Involving Students in Grammar Work: Not Too Little, Not Too Much

ded to take place in the context of fluency practice. Remember that grammar practice, too, can give students the chance to exchange information, give their opinions, use their imaginations and be creative.

Who Makes the Exercises?

You don't always have to stick to the teaching materials. If you are working on, say, a gap-fill exercise, get students to try making up additional items for each other.

Tests

Help students to feel that they are testing themselves -- checking their own progress -- rather than just being tested. Let them talk about what is an acceptable test result. Here, too, they can sometimes be involved creatively -- helping (under supervision) to create test items for each other.

Conclusion

There are no miracle solutions to language teaching problems. Whatever we do, languages remain difficult and time remains short. Getting students more personally involved in their grammar learning will not magically make them fluent bilinguals. But it will certainly help them to learn more English, more effectively, and more enjoyably. And that is a good deal better than nothing.

《Involving Students in Grammar Work: Not Too Little, Not Too Much》