| Did you know that the average student learning a | | | | those rules, worse even to learn them up front, you will |
| foreign language spends more time dwelling on the | | | | destroy that rule building process with the end result |
| correct gramatical rules than on actually just seaking | | | | that your child may never learn that second language |
| the language? This may just be the undoing of his or | | | | fluently but may always behave like a self-conscious |
| her language skills. | | | | and slow speaker who tries to first access his/her |
| The problem with this: it is not only about the most | | | | grammatical "rule book" that is by now |
| ineffective way of language training, some of these | | | | saved in a completely different part of their brain. |
| elements such as translations and grammar drill are | | | | This is known since decades, however, modern school |
| outright harmful. | | | | currikcula and teacher training does not reflect that |
| Before we get into the details, please consider this: | | | | knowledge. Rather children are given assignments in |
| how did you learn to walk? All by yourself I believe | | | | their native language and challenged to translate into |
| and further you might agree that nowhere in the world | | | | the target foreign language, whereby they are asked |
| there is a pediatrician or pedagogue who would | | | | to apply those cherished rules. This is part of a series |
| advocate special walking instructions and drills for | | | | of articles where we will also cover the harm that's |
| babies and toddlers (unless they were disabled). | | | | done by forcing children to translate early between |
| Likewise we all know that children learn their native | | | | languages. Let's just quote a few sources on grammar |
| language automatically just by listening and gradually | | | | drill and its effects: |
| communicating with people who are more advanced | | | | "Why Doesn't Grammar Correction Work? The |
| than they. By the age of six a normally developped | | | | first reason why writing class grammar feedback |
| child knows about 100,000 words in their native | | | | doesn't work is that it treats only the surface |
| language if you count all word forms, e.g. go -> | | | | appearance of grammar and not with the way |
| went, brother -> brethren, may -> might etc. Even | | | | language develops ... Secondly, learning grammar in a |
| a professor who later teaches that language as his | | | | second language is a complex and gradual process |
| best foreign language will hardly ever surpass such a | | | | which occurs both developmentally and hierarchically |
| six year old which you can easily check by asking him | | | | (some items are acquired before others). |
| or her for e.g. a list of thirty types of tree or thirty | | | | Compounding this is the fact that the learning of |
| species of birds, or if he knows the games and toys | | | | linguistic items does not occur in a linear fashion, that |
| such child usually plays with in his native language and | | | | the learning curve for an item is full of valleys and |
| is accustomed to name. | | | | peaks, progress and regressions." |
| So we may safely say that nature's normal way of | | | | (Grammar Correction in ESL/EFL Writing Classes May |
| acquiring a language is the best, simply the most | | | | Not Be Effective, Ronald Gray, Beijing Language and |
| effective way and that all other methods lag miles | | | | Culture University (Beijing, China)) |
| behind. While there are a many fun ways to learn a | | | | The author then continues: "So what should a L2 |
| language, they're still not as effective as the simple | | | | writing teacher do? The quickest and most effective |
| way babies acquire their first. But there are certain | | | | solution would be for writing instructors to simply stop |
| widely employed methods that are outrright harmful | | | | making grammar corrections." And take note: |
| and one of them is grammar training. | | | | "In short, teachers need to train themselves to |
| Did you ever reflect on grammar when acquiring or | | | | set aside their red pens and examine ideas and see |
| using your native language until the age of six? Not | | | | what students are trying to say instead of simply |
| really, most people whose parents are accomplished | | | | looking for grammatical errors." |
| speakers just pick up their parents style and | | | | "When you are just learning to speak a new |
| vocabulary. The most important thing though is that we | | | | language, learning grammar rules is not only senseless, |
| have certain areas in our brains that are trained to distill | | | | but harmful as far as developing your ability to fluently |
| rules from repeating patterns, such as past tense or | | | | express yourself. ... In most cases, our speech is |
| the plural "s" as in manner -> manners, | | | | formed by communication, the quantity and quality of |
| fan -> fans, can - cans etc. This process is | | | | studied literature, education, or simply our surrounding |
| automatical and the correct "grammatical" | | | | environment. During systematic simultaneous repetition, |
| rule becomes woven into the language usage pattern | | | | one develops an inner sense of the language, and the |
| and then works without thinking. | | | | ability to imitate correct pronunciation of words and |
| But if you force anyone, esp. children, to reflect upon | | | | phrases. |