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Rob

Great line about how you disagree with people who go to class and utter the 'let's learn about the simple present tense'... I totally agree. I've always tried to teach in a very similar way to yours and find grammatical jargon highly confusing for students. I mean it's the the ability to use the language not learn its labels that is of more concern. Great piece.

Karen

Thank you so much for the article on grammar. I am currently tutoring a German Mom and 2 kids each separately. The Mom is an avid learner, uses the dictionary and thesaurus for homework. I am sure to use talking and reading for those will give her more sense of English than the grammar lessons. However, my backgound is teaching kids with reading difficulties and ESL. I'm educated, use my language correctly, and I'm a writer. Yet I can't name all the parts of speech through which we are working. I haven't needed to. I have a duplicate workbook, though, and I do the lessons too - for my own sanity! Vocabulary and meaning are what I see that my adult student needs and wants. The whole situation of doing ESL with an adult brings me to ponder the miracle of absorbing language, our own language, and that part is what my student longs to do, to be free and assured in the use of English. I admire anyone who conquers another language. Farewell!

Bobby

Without doubt grammar is important but not for a starter. The phrase you have to learn to walk before you can run rings true. Students firstly need to have basic speaking ability before they start with grammar. When ESL learners study with english teachers of their nationality the grammar isn't entirely based on conversation and the lesson uses 2 languages. This confuses students and isn't a tranferable skill for communication purposes on a daily basis. Once a student reaches a resonable level then yes grammar is important. I know you stated as a second language it's important and the backbone but in England we have not studied grammar since the 1970s as our first language so I have to disagree with you to some extent. Also I am aware it is down to the teacher style and strategy.

Bruce

An excellent timely and down to earth contribution! It knocked my socks off my feet to read such a finely honed presentation! Thank you so much for bringing the core issue around second language teaching to the fore - for me! You have reinforced that which I am still attempting after many years of tutoring. Viva!

Hugh

An excellent article. I have been learning and teaching languages since 1970 and have seen so many U turns in methodology. There is no one pure way to learn a language. Communicative and grammatical methods exist alongside each other. One is not the opposite ot the other. I think that at last a concensus is arising in language teaching about this.

Farah

Thank you very much for the article. It makes me more convinced about creating a context, i.e. a senario before teaching the grammar point. At this level the students are aware of the idea of conveying a certain message using the grammar points. Thank you also for attracting my attention to the drills, their importance and the fact that they can be more efficient when done as homework rather than in class. Thank you!