One of the questions I am most frequently asked is how I teach grammar rules to young English learners (ELs). Well, the truth is that I never taught out-of-context grammar to young students. I learned early in my career that research shows that grammar drills do not work with students of any age. According to Krashen (1988), a linguist specializing in theories of language acquisition and development, there is an important distinction between language acquisition and language learning.
Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does not require tedious drill. Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language – natural communication – in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.
Young ELs and Language Acquisition
When children are learning a second language, the process is almost identical to their first language acquisition. The goal of second language instruction should be oral communication, reading, vocabulary, and writing skills. Any mention of grammar rules should be within the context of the texts that are being read. The emphasis of language instruction for young ELs should be on the content of the communication and not on the form. Young students who are in the process of acquiring English need plenty of “on the job” practice.
ELs and Language Learning
I once walked into a 6th-grade general education classroom where my students were working with their English-speaking classmates on a “fill-in-the-blanks” grammar exercise. I noticed that all of them could correctly complete the exercise but their communication skills were poor. They were not able to apply those rules to their oral communications or their writing.
Language learning is not communicative. It is the result of direct instruction in the rules of language. When ELs learn English, they gain conscious knowledge of the new language. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar page. They memorize grammar rules.
Research has shown, however, that knowing grammar rules does not necessarily result in good speaking or writing. A student who has memorized the rules of the language may be able to succeed on a standardized test of English language but may not be able to speak or write correctly. That’s why I don’t teach grammar to young English learners.
These experiences reinforced my belief that if we teach ELs to communicate, the grammar will take care of itself.
Krashen, S. D. (1988). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.