Teaching Grammar Form: Direct instruction vs. contextual learning

  I believe that grammar should ideally be taught both directly and within context, as each approach has its own strengths, and they complement each other.
  Teaching grammar explicitly gives learners clear, structured rules and concepts that they can understand and apply. This approach is particularly useful for building foundational knowledge. This approach helps learners internalize grammar more naturally, making it easier to use accurately when speaking or writing.
Direct instruction provides clarity and structure, helping learners understand the “what” and “why” behind language rules.
Contextual learning helps learners see the “how” and “when,” as grammar is used dynamically in different contexts, which promotes fluency and helps students internalize rules.

 

Yes, I agree with you, it is a fact, but while I was reading your comment I had a quiestion for you: what exactly do you use and apply to help your students overcome this barrier?

In my opinion, as a teacher, direct method is appropriate, when teaching language at the beginner level because at this stage student are more concerned about accuracy rather than fluency. Beginners often have limited language skills some may not have acquired, or recognized grammatical structure in context, which can lead to challenges in communication. For example, teaching how to form simple present tense sentences provides a starting point for constructing them.However, from my experience, it depends on the level of language knowledge. If it’s, as I stated earlier, the beginner level, I try to explain in a more direct way, but still try to apply the contextual method, if possible. If choosing between direct and context teaching, I always choose the contextual approach, because it helps students understand not just the grammatical form, but also how it functions in communication. For example, the past perfect tense isn’t just about using the form, it’s about how to express a sequence of events that happened before another point in the past. By highlighting the meaning behind the form, help students move from mere recognition of structure to a deeper understanding of its communicative function.There is a risk when you are only teaching grammar out of context (directly), when grammar is taught in isolation or removed from context, it can become abstract or mechanical. Students learn the rules, but struggle to apply them in actual conversations or writing.As students’ progress, the key is to find a balance. First building accuracy through direct grammar teaching, and then expanding fluency through contextual use and practical application.As for my teaching experience, I like to use contextual teaching of grammar in comparison sentences, for students to see visually the differences between something. For example, during the lesson on the topic "Holiday", the grammar  was "differences between past simple and present perfect tense". Firstly, I asked students to tell me sentence in past simple, that fits the topic, because this structure is better known to them, then present perfect one. I chose one sentence from their examples and wrote follow-up sentence in present perfect:"I visited Astana last summer.""I have visited Astana several times."Then I encouraged students to look at the differences and discuss when each tense was used. After some exploration, the students were able to identify the patterns themselves. Later on they wrote sentences depicting what they did at summer while truing to use this two grammatical structures by themselves.  P.S. Sometimes when I feel lazy or out of ideas for contextual grammar tasks, I take them from this books. Good thing is there is a lot of tasks to choose from and they’re have different levels. vk.com/doc806777_466908603?hash=u4pasNJe...8ffmvW6DZvMLGQFv6Gjk vk.com/doc806777_466908514?hash=V9rPsAwP...GaKAuQFDaeJVhBdkufQk vk.com/doc806777_466908460?hash=KsMex9dk...xYbTM4zRIOVb1Zbbcxt0

Teaching grammar in context is distinctive in that it is embedded and integrated into other aspects of the English curriculum (creative writing and analytical reading). In my opinion, it is not necessary to choose only one type of grammar teaching. In some cases, it will be more convenient to present a grammatical rule directly, especially when the topic is new. When you want to develop a task for repetition and consolidation, it will be much more concise to take the grammar within context.

1. I believe grammar forms should be taught both directly and within context. Direct instruction helps learners understand the learners understand the rules clearly, especially when starting with a new concept. Contextual learning, on the other hand, helps students see how the grammar works in real world communication, which makes it more meaningdul and memorable. The combination of both is ideal for effective learning.
2. Yes, I taught past tense forms to ESL learners. At first, I used diresct inctruction where I explained the rules and had them memorize verb forms. However, they struggled to use it in conversation. So, I shifted to contextual learning by having them crate stories abouth their past experinces. This helped them apply the grammar naturally, and their accuracy in using the past tense improved significantly.
Direct instruction was helpful for introducing the rules, but contextual learning was more effective in helping them use the grammar confidently in real situatons.
 

I believe grammar should be taught both directly and within context, depending on the situation. Direct teaching is useful for beginners or when introducing complex grammar rules, as it gives clear structure. Contextual learning, on the other hand, helps students see how grammar works in real-life situations and makes it easier to remember. For example, when teaching past perfect tense to beginners, explaining the rule first and then giving practice exercises helped them understand the structure clearly. In a conversation activity, students used conditionals naturally when discussing future plans. This approach helped them apply the grammar in real conversations and remember it better.So, combining both methods is usually the most effective way to teach grammar.