Don't Get Tense About Tense - Survival Tips For Teaching Grammar
| This is an article designed to assist those who are | is the place to do it - not when you are being paid for | |||
| thinking of signing up for a TEFL course (or who have | it. | |||
| completed their TEFL) and who have a nervous, | A question of levels | |||
| stomach twisting fear of the word "grammar." I have | The level of your students will affect how you should | |||
| never and would never call myself a linguist but was | introduce new grammar. For example to lower level | |||
| able to get on quite well with grammar elements of my | students, grammar should be introduced subtly and | |||
| TEFL course and I have no problem introducing | naturally. Otherwise you run the risk of confusion, too | |||
| grammar to my current classes. If you are in any way | much terminology and over compensating for what | |||
| scared or horrified of grammar, then do make sure | they don't know. Grammar should be introduced | |||
| that your TEFL course has grammar inputs. My TEFL | through conversation or questioning and then backed | |||
| course had pre-course grammar activities to complete | up with boardwork and further exercises to practice. | |||
| which served me very well. From Day One you are | New tenses are really tough to introduce. The 'present | |||
| introduced to grammar and you to learn to love it...ok, | perfect', for example, is a tense you'll introduce to high | |||
| that might be an exaggeration but you certainly won't | elementaries and pre-intermediates and I think the best | |||
| be scared of it. There are a few points that you | way is to introduce it is by talking about life | |||
| should remember when tackling the grammatical | experiences. Example: | |||
| elements of your TEFL or class preparation. | Teacher: "Have you visited New York?" | |||
| Terms and conditions apply | Student: "Yes." | |||
| Always make sure that the TEFL course you apply to | Teacher: "Lovely, how many times have you visited | |||
| has grammar inputs. It doesn't matter if you can speak | New York." | |||
| 1 or 5 languages, grammar terminology is never the | Student: "I gone four times." | |||
| same. You may think you know the difference | Teacher: "You have been four times. You have been." | |||
| between the present perfect and and past perfect but | (writes on the board) "So, how many times have you | |||
| you may have to guess again! English grammar | visited New York?" | |||
| terminology may be different to what you're used to. | Student: "I have been four times." | |||
| The main point of a TEFL is learning how to teach. So | Thus, you'll gauge how quickly students can pick up | |||
| remember, knowing grammar and knowing how to | different concepts - all through repetition, elicitation and | |||
| teach it is very different. | visual aids. | |||
| Get on it early | Don't overwhelm | |||
| When I studied for my TEFL we were introduced to | New grammar has to be introduced very clearly and | |||
| the importance of understanding grammar from the | effectively. It's advisable not to introduce too much at | |||
| first day. I think it was within the first 2 hours! It's highly | once, which you can be in danger of when you first | |||
| important to start tackling grammar as soon as you | start teaching. You can get put in some difficult | |||
| can. My TEFL course was intense and you don't want | situations. I was teaching a beginners class who were | |||
| to get left behind. Do the homework and extra | practising the present tense and they wanted to be | |||
| practice exercises. Another piece of advice and an | able to say things in the future. I had to joke that we'd | |||
| absolute gem to have up your sleeve is Murphy's | learn it the next week! But its best for your students | |||
| English Grammar in Use exercise book. This is great | that you don't overwhelm them with too much | |||
| for simple grammatical explanations as well as | grammatical information. | |||
| providing a lot of practice exercises. | And finally... | |||
| Practice makes perfect | Always have some grammar games in your bag. This | |||
| A good TEFL course should have observed practice | is really useful for moments when only practising will | |||
| teaching sessions. Use these to your full advantage. I | cement a student's understanding. Games also help | |||
| recommend that you introduce an aspect of grammar | students to remember things a different way. I always | |||
| to your practice class, even just once. You'll get a real | keep a bundle present tense and past tense verb | |||
| feel of how students react to new grammar, any | cards in my bag. Beginners can match the tenses, | |||
| problems that arise in presentation of it and an idea of | intermediates could give you their past participle or | |||
| the amount of time it might take to properly introduce | create a story using them and upper intermediate | |||
| some new grammar. Most TEFL courses offer free | students can put the verbs into different tenses. Simple | |||
| English classes to your guinea pigs so they know you | yet effective grammar games really help students | |||
| are a teacher with 'L' plates. If you make a mistake | remember grammar rules, which helps you too! | |||
| with teaching grammar, or can't answer a question, this |
Victoria Galloway - Graduate of TtMadrid and English teacher - www.ttmadrid.com