Dealing with Grammar Errors

Hello colleagues, Research has shown repeatedly that teaching grammar out of a meaningful context is ineffective. In fact, there is some evidence that isolated grammar work can even be detrimental to student progress. Students simply do not transfer skills-based grammar lessons into their writing. That being the case, what are some more effective approaches? What strategies have you found to be effective in helping students deal with grammar errors? Do you have thoughts on ways to effectively contextualize grammar lessons?

To get some good suggestions, check out Jennifer Gonzalez's podcast and accompanying blog on "How to Deal with Student Grammar Errors."  Let us know your thoughts on these suggestions and please share your own!

(I love listening to podcasts, and I'm betting others do, too. Gonzalez's podcasts and blogs on a wide range of topics on the site Cult of Pedagogy are well worth listening to.)

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP

Comments

Hello colleagues, Do you agree with the following recommendations, as per Gonzalez, for dealing with grammar errors? Is there anything you would add to the list?  What do you see as the highest priority? Thanks for telling us about what works in your classroom.

  1. Give students LOTS of time to read and write.
  2. Curate a database of quick grammar lessons (If you have such a list, what topics are covered?)
  3. Have students do individual lessons as needed.
  4. Understand that this is a process.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP

Hello, all, 

I was just speaking with some colleagues about this topic.  I look forward to listening to the podcast and learning more.  

As we are devloping curriculum that is more intentionally task- and project-based, here are some of my thoughts.  I have not cited sources, so I apologize.  Something I will go have to do next time!

Here's a "quickie" of my understanding around this task:

  • Grammar:  

    • Create a culture in the class that values communicative fluency much more than accuracy  
      • If the ideas communicated/tasks accomplished are understood by the listener(s) and communication/tasks continue, that's great--no shame because that's the real goal. 
      • Acknowledge that this might be different than other (more traditional) language learning experiences but it's more helpful to communication and success in this country.
    • Lean more toward the use of sentence starters and language frames for both oral and written communication and less toward memory work of decontextualized, grammar chunks
      • post these on the wall
      • share these after setting up the project/task/activity and refer students to them for use and then have them proceed with the project/task/activity
      • walk around during communicative project/task/activity and note class trends in errors that get in the way of communication and, after debriefing the activity at its end/asking for questions, share a mini-lesson on the noted class trend error
    • Foster "noticing" of grammar patterns and repeated chunks from authentic or student/project-generated texts; students identify patterns and teacher clarifies; these are then put back into use in more authentic communication 
    •  Have students practice grammar more often than not verbally (v. handout drills and kills) in multiple, quick contextualized exchanges with various partners (as we do in mixers, parallel lines, concentric circles, etc.) before in applying to writing.

  • ​Error correction and focus:

    • Teachers need to monitor students by walking around, doing short formative assessment, and helping students be self-reflective and give input in level-appropriate ways 
    • Then they can give mini-lessons around communication stopping/disrupting errors to the whole group or small groups and sometimes individuals
    • Always keep the original objective and end outcome in mind; focus on the big things usually and the little things when they really get in the way

Thanks for more ideas to come!

Dave Coleman, Los Angeles USD, Division of Adult and Career Education

Grammar-based objectives (I.E. Today, we are going to use nouns in three different ways in sentences! OR Today we are going to memorize and write ten irregular past tense verbs in sentences.) are designed with the belief that we can fix people instead of allowing them to improve communication patterns themselves. That's a top-down, dictatorial process that, as has been pointed out here, does not work. 

Susan and Dave, your list of suggestions and resources certainly supports student-driven progress. Rather than enforcing rules to follow, the practices you suggest invite meaningful, timely, and contextualized feedback, which everyone appreciates!

One challenge that we instructors must overcome, in addition to not teaching as we were probably taught, is that adults often demand that they learn in ways that didn't work with them before. Their perception is that if we give them the rules, everything will be OK! Rules will fix all problems. That's what their earlier teachers did, after all! 

To help students to change their beliefs about how they learn in real-life environments, instructors would do well to allow clear and detailed feedback to play a central role: "I want you to notice that you are using some very sophisticated language structures (examples) naturally now. They have become second nature to you! Way to go! Let's keep going!" 

Of course, feedback doesn't need to be verbal. Posting work on a wall is an example of that. What other ways have you found to provide reinforcement in observing students' work?

What do others think about the role that specific and positive feedback has in encouraging learning? Leecy

Hi Dave, Thanks for this excellent list of recommendations for ways to handle grammar instruction in authentic ways with English learners, especially when the focus is oral language fluency. I love the suggestion of sharing sentence starters with learners and posting these on the wall.

What are your thoughts about how to handle grammar for writing with English learners who are preparing for a high school equivalency or for those who wish to transition to college?

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP