching and learning in
EFL include smartboards, apps, software, blogs and websites. In particular it
should be emphasized that most websites intended for online teaching and
learning contain grammar sections.

Chapter Three (consisting of three pages) presents the study, the purpose of
which is to investigate grammar presentation methods and techniques used in
twenty selected textbooks.  The selected textbooks are mainstream textbooks of
levels B2 and C1 designed for adult learners and published by renowned
publishers (Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Pearson and
Macmillan). The study deals with the students’ textbooks only, and it does not
consider supplementary materials, such as workbooks, teachers’ books,
students’ CDs etc. The selected textbooks are used in the upper stages of EFL
at university level which are covering the main language skills as well as the
grammar sections. Each textbook is examined page by page, focusing on the
exercises, activities, tasks and grammar presentation techniques.

Chapter Four presents the main results of the study and offers many examples
from the analysed textbooks. Most of the textbooks have a high number of
grammar areas in common. The author concludes that the most common types of
grammar teaching techniques are traditional drills (fill in the blanks tasks,
error correction, grammar awareness activities and matching activities).
Creative grammar activities are used less, and the most widely presented
activities include: write a dialogue using some grammar patterns, role play
the situation, play the game and write a story. The author concludes that out
of twenty textbooks selected for the analysis, only one presents a solid
number of both controlled and free production grammar practice activities. The
author points out that her analysis of the twenty mainstream textbooks shows
that authors frequently republish or re-edit their textbook with only minor,
cosmetic changes.

In the Conclusion, Mamadova once again stresses that grammar is the foundation
of language and concludes that the results of her analysis of the twenty
mainstream textbooks indicate that most of the textbooks use controlled
grammar activities, including “fill in the gaps”, “put (verbs, nouns,
adjectives etc.) into the correct form”, “match”, “underline”, “find and
correct mistakes”, etc. However, only a few of them present free grammar
production, and the tasks included are: “write a dialogue”, “grammar
patterns”, “write a story”, “role play the situation”, “play a game”, etc. Out
of the twenty textbooks included in the analysis, the author concludes that
only one of them uses an unconventional approach, which she refers to as
“grammar-free method”, since in that textbook grammar is presented in an
indirect way. According to the author, the results of her analysis can be
considered as “food for thought” for future textbook writers.

EVALUATION

In the beginning of Chapter One, the author claims that teaching a foreign
language to a group of students can be compared to a performance on stage.
Obviously, much like an actor, a teacher has to prepare what he or she is
going to say to the audience, but it also implies that a teacher has to use
certain tools and techniques to persuade the students to study, to capture
their attention and motivate them to learn something. However, in spite of the
students’ notorious lack of interest in grammar, fortunately or unfortunately,
grammar is the foundation of a language and as such, it cannot be avoided. It
has been suggested many times that grammar is no longer essential in teaching
EFL, particularly ESP. Dudley-Evans and St. John clearly contradicted that in
their influential book from 1998, stating that there are many misconceptions
about the role of grammar  in ESP teaching,  including the one that ESP
teaching is not concerned with grammar, but that it is incorrect  to consider
grammar  teaching as outside the remit of ESP (Dudley-Evans and St. John, 74).
This is still accurate, even more for EFL teaching.

The author states that the main goal of this book is to present to EFL
teachers, English language instructors, textbook writers and other specialists
new ways of presenting and practising grammar. As an English teacher and a
textbook author, I looked forward to this book hoping for some ideas to
include in the class or a textbook. Although the book is written in a clear
and concise language and it offers a relatively interesting analysis of twenty
textbooks in current usage, I am afraid it did not teach me anything new about
presenting or practising grammar. I tend to agree with the authors of one of
the analysed textbooks that the traditional grammar teaching techniques, which
are dominantly used, are still probably the most effective ones.  A more
detailed conclusion related to the study would be welcome. It certainly
reminds any textbook writer or EFL teacher that grammar cannot be avoided, but
should be approached in fresh new ways whenever possible.

REFERENCES

Tony Dudley-Evans & Maggie Jo St. Jon, Developments in ESP. A
multi-disciplinary approach, Cambridge University Press, 1998


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Marijana Javornik Čubrić is a Senior Lecturer of Legal English at the Faculty
of Law, University of Zagreb. She holds a PhD in legal linguistics and has
authored several textbooks in the field of LSP.





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