How can I help, students from 8th grade D at liceo No. 1 Javiera Carrera to learn grammar with a communicative approach?

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(1)Running head: TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. Faculty of Education English Department Macarena Gutiérrez Inzunza. “How can I help my students from 8th grade D at Liceo N°1 “Javiera Carrera” to learn grammar with a communicative approach?”. November 2015.

(2) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 2. Abstract This Action Research (AR) is focused on how to teach grammar with a communicative approach in 8th grade D at Liceo 1 “Javiera Carrera”. It mentions different approaches to grammar teaching and its learning, along with the most common debates that are present when discussing it. The following research aims to provide a theoretical framework and strategies on how to teach grammatical contents but giving them a communicative approach and adapt them according to the teacher and students’ needs. For this purpose, this research has been done through an extensive observation inside the classroom in order to analyze outcomes and withdraw conclusions that will provide an answer to the question raised.. Keywords: communicative approach, grammar teaching, grammar learning, communicative strategies..

(3) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 3. Resumen Este Action Research (AR) se centra en la forma de enseñar la gramática con un enfoque comunicativo en octavo básico D en el Liceo 1 "Javiera Carrera". Menciona diferentes enfoques sobre la enseñanza de la gramática y su aprendizaje, además de los debates más comunes que están presentes cuando se habla acerca de ello. La siguiente investigación tiene como objetivo proporcionar un marco teórico y estrategias sobre cómo enseñar contenidos gramaticales, pero dándoles un enfoque comunicativo y adaptarlos de acuerdo a las necesidades del profesor y de los estudiantes. Para ello, esta investigación se ha realizado a través de una extensa observación en el aula con el fin de analizar los resultados y extraer conclusiones que darán una respuesta a la interrogante planteada.. Palabras clave: enfoque comunicativo, enseñanza de gramática, aprendizaje de gramática, estrategias comunicativas..

(4) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 4. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my parents Laura Inzunza and Mauricio Gutiérrez, for believing in me and for the support and sacrifice that meant to pay for my education so I could be the first member of the family who had access to superior education. I will always be in debt with you and my family, thanks for your trust. I am also grateful of all those teachers who guided my path towards learning, growth and self-discovery as a teacher. I must thank Loreto Aliaga, Pablo Silva, and Salomé Villa, for being a guide and a role model for me during all these years. I must acknowledge as well my boyfriend Mauricio Mardones, who in the pursuit of this project was fundamental. Thanks to my friend and future colleague Gonzalo Sandoval who always helped and guided me when facing difficulties. In addition, I want to thank my brother Gustavo García, who with just two and a half years gave me the strength I needed every day. Finally, I would like to dedicate this research to José Luis Callado, a teacher who taught me as many things as he could and who always encouraged me to do the best I could and never give up..

(5) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 5. Table of contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………...2 Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………...4 List of figures and tables……...…………………………………………………….….……8 Introduction……………………………………………...………………………….….…..10 Context……………………………………………………………………………………..11 Describing the observed problem………………………………………………..…12 Research question………………………………………………………………………..…14 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………...15 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….…….16 Grammar………………………………………………………………….…….......16 Teaching grammar………………………………………………………………….17 Learning grammar………………………………………………………………….18 Communicative approach…….………………………………………………….....19 Groupwork………………………………………………………………………….19 Planning………………………………………………………………………………...…..20 Research methodology…………………………………………………………..…20 Questionnaire……………………………………………………………….21.

(6) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 6. Journal………………………….……………………...…………………...21 Test……………………….…………………………………...…………....21 Intervention design…….……………………………………...…………....22 Likert……………………………………….…………………………........22 Data collection...…………………………………………………………………………...22 First stage…………………………………………………………………………..22 Grammar questionnaire…………………...………………………………..23 Pre-test……………………………………………………………………...23 Second stage………………………………………………………………………..25 Intervention…………………………………………………………………25 Journal……………………………………………………………………...26 Likert………………………………………………………….……………26 Third stage………………………………………………………………………….26 Post-test…………………………………………………………………….27 Reflection and analysis of intervention…………………………………………….29 Students’ development……………………………………………………..29 Pre-intervention…………………………………………………….29.

(7) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 7. Intervention…………………………………………………………29 Post-intervention……………………………………………………30 Teacher’s development…………………………………………………..…30 Pre-intervention…………………………………………………….30 Intervention…………………………………………………………30 Post-intervention……………………………………………………30 Data analysis……………………………………………………………………………….31 Analysis procedure…………………………………………………………………31 Questionnaire……………………………………………………………….31 Tests………………………………………………………………………...33 Likert chart…………………………………………………………………35 Interpretations………………………………………………………………………37 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………...38 References………………………………………………………………………………….40 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………...42.

(8) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 8. List of figures and tables Figure 1. Classroom organization…...………………………………………………..10. Figure 2. Timeline Action Research Project Process………………………………....19. Figure 3. Statement “Grammar should be taught explicitly” .……………………......30. Figure 4. Statement “Grammar should be taught implicitly” .…………………..…...31. Figure 5. Statement “It is easier to learn grammar explicitly” .……………….....…...31. Figure 6. Statement “It is easier to learn grammar implicitly”............……………….32. Figure 7. Test's comparison Item I…………………………………………………...33. Figure 8. Test's comparison Item II.………………………………………………….33. Figure 9. Test's comparison Item III.…………………………………………………34. Figure 10. Likert chart…………………………………………………………………36. Figure 11. Pre-test approval……………………………………………………………37. Figure 12. Post-test approval……………………………………………………..……37. Table 1.1. Item I from the Pre-test………………………………………………….…23. Table 1.2. Item II from the Pre-test……………………………………………………23. Table 1.3. Item III from the Pre-test…………………………………………………..24. Table 2.1. Item I from the Post-test…………………………………………………...26.

(9) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 9. Table 2.2. Item II from the Post-test…………………………………………………..27. Table 2.3. Item III from the Post-test………………………………………………….27. Table 3. Tests’ success………………………………………………………………35.

(10) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 10. Introduction Acquiring English as a second language is more usual than how it was years ago around the whole globe due to the impact of globalization. As a result, the Chilean educational system has incorporated English as a Foreign Language to the National Curriculum and it is taught from fifth grade to twelfth grade. In order to incorporate this foreign language, schools work with the National Curriculum framework. Nevertheless, some schools have internal curriculums, where they decide what contents they will focus on and the approach they want to give to English teaching. That is the case I observed at Liceo N°1 “Javiera Carrera” where they decided to promote a grammar-oriented approach in order to meet the contents established in their “Red de Contenidos” (see appendix 2: “Red de Contenidos”). This, interestingly, is far from what the National Curriculum promotes. The most current problem inside EFL classroom for teachers is how to teach grammar from a communicative approach and not to teach it explicitly. Based on all that, this action research will analyze how to teach grammar in a communicative way during classes so I can be able to understand how to develop and apply techniques to change this grammar-oriented method, to reach professional growth and to make this learning process meaningful for my students. This research project will focus on 8th grade students from Liceo N°1 “Javiera Carrera”. Through an extensive observation and data collection, it will aim to find an answer or possible improvements to the given problem, exploring different strategies and literature to support it..

(11) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 11. Context The observed school is Liceo N°1 “Javiera Carrera”. Founded in 1894, this municipal school located in Santiago Centro is a girl’s only one and it is part of the emblematic schools in Chile. It has a scientific-humanist orientation and receives students from 7th grade to 12th grade. This school selects its students based on an acceptance test that rank them according to their performance. Furthermore, students from the entire Metropolitan Region attend here in two different schedules, one in the morning and the other one during afternoons. The school’s vision is to promote an education that will lead students to enter college. The grade on which this action research will be focused is 8th Grade D, a class of forty students, whose ages range from thirteen to fifteen years old. It is necessary to point out that, as there are a big number of students per classroom, which is not big enough, so students do not have plenty space to move or to interact during classes. That situation may be a problem while doing other types of organization. Figure 1 shows the daily classroom organization.. Figure 1. Classroom organization..

(12) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 12. Describing the observed problem During the first weeks attending this school, I was introduced to Liceo 1’s “Red de Contenidos” in which the school states the contents that they want students to learn. Thus, has a different approach from the one of National Curriculum and promotes a grammaroriented approach. Consequently, they decided to work with a different book than the given by the Ministry of Education to municipal schools, which is the Oxford’s Solutions textbook. According to the internal curriculum, teachers have to approach contents stated there using this resource and its methodology. The book has a grammar-oriented organization that promotes explicit grammar learning, which also encourages teachers to approach contents in the same way. It suggests the teacher to omit speaking activities in order to maximize time. While developing a few classes, it was possible for me to identify that students internalized this grammar-oriented teaching method imposed by the school and the textbook. During the first weeks, I decided to follow this method in order to maintain the same structure they were used to. However, at the end of the lesson, I asked them to share, comment and discuss the topic, but students were unable to do so. Doing a consistent selfreflection through my journal, I noticed that I never gave them the chance to speak, to expose them to language either led them to language awareness. This made me question the method that was traditionally used in the school, but most importantly, the method I had decided to adopt willingly, regardless of my communicative inclined preparation. After observing the results, I noticed that following this model would affect my teaching practice in a negative way. My students were not being able to communicate in English because of my teaching method and previous teaching. I noticed that I was not giving them the.

(13) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 13. instances to talk and to share inside the classroom; that by following the book and its methodology I was not giving a communicative approach to the contents during the lessons. It was possible for me to detect, how isolated this grammar learning is, resulting meaningless to students, who do not see English in context neither have the chance to develop or increase their language awareness. When I asked my students to speak or to elaborate short sentences were not able to produce English, just were able to identify its written grammatical form. Besides, it was possible to identify how students are used to this grammar-oriented approach and that during conversations or asked to speak; they are unable to produce a sentence but are able to identify grammar structures isolated. Problems arose since the beginning, as it can be seen in one of my journal logs: May 4th, 2015 “During this week I had to plan two lessons for 8th grade D. The school requested me to review the contents from Unit 0: “Superhuman” before the test. The first module, I reviewed the contents and students were working with the present tense contrast, so I decided to start the following lesson by asking them to share some routines, habits and things happening now. Suddenly, I noticed how students were writing their sentences, but not speaking. When asked a student “tell me, what do you do every morning?” She stared at me and said “simple” while the rest of her classmates nodded. I asked another student “what time do you get up?” she said “simple”. After that, I asked them to share those sentences with me, and as they were reading them, I noticed that most of them were accurate, that the problem was not there.” (Gutiérrez, M., personal journal, July 3, 2015).

(14) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 14. After this lesson, I noticed that the grammar-oriented method from the textbook was not working. I tried that method and failed because by reproducing it I was not doing any good for my students, they were just learning a grammatical structure isolated. The main problem for me at this school is how to give a communicative approach to the grammatical contents of each unit, as with the current method students are only memorizing rules and not communicating in English. Nevertheless, the reason why I have to teach them grammar is that in spite of how I teach them, those contents are included in the school’s curriculum and will be evaluated at the end of the semester on Liceo 1’s standardized tests. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a method or a balance between the approach imposed by the school and mine. Hence, is that in this research my main aim is to find a possible solution for this problem to be able to teach grammar in a communicative way during classes and to find strategies or recourses to do so in order to improve my teaching practice. Along this study, I will illustrate the experience lived inside this context, what was possible to learn, observe during the interventions, observe them and formulate a reflexive analysis. Research question As a result of the observation and of the previous descriptions, it was possible for me to identify a problem and come up with a question in order to find possible solutions or answers. This research will give an answer to the question: How can I help my students from 8th grade D at Liceo N°1 “Javiera Carrera” to learn grammar with a communicative approach?.

(15) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 15. Rationale Nowadays, the Chilean Educational System has been progressively incorporating new strategies, contents and tools that can contextualize English as a foreign language during classes, all this in order to make this learning experience meaningful for students. Most teachers are criticizing the way some books, schools or even stakeholders decide to manage this, giving more importance to the grammatical structure than to other aspects of English. Due to all what was mentioned above, my main reason for undertaking this project is to look up for strategies and literature in order to be able to approach the grammatical contents from a communicative approach as I want them to communicate and not just to learn a grammatical structure, I want to improve the communicative competence and skills. This study will comprehend all that, in order to improve my students’ learning experience in relation to grammar learning, to improve my practice as a teacher and achieve professional growth. This project’s relevance has to do with the way English is acquired by second language learners. Nowadays, teachers are used to teach English, somehow, through a grammatical formula that students memorize or apply as it is taught but do not acquire English, neither communicate. Besides, this problem is common nowadays, and teachers are dealing with it regardless of the changes made. Moreover, my paper aims to search and contribute to the field of ELT by working as a guide for teachers with a similar situation and context, so they can approach contents.

(16) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 16. imposed to be taught from a grammar-oriented approach and turn them into a communicative class. Along this project, not only do I expect to find an answer to the research question, but to provide guidance to teachers who desire to change not just a curriculum but their own teaching practice in relation to teaching grammar. Literature Review To begin with, it is necessary for me to identify and state the key concepts for this research as it would be possible to have a better and wider understanding of the topic’s field. What is grammar? Grammar has been part of language teaching along history. During its early stages, Jonson (2011) defined it as the art of speaking and writing correctly. Besides, he stated that it was not acquired through readings or conversations but by adding those readings and conversations a systematic study of the grammatical principles of English, a belief that was embraced by many. Grammar became an essential aspect of English teaching and as it was considered an essential systematic study. From that, arose a teaching based on studying its structure and form. Later on, other definitions for grammar came out. According to Thornbury (1999), grammar can be defined as the study of the possible forms in the language. Another definition for it is that “grammar may be roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of.

(17) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 17. meaning” (Ur, 1988, p. 4). In other words, according to these authors, grammar is the definition for the rules that govern language. Grammar teaching Therein the history of language teaching, there has been a wide variety of teaching methods for it as there is still a debate about it that has transcended over history as “no other issue has preoccupied theorists and practitioners as the grammar debate” (Thornbury, 1999, p.14). For example we have the; Task-based Language Teaching, Cooperative Teaching, Focus on meaning and Focus on form, Content-based instruction, Communicative approach, Deductive, Inductive, etc. All of them aim to focus at different aspects of grammar but towards the same goal. Furthermore, Willis (1996) proposed that while teaching we should develop language awareness at the end of a lesson. He proposes a Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), which consists of three stages, wherein the first one; the teacher develops a Pre-task, where the topic is introduced and the teacher helps students recall or learn vocabulary and phrases. Then, the teacher presents the Task, where students will have to work in groups while the teacher monitors them making sure that they are working and that they understood the instruction. Finally, Willis (1996) proposes a Post-task, where the focus will be on language forms and use. The aim of the final stage is to develop language awareness, as during the previous phase, students got familiar with the grammar structure and have processed its meaning. This model is opposite to the Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP), where grammar is deliberately taught at the beginning of the lesson..

(18) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 18. While teaching, there is another aspect that is important to highlight and it is error correction. Some authors believe that errors must be corrected immediately while others believe that it needs to be at the end of the lesson during the language focus in order to foster language awareness. According to Larsen-Freeman (1995), if the teacher does not correct errors, it leads to overgeneralizations in language. Moreover, when discussing about grammar teaching, teachers keep arguing about how to do so; explicit or implicit. Most consider that “explicit grammar teaching should be avoided” (Thompson, 1996, p.10) in order to lead students to language awareness. A consensus that I have observed is that “grammar can be taught in many ways – there is no ‘best’ way that suits all grammar points.” (Gardener, 2008, p.1), but having a variety of perspectives and methodologies is necessary. Another approach given to grammar is the grammar-translation one, which consists on focusing on the rules of grammar and the translation of it to the mother tongue. Duff (1996) supported this model stating that it promoted awareness of interference when translating sentences and that it develops essential qualities for language learning. On the contrary, Brown (1994) stated that this approach does not improve students’ communicative skills. Grammar learning I believe that the way students learn grammar is of paramount importance, as we cannot assume that there is just one possible way. According to Krashen (1985), there is a wide difference between acquisition and learning. His theory states that learning competes just to learning the rules of language,.

(19) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 19. while acquisition concerns to how, through enough comprehensive input as “that knowledge is of a kind which cannot be passed on in the form of stable rules, but can be acquired unconsciously through exposure to the language” (Krashen, 1988, p.94). In the same way, Nation (2009) states that learners can learn grammar by direct exposure to it. That would be explanations, exercises and feedback activities. To review and learn grammar, but in context seems to be the most adequate method. Communicative language teaching One of the approaches to grammar that I have decided to apply is a Communicative one, as I want to include it to my methodology and help my students learn grammar but through a communicative approach. If the teacher wants to encourage communicative competence, “then classroom time is better spent engaging in language use.” (Krashen, 1983, p. 37) That is the reason why I have chosen to focus on a Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which “can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom.” (Richards, 2006, p. 2). According to Richards, the class should be divided in three: mechanical, meaningful, and communicative practice. Group work Moreover, when talking about how to approach grammar in classes, Nation (2009) states that group work is the best strategy in order to do so. “Firstly, group work is most commonly used to get learners talking to each other. Secondly, much research on group work in language learning has studied spoken activity, partly because this is the most easily.

(20) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 20. observed and recorded. Thirdly, most teachers use speaking activities in unprincipled ways.” (Nation, 2009, p.1) Planning Based upon my teaching experience at Liceo 1, here I present my planning for this research. I started by designing the course of action of my action research and my first step was to create a timeline (Figure 2) so I could organize my procedure. It states the time management and expected deadlines.. Figure 2.Timeline Action Research Project Process Methodological design This Action Research is based on experiences that have been observed inside a classroom; therefore, the methodology to be used will be qualitative in nature. The instruments I will use to answer my questions are the following:.

(21) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 21. Questionnaire. In order to identify students’ beliefs on grammar, I designed a questionnaire (See appendix 5: Questionnaire “Grammar”) that will provide evidence about it. My main objective of paying attention to that is that I want to know their conceptions about it and if they can change after the intervention. Journal. One of the main sources of information inside an EFL classroom is the journal. The one that I have been writing during this year follows the format of descriptive and reflective. The purpose of this journal is to identify characteristics and events that caught my attention inside the classroom context and during the interventions. Test (pre - post intervention). As I want to provide evidence in terms of whether my intervention was effective or not, I designed a test (See appendix 1: Past simple test) in which I will assess my students’ knowledge about grammar before my intervention. Then, with the same test, I will re-test my students’ knowledge after the intervention. All this, in order to analyze if after my intervention students were able to learn grammar in a communicative way, so I will have the chance of observing if mi intervention was effective or not as “score-based inferences from grammar tests can be used to make a variety of decisions. For example, classroom teachers use these scores as a basis for making inferences about learning or achievement.” (Purpura, 2004, p. 147). By using this tool, I will be able to define my students’ improvements and see if my instrument was valid. I have chosen these methodological instruments because I consider them crucial in this research, as they will provide me with the data I need in order to solve my problem..

(22) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 22. Each data collection instrument helps me in different ways: the journal contributes s as a first approach to the classroom context, the Likert chart will provide me evidence from the intervention and also it will be a self-evaluation for me, and the tests will provide evidence before and after it. Intervention. In order to find an answer to this research question, I will carry an intervention in concordance with the school’s program taking into account the Past simple grammar structure past simple affirmative and negative forms of “be”. I will plan a lesson based on the Communicative Language Teaching model. (See appendix 6: Lesson plan “When I was a child”). Likert. In order to document the intervention and to be able to see my teaching from an external point of view, I designed a Likert Scale Questionnaire (see appendix 3: Teacher Observation Likert) where I described all the attitudes and aspects that a teacher should bear in mind in order to develop a communicative class. This tool will be completed by my guide teacher during the intervention. Data collection This study took place during the second semester of 2015. It is divided into three stages described below that will explain the procedure and actions before, during and after the intervention. First stage During this stage, I started by observing students and identifying a problem. Once I came up with a question based on my problem, I started designing and organizing my.

(23) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 23. methodological instruments in order to collect data. After that, I organized them based on my intervention. Finally, at this stage I decided to apply the grammar questionnaire and then the pre-test. Grammar questionnaire. At first, I wanted to know what my student’s beliefs on grammar were (See appendix 5: Questionnaire “Grammar”). On September 21st, I gave my 8th grade D students a questionnaire and asked them to answer it. Thirty students out of forty were present that day. First, I explained them the meaning of an explicit and implicit grammar teaching. Then, I gave them some examples of possible answers. Finally, I asked them to share with their classmates and with me their thoughts and feelings towards grammar teaching and my practice. In the first section, students had to answer a question and below they had to read a statement and choose whether they agree or disagree with it. After twenty minutes, students were ready and gave me the questionnaires back. Pre-Test. On September 26th, I applied the Pre-test (See appendix 1: Past simple test). There were thirty-eight students out of forty and during ninety minutes, they had to answer the test based on their previous knowledge in relation to the Past Simple grammatical structure. I gave them forty-five minutes to answer the test, after forty minutes the first student finished and after fifty only five finished, so I had to ask the rest to give back the tests. Below are the results I obtained after applying the Pre-test. These results represent each question’s percentage of correct and incorrect answers per question and the number of them..

(24) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 24. Table 1.1 Item I from the Pre-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item I Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 8. 21%. 30. 79%. Question 2. 13. 34%. 25. 66%. Question 3. 16. 42%. 22. 58%. Question 4. 18. 47%. 20. 53%. Question 5. 12. 32%. 26. 68%. Question 6. 9. 24%. 29. 76%. Question 7. 8. 21%. 30. 79%. Table 1.2 Item II from the Pre-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item II Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 5. 13%. 33. 87%. Question 2. 9. 24%. 29. 76%. Question 3. 2. 5%. 36. 95%. Question 4. 6. 16%. 32. 84%. Question 5. 6. 16%. 32. 84%.

(25) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 25. Table 1.3 Item III from the Pre-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item III Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 3. 8%. 35. 92%. Question 2. 0. 0%. 38. 100%. Question 3. 2. 5%. 36. 95%. Question 4. 3. 8%. 35. 92%. Question 5. 3. 8%. 35. 92%. Question 6. 2. 5%. 36. 95%. Question 7. 3. 8%. 35. 92%. Question 8. 3. 8%. 35. 92%. Second stage Throughout the second stage, my objective was to put into action my planning and to collect data during it. I designed a lesson plan (See appendix 6: Lesson plan “When I was a child”) based on the aspects that a communicative class should include and the ones I adapted. Intervention. The intervention took place on October 27th, 2015. During that class, two students were absent out of forty-one. I developed a lesson based on my planning (See appendix 6: Lesson plan “When I was a child”) and applied the strategies described on it..

(26) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 26. Journal. Since the beginning of this study, I have been writing down a journal with a descriptive and reflective analysis of the context observed. In this one, I wrote about the intervention. November 2nd, 2015 “This week I had the chance to develop my first intervention for my Action Research. My lesson plan included a Pre-While-Post. During the three stages, I observed my students working, speaking, sharing and making comments. While they were working with the activities, students started asking questions. Once we finished the last activity, my students asked me why we were not working with the textbook’s activities. I asked them if the class was boring or if they did not like it, but they told me that it was really interesting and that they were happy of not using the textbook.” (Gutiérrez, M., personal journal, November 2nd, 2015) Likert. This material (see appendix 3: Teacher Observation Likert) was designed in order to find weaknesses and strengths during my intervention and if I was taking into account each necessary aspect of a communicative approach. This tool was implemented during the intervention and my guide teacher was in charge of filling it. Third stage Along this stage, the objective was to provide evidence of how my intervention affected my students and to compare the results obtained in the first test against the second one..

(27) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 27. Post-test. On November 16th, I applied the post-test. Through it, I wanted to check students’ improvements or if the results were the same than the previous test as a result of my intervention. During this one test, only one student was absent. I gave them forty-five minutes to answer the test, after twenty minutes the first student finished and after thirty the last student finished. Below are the results I obtained after applying the Post-test. These results represent each question’s percentage of correct and incorrect answers per question and the number of them.. Table 2.1 Item I from the Post-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item I Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 8. 21%. 30. 79%. Question 2. 13. 34%. 25. 66%. Question 3. 16. 42%. 22. 58%. Question 4. 18. 47%. 20. 53%. Question 5. 12. 32%. 26. 68%. Question 6. 9. 24%. 29. 76%. Question 7. 8. 21%. 30. 79%.

(28) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 28. Table 2.2 Item II from the Post-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item II Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 18. 47%. 20. 53%. Question 2. 23. 61%. 15. 39%. Question 3. 9. 24%. 29. 76%. Question 4. 16. 42%. 22. 58%. Question 5. 14. 37%. 24. 63%. Table 2.3 Item III from the Post-test. Correct and incorrect answers per question. Item III Questions. Correct answers. Incorrect answers. Question 1. 16. 42%. 22. 58%. Question 2. 15. 39%. 23. 61%. Question 3. 9. 24%. 29. 76%. Question 4. 22. 58%. 16. 42%. Question 5. 18. 47%. 20. 53%. Question 6. 16. 42%. 22. 58%. Question 7. 20. 53%. 18. 47%.

(29) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Question 8. 21. 55%. 17. 29 45%. Reflection and analysis of intervention During the intervention, I experienced and observed certain things that I would like to analyze in the following points. Students’ development. In this section, I would like to talk about my students, what was possible to observe before, while and after the intervention. Pre-intervention. Before the intervention, I gave students a questionnaire. At first, they did not know what it was talking about but once I explained them, they were able to answer it quickly. Students looked convince about their answers and were sharing them with their classmates. After that, came the pre-test. While developing the test, students seemed lost and confused and were constantly asking questions about the grammatical structure. It took them longer than what I expected to finish the test. Intervention. During the intervention, students were able to follow the class but were somehow lost. Students started asking me questions about why we were not working with the textbook. Later on, students were able to follow the class. I believe that it was hard for them to change from a grammar-oriented lesson organization to a communicative one. Nevertheless, they started making the transition and turned the class into a student-centered one..

(30) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 30. Post-intervention. After the intervention, I observed that my students were more confident than during the previous test and less nervous. I gave them the test and they did not ask questions about the grammatical structure but about the instructions and the time. Surprisingly, it took them less time than the previous test. Teacher’s development. At this point, I will talk about me as a teacher during the intervention and what was possible to observe and experience. Pre-intervention. Before the intervention, I developed a questionnaire. I was worried about their thoughts about grammar teaching and if my teaching, following that grammar-centered model, affected their way of seeing it. During the Pre-test, I had the feeling that students were nervous and so was I as I did not know what to expect. Intervention. During the intervention, I wanted to reach my main goal and in order to do that I applied all the strategies I could so students could understand each instruction. As I was observing them, I started feeling anxious and observed each detail of their behavior. I was constantly monitoring them and that made me feel more confident and closer to students. At the end of it, I felt that maybe I needed more CCQS so I could be completely sure that students were following the class and also I started thinking about the times I used Spanish without noticing it. I feel that there are details that I need to improve, all that in order to achieve better outcomes. Post-intervention. After the intervention and during the Post-test, I took my time to observe my students answering the test. Most of them were really concentrated and motivated to answer. At that point, I felt confident about my intervention as I contrasted the previous test with this one and it was definitely better..

(31) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 31. Data analysis Analysis procedure Along this research, I developed tools, interventions, and tests in order to collect evidence that will help me to find an answer to my question. At this point, I will expose and analyze it. Questionnaire. In the questionnaire, students had to read a statement and choose whether they agree or disagree with it. In the first statement “Grammar should be taught explicitly”, a hundred percent of students agreed with it as it is possible to see in figure 3. a. "Grammar should be taught explicitly". 0%. AGREE (100%) DISAGREE (0%) 100%. Figure 3. Percentage of students’ agreement and disagreement. Graphic shows that the majority of students agreed with the statement “Grammar should be taught explicitly”. In the second statement “Grammar should be taught implicitly” (Figure 4), the thirty percent of students agreed with it, while, on the contrary, the seventy percent of students disagreed with it..

(32) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 32. b. "Grammar should be taught implicitly". 30%. 70%. AGREE (30%) DISAGREE (70%). Figure 4. Percentage of students’ agreement and disagreement. Graphic shows that the majority of students agreed with the statement “Grammar should be taught implicitly”. In the third statement “It is easier to learn grammar explicitly”, a hundred percent of students agreed with it as it is possible to see in figure 5.. c. "It is easier to learn grammar explicitly" 0%. AGREE (100%) DISAGREE (0%) 100%. Figure 5. Percentage of students’ agreement and disagreement. Graphic shows that the majority of students agreed with the statement “It is easier to learn grammar explicitly”..

(33) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 33. In the fourth statement “It is easier to learn grammar explicitly” (figure 6), fifteen percent of students agreed with it, eighty-one percent disagreed and the four percent omitted their answer.. d. "It it easier to learn grammar implicitly" 4% 15% AGREE (15%) DISAGREE (81%). 81%. OMIT (4%). Figure 6. Percentage of students’ agreement and disagreement. Graphic shows that the majority of students disagreed with the statement “It is easier to learn grammar implicitly”. From this questionnaire, it is possible to assume that students believe that an explicit grammar teaching is the most effective one when dealing with grammar and that it is easier to learn it explicitly too. Tests. By comparing both the pre- and post-intervention test, some interesting results could be observed. In both Item I and III (Figure 7 & 9) 8th graders were able to answer more questions correctly in comparison to the first time they did the test. On the contrary, Item II demonstrated negative numbers since there were more incorrect answers rather than correct ones when analyzing the first and second time they answered the test, but it also increased the number of correct ones..

(34) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Considering the students’ results per question represented in percentages in both tests, it is shown that 8th grade was unable to get more than 50% of correct answers. This reality changed after applying the intervention since there were at least ten questions in which more of 50% of the learners were able to answer correctly during the second assessment.. Test's comparison - Item I. Pre-intervention test Post-intervention test 0. 50. Incorrect answers. 100. 150. 200. Correct answers. Figure 7. Tests’ comparison Item I. Pre and Post-test correct and incorrect answers per question.. Test's comparison - Item II. Pre-intervention test Post-intervention test 0. 50. Incorrect answers. 100. 150. 200. Correct answers. Figure 8. Tests’ comparison Item II. Pre and Post-test correct and incorrect answers per question.. 34.

(35) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 35. Test's comparison - Item III Pre-intervention test Post-intervention test 0. 100. Incorrect answers. 200. 300. Correct answers. Figure 9. Tests’ comparison Item III. Pre and Post-test correct and incorrect answers per question. Even when both the pre- and post-test were not graded, the following table shows the learners’ results if they would receive a mark. Table 3 Tests’ success percentage Tests’ success Approved. Failed. Pre-test. 2. 5%. 36. 95%. Post-test. 16. 42%. 20. 58%. Note: Test 20 points maximum, evaluated with a 60% scale and a minimum mark of 2.0. Likert chart. Along with the other tools, the Likert chart was the one that I needed in order to see if I was including most aspects of a communicative class..

(36) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 36. Figure 10. Likert Chart “Teacher observation”. This chart reflects my behavior inside the classroom and the strategies I applied during the intervention. I gave it to my guide teacher so she could evaluate my performance. The obtained results show that It is possible to observe that I was able to apply enough methodologies to reach a communicative class, instead of promoting a grammar-oriented approach. Even when the host teacher realized positive aspects to develop a class in which 8th graders would be able to learn grammar communicatively, there are some aspects that I need to improve such as self-confidence, use of CCQs and classroom management techniques, among other aspects..

(37) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 37. Interpretations As it was shown beforehand, the students’ results demonstrate the following results in terms of approval:. Pre-test appovals 5%. 95%. Approved. Failed. Figure 11. Pre-test approval. In the case of the pre-test, only 5% of the whole class tests would be considered as accepted. This was an alarming result since the failed tests represent nineteen times the approved ones.. Post-test appovals. 42% 58%. Approved. Failed.

(38) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 38. Figure 12. Post-test approval. However, a progress is demonstrated after applying the communicative intervention previously described. In fact, 42% of the assessed students would approved the test if it would be graded. Even when this result is below the percent of failed tests, 8th graders were able to learn the content for the post-test in a communicative approach rather than in a grammar-oriented one. Conclusions When I decided to carry this research, I was in the middle of a problem that I did not know how to face. I had to teach grammar to my students and I decided to do so following and imposed method, but later on I realized that I could not follow that and needed to find a communicative approach. At the beginning, I never thought about changing it until I found a theoretical framework that backed up my practice and that provided me strategies to support it. Not only I found strategies but also I was able to fulfill the grammatical contents and requirements imposed by the school while achieving a communicative approach in classes. It is possible to say that, although there was no great progress quantitatively, there was qualitatively substantial progress; I would even say that there was a change in the way of perceiving English. Moreover, I feel comfortable with the results obtained as I was able to improve my practice and to find a solution to my problem, although the results were not perfect, I believe that this is the starting point for further improvements. The aim of this research was to find an answer to a question, but the truth is that there is not an absolute truth, as I believe that as teachers we need to keep updating and.

(39) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 39. researching constantly in order to improve our practice. Every time I read about different strategies I feel more confident to face this challenge that means being inside the classroom teaching and learning at the same time. This opportunity of being inside the classroom observing is one of the greatest things that happened to me as this is the opportunity I have to start understanding what is to be a teacher, what that involves and how different methodological approaches work. I believe that, if we take that into account, we do more than just teaching but learning from our students towards personal growth. I hope this research can help other teachers to teach grammar with a communicative approach, by taking this work as a reference or starting point for further work, having proven that is possible to have better results, as it can be seen in the results obtained in this research..

(40) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 40. References Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regent Burns, Anne (2010). Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching. ESL & ProfessionalSeries. Routledge, New York & London. Duff, A. (1996). Translation . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gardener, Sheena (2008) Changing approaches to teaching grammar. Vol. 11 Winter. Retrived from: http://www.elted.net/uploads/7/3/1/6/7316005/v11_6gardner.pdf. Jonson, Ben (2011). The English Grammar. The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson. Eds. David Bevington, Martin Butler, and Ian Donaldson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. New York: Longman. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1991). Teaching grammar, in M. Celce-Murcia (ed.) Teaching English as aSecond Language. Boston: Heinle&Heinle. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1995). On the teaching and learning of grammar. In F.R. Eckman, D. Highland, P.W. Lee, J. Mileham& R. Rutkowski Weber (Eds.), Second language acquisition theory and pedagogy (131-148). Mahweh, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Larsen-Freeman, D. (2000). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press..

(41) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH. 41. Nation, I.S.P. (1989) Group work and language learning. English Teaching Forum 27, 2:20-24. Nation, I.S.P. and Newton, J. (2009) Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. New York: Routledge. Purpura, J. E. (2004), Assessing Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Richards, J. C. and Rodgers C. (1991). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: CUP. Richards, J. (2006) Communicative Language Teaching Today. Cambridge: University Press. Retrieved from: http://www.professorjackrichards.com/pdfs/communicativelanguage-teaching-todayv2.pdf Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Harlow: Longman. Ur, P. (1988) Grammar Practice Activities. Cambridge University Press.

(42) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix Appendix 1: Past Simple Test. 42.

(43) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix 2: Red de contenidos Fecha. Unidad y Contenidos Unit 2 “Going places” 2a Vocabulary and Listening. Unidad de. In town. Aprendizaje. Places in a town (bank, car, park, theatre, etc). N° 2. Collocations (Park a car, leave a message, etc) 2b Grammar Past Simple: Be and Can. OCTUBRE. 2c Culture Teen Adventure Reading: A teenager’s guide to Sydney! Vocabulary: Adjectives to describe places in a city (modern, safe,. NOVIEMBRE. fantastic..) Radio Advertisements: Places to go in Sydney 2d Grammar Past Simple: Affirmative Regular Verbs Pronunciation: -ed endings 2e Reading Out on the town Reading: A strange accident Vocabulary: Adjectives to describe feelings (bored, angry, etc) 2f Everyday English. 43.

(44) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Asking for Information Listening: Phoning a museum for information 2g Writing A note Get ready for your exam Handout of exercises. Appendix 3: Teacher observation Likert. 44.

(45) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix 4: Questionnaire “Grammar”. Appendix 5: Bingo worksheet. 45.

(46) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix 6: Lesson Plan “When I was a Child” Stage. Activity. Interacti. Objective. on Pre. Teacher introduces the topic by writing. Teacher. - To introduce the. on the board “When I was a child”. gives. topic and. asking students what comes to their. instructi. vocabulary.. minds. The teacher takes notes on the. ons and. board and then asks them about their. students. personal experience. Provides the. will. following example:. participa. When I was a child… I couldn’t swim. I te. was not good at math and I couldn’t Students ride a bike.. participa te and. Teacher asks students to discuss it in share. pairs and then to share with the class.. Teacher tells students that they are going to listen to a conversation: What do you think that is going to be about? Teacher takes notes about predictions. While. Students check predictions.. Teacher. - To provide. Students listen to the dialogue again and. monitor. students language. answer some questions related to it.. s while. input.. Students compare and check answers in. students. - To promote. groups.. work.. interaction. Teacher gives instructions for the. between students.. following activity:. -To develop. Read the transcript. Change its context. students’. and adapt it to yours.. communication. 46.

(47) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Example:. skills based on. Students share their writing with their. group work.. peers and make comments about them. Post. - Teacher gives instructions:. Students. - To encourage. You will be given a worksheet (see. work. communication.. appendix 5: Bingo worksheet). You. Teacher. - To check. need to find someone who…. provides. comprehension.. Example: Could read when she was. guidanc. - To develop. seven.. e and. language. You will have to write her name and. monitor. awareness.. search for another classmate. The first. s.. one in complete the BINGO wins. Now stand up and mingle!. Students report their findings to the rest of the class in order to check comprehension. Example: Laura couldn’t walk when she was one.. 47.

(48) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix 7: Pre-test samples. 48.

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(85) TEACHING GRAMMAR WITH A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH Appendix 8: Post-test samples. 85.






































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