Teaching grammar terms

Thanks, Yerkin, for noting about the worksheets. But it would be good to know if you tend to teach every grammar term to your students or only simple ones? Or you prefer your students speak fluently without naming grammar structure? It would be good to know your point of view! 

 

Moldir*1991 пишет:

It depends. When I work with students to improve their fluency, their reading and listening skills, I use less grammar terms. For example, if I need to explain the Present simple tense, I just show three forms of the tense and examples of usage without pointing at how the structure is called grammarily. Me myself use the grammar terms much more less during the lesson as it is not the item of our focus.
But I have a small group of students that are taking UNT (Unified National Testing). I use every grammar term clearly and much more often as these students have to be very good at grammar and vocabulary to take UNT.

That's a good point, Moldir, to note about aiming at fluency and knowledge of structure use  but not its name. However, you've also mentioned that for the UNT students need to know the grammar terms to do the test correctly. In your opinion when we should focus at teaching grammar terms? Just before the UNT? or earlier? 

kamila пишет:

I usually teach grammar based on the curriculum too. I rely on the textbook for structure but often supplement it with online resources to make the lessons more engaging. Using examples from real life or fun activities helps students understand and remember the rules better.

That's a good point to teach according to the curriculum. They guide and assist teachers. But will you agree that textbooks follow and keep to standards but not for particular learners or current trends. Do you adapt textbook materials to learners' needs? Do they really need to learn by-heart all the grammar terms? Or this knowledge disrupts their fluent speech? 

If we talk about general language and students (I mean not the ones who are training to be future language specialists) then I do believe they do not have to remember all those complex terminology, language should be percieved subconscieously if possible

I believe that a balance between simplicity and precision is essential when teaching grammar. While it's important to avoid overwhelming students with complex terminology, a basic understanding of grammar terms can be helpful for their language development.

I generally use simple terms like "past," "present," and "future" to introduce basic tenses. However, as students progress, I may introduce more specific terms like "past perfect" or "present continuous" when necessary. I find that using clear and concise explanations, accompanied by practical examples and exercises, helps students grasp the concepts without getting lost in the terminology.

Ultimately, the decision of which terms to use depends on the age, level, and learning style of the students. For younger learners or beginners, simpler terms may be more appropriate. As students advance, they can gradually be introduced to more specific terminology.

This question is controversial. Some language experts say no, and others say yes. When native speakers learn a language, they do so without studying grammar. So it’s definitely possible that you could become fluent in English without studying grammar — if the conditions are right.

But for most language learners, studying grammar is a big help. Don’t be afraid of grammar.