CHAPTER 3
RULES OF TEACHING
GRAMMAR
PRESENTED BY: JASMIN M. GARCIA

LEARNING OBJETIVES
At the end this lesson the student can be able
to:
Explain the different rules of teaching
grammar
Construct narratives/ situationers that present
the different rules in teaching grammar and;
Write sample lesson guide applying the
different rules.

“A language is acquired
through practice; it is
merely perfected through
grammar”
-Liebniz

As a future English
teacher, How do you
teach grammar?

As a future teacher, it is not enough that
you have memorized the rules of ‘correct
usage’ or ‘good style’. The challenge now
is how do you translate these
technicalities into chewable chunks.

6 RULES OF GRAMMAR
TEACHING
Rule of Context
Rule of Use
Rule of Economy
Rule of Relevance
Rule of Nurture
Rule of Appropriacy

Rules of Grammar Teaching
As Rutherford (1987) in Thornbury, (1996) observe: Theories of
Grammar are not theories of language acquisition. This may
mean that teacher should not make memorizing rules of
grammar the only added that “the nature of our knowledge of
language and of language-learning processes is such that
notions of optimally accurate and/ or effective rules are neither
realistic nor desirable in a learning teaching situation. It is
much more relevant to the learner’s needs that a teacher can
provide typical language data and monitor learner production
effectively (whether for accuracy or for fluency) than the most
watertight, static formulations of language data be aimed at.”

RULE OF CONTEXT
Teaching grammar “in context” means that grammar
context/lessons are not taught as stand alone
concepts, but are embedded and/or integrated into
varied context, situations, or any field of study.
Teachers not just ask students to focus on rules and
diagramming, but guide them in understanding how
grammar works in real communicative situations.
Students should be taught how to use the form and
not just memorize conjugations that may not be
relevant and applicable across contexts.

Why?
Language knowledge does not necessarily guarantee
language skills.
Context provides avenue not just to learn grammar rules but
for meaning-making.
Every individual is creative and has rich experiences, thus
should be given opportunity to utilize these through real-
world type situations in which context is a major
consideration.
“Thinking of grammar in terms of concepts, that is, what is
the purpose of using a specific form, what is the meaning
expressed through that form, will broaden learners
understanding and use of the target language”-ACTFL
Language Connects

What?
 Grammar teaching should consider all three, form, meaning and use.
 Grammar instruction should integrate aspects of both language and
literature-and not as distinct “field” of English.
 “Teaching grammar in context involves making connections between
grammatical patterns and the meaning of text; wider contextual aspects
such as genre, audience, subject and purpose; a reader’s feelings and
responses to a text; potential authorial motivations for making decisions
about language choices,” –(Aarts,et.al.,2018)
 “Teach grammar in context. If you must take an item out of context to
focus on it, recontextualize it as soon as possible. Always associate
grammar form with the meaning of the speaker or author.”
-(Thombury,2004

How?
Give real world scenarios and examples where grammar is
used.
Encourage interaction rather than spending more time
answering written exercise and worksheets.
Alda, et.al (2020) purported the use of authentic materials in
providing for concrete samples of language use in the
community. These materials are accessible within the
community like audio and video materials (songs, films, radio
and TV broadcasts, news reports documentaries, etc.); visual
and printed materials (signages, infographic, photographs,
restaurant menus, product labels, calendars, etc.); digital
materials (blogs and vlogs, videos from TED talk, podcast, etc.)

Use scaffolding strategies like tapping into students
prior experiences, use of graphic organizers, charts and
other scaffolding tools, think aloud, providing
discussion prompts, reinforcing contextual definitions,
allowing students to collaborate and discuss with peers,
use of dialogues, etc.
Use literary pieces such as short stories, poems, songs
and the like as a springboard in teaching grammatical
concepts.
A contextualized grammar teaching may start with the
development of ideas and concepts, rather that the
grammar it self. Inductive method of teaching grammar
may be used in this case.

RULE OF USE
The rule of use in teaching grammar reminds
language teachers to teach grammar for
communications sake. Memorizing the rules do not
guarantee language production. If the goal of your
language class is for students to be able to use the
target language meaningfully, then, you have to
provide opportunities for language practice.

Why?
The primary goal of teaching English is to help Filipino
students acquire the necessary skills for listening, speaking,
reading and writing, which enable them use the language for
effective communication.
Language knowledge is not equal to language production.
Students are able to appreciate what they are learning if they
see how language works and is used in real context.
Students should be able to see the relationship of grammar
points to how the target language is actually used.

What?
“ Teach grammar in order to facilitate the learners
comprehension and production of real language, rather
than as an end in itself. Always provide opportunities
for learners to put the grammar to some communicative
use”-Thornbury (2004)
Students understand the concepts (grammar rules)
better if they are able to use and apply it in real
communicative tasks.
Learning English is more than just learning vocabulary
and grammar rules, students need to actually use the
language and listen to how others use it as well.

Grammar teaching should incorporate spoken
interactions or communicative production tasks.
A key component of grammar teaching is the
integration of communicative work.
To teach grammar effectively, teacher should enable
students to control grammar to express increasingly
complex ideas.

How?
Provide for authentic samples of language use anchoring
on students context.
Encourage students to identify usage patterns on how
the target language is actually used.
Used varied activities like letting students listen to audio
samples of native and non-native speakers of the
language.
Provide opportunities for student to share insights and
ideas in class and give helpful feedback to improve
language use.

Instead of using grammar-based approaches, that rule encourages
teachers to employ communicative approaches, that is, language is
best learned through interaction.
Example of an activity using communicative approach is prompt-
based activity. Like the famous game –Guess Who? You can
contextualize this board game according to your objective. You may
also use different characters like national heroes, politicians, famous
poets etc. The artists used here are the top artists that gain
popularity among teens. These are from famous Korean drama,
Philippine movies, and international shows.
Photos of these artists are used for academic purposes only.
Moreover, these photos are transformed into cartoons/avatars using
an online cartomizer –cartoonize.net/

RULE OF ECONOMY
The rule of economy explains that to provide
time for language use, teachers should be
economical. By economical, it means that
teachers provide manageable and
comprehensible input and allocate enough
time for language use and practice.

Why?
Language is primarily a skill, thus, should be practiced and
used.
Just studying grammar will not in itself enable you to use it.
Students language success may be limited if what they have
learned will merely stay as rules to understand.
Providing for more and more input may still not be
sufficient, for input should be “comprehensible”. Thus, a
content-jampacked syllabus do not necessarily guarantee
language acquisition.
Students who are at intermediate level and beyond may
need more opportunities for practice rather than
presentation of rules.

What?
“Economize on presentation time in order to provide
maximum practice time. When grammar a little can
go a long way.” –Thornbury (2004)
The English curriculum should be decongested
focusing on relevant grammar concepts.
“ Comprehensible input is language input that can be
understood by listeners despite them not
understanding all the words and structures in it. It is
described as one level above that of the learners if it
can only just be understood.” Krashen (2003)

Providing comprehensible input and more time for
language practice help students acquire language
naturally, rather than learn it consciously.
As language learners usage of the target language
increases so does their level of comprehension.
Teachers should be able to strategize how to present
grammar rules efficiently and effectively, then
provide more time for students to apply these rules
in communicative tasks.

How?
Plan your grammar lessons well. Sometimes the ones
stipulated in the curriculum may be too much or too
little depending on students level. Start where your
students are.
Be clear with your goal. What is your goal in teaching
a certain grammar point? For students to gain a
deeper understanding of the concept? For student to
use these grammar points to complete a task? To
accomplish both?
A lesson guide/plan is helpful when creating relevant
activities for the topic that are “enough” for you class
time.

Provide instructional scaffolding to enhance learning and aid in
the mastery of tasks.
Use teaching scaffolds like the use of visual aids, example is
graphic organizer.
Graphic organizers like charts, concept maps, mind maps,
infographics and so on, help create visual images of how
concepts are related and provide for an effective way of how
concept are related and provide for an effective way of
organizing information. These materials help “student convert
and compress a lot of seemingly disjointed information into a
structured, simple-to-read, graphic display. The resulting visual
display conveys complex information in a simple-to-understand
manner.” (Graphic
Organizer,http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers
/ ND).

RULE OF RELEVANCE
In this context, we define relevance as the “learning
experiences that are either directly applicable to the
personal aspirations, interest, or cultural experiences
of students (personal relevance) or that are
connected in some way to real-world issues,
problems and context (life relevance)” (the glossary
of Education Reform,2013).

Why?
“Relevant, meaningful activities that both engage students
emotionally and connect with what they already know are
what helps build neutral connections and long-term
memory storage,”-Briggs(2014)
“Relevant, meaningful activities that both engage students
emotionally and connect with what they already know are
what help build neutral connections and long-term memory
storage,” –Briggs (2014)
Students may disregard important concepts if they see the
importance and connection of the concepts taught in the
classroom to their real life encounters.

Students may become disinterested in the things
they already know thus, teachers should start where
they are.
If students acknowledge that the concepts are worth
knowing, it will hold their attention and engage
them.

What?
The rule of relevance prompts the language teachers to make
learning become more personal to the students.
“Teach only the grammar that students have problems with. This
means, start off by finding out what they already know. And
don’t assume that the grammar of English is a wholly different
system from the learners mother tongue. Exploit the common
ground.”-Thornbury ,(2004)
The Glossary of Education Reform (2013) points out two kinds of
relevance – personal relevance and life relevance. “Personal
relevance occurs when learning is connected to an individual
students interests, aspirations, and life experiences. Meanwhile,
its world issues, problems, and contexts outside of school.”

The rule puts students at the center of English
language teaching and learning.
Depending on the target language, teachers should
teach grammar concepts in relation to the students
mother-tongue.
Communicative tasks should cater to cultural
differences. Teachers should make sure that examples
are accurate and appropriate to the certain groups.

How?
Provide examples that are grounded on how
concepts learned are used in the real world.
Let students experiences authentic use of the
language. let them accomplish tasks using the target
language, or non-native speakers having good
command of the target language.
Provide opportunities for multi-layered projects like
those that innovative research, community
involvement, language immersion,

Create activities to showcase students
communicative abilities like oration, declamation,
broadcasting, mock job interview, debate,
extemporaneous speaking, poem reading, spoken
word poetry.
Lets students watch movies where the target
language is spoken by native and non-native
speakers.
Anchor your lessons on real world problems where
students are able to see the importance of learning
the target language- the danger of
miscommunication, why headline writing is
important, etc.

Let students publish their poems, stories, narratives etc.
Displaying or publishing student work is a great way to
get them involve and motivated.
Encourage students to build and create connections to
what has been taught and to what is happening in the
real world.
For example, if your teaching students Headline
Writing, particularly choosing headline verbs you may
start, your discussion by showing them misleading
headlines and ask them how poorly constructed
headlines affect the integrity of the news. You can also
start your discussion on the current situation in the
Philippines regarding the fast spread of fake news.

RULE OF NURTURE
 As cliché as it may sound, teachers create significant impact on students
lives. When students are asked to describe their favorite teacher, most of
them would say, he/she is caring, a good listener, supportive, has good
sense of humor, etc. If you will be the teacher, how do you want your
students to describe you? More than being a knowledge dispense, the
teacher also plays the role of a mentor, a friend , a parent, a counselor
and so on. Sometimes, these things that make people feel more “human”
matter the most. The things teachers say and do in the classroom may
positively or negatively affect students competence and confidence.
Further, the effectiveness components of learning are very important for
students to be able to make measurable gains in acquiring and
manipulating knowledge. teachers need to be strategic in cultivating
positive and healthy learning environment for the students.

Why?
A nurturing environment is a learning-rich environment.
Students need to feel that the classroom is a place for
trial and error and learning from mistakes. They need to
feel safe, supported, cared for in your classroom.
Teachers should be able to provide a conductive
learning environment free from fear and humiliation.
Students tend to withdraw and lose interest in learning if
the classroom does not reinforce self-esteem. Reinforcing
self-steem in the classroom is associated with increased
motivation and learning.

What?
“Teaching doesn’t necessarily cause learning – not in
any direct way. Instead of teaching grammar, therefore,
try to provide the right conditions for grammar,
therefore, try to provide the right conditions for
grammar learning – Thornbury (2004)
“A teacher who builds positive relationships with
students decreases the affective filter, or level of
discomfort in the classroom and the students perform
better. Teachers who make connections between old
and new knowledge and the both into the real world
also have students who perform better.”- Adams (2015)

“One obstacle that is a ‘screen’ that is influenced by
emotional variables that can prevent learning. This
hypothetical filter does not impact acquisition directly
but rather prevents input from reaching the language
acquisition part of the brain.” – Krashen (2004)
Teachers need to lower or decrease the “filter” or the
barriers (anxiety, self-confidence, motivation and stress)
as these may affect students overall language
experience.
Teachers need to see to it that grammar concept and
the way they are taught will motivate students to
internalize the input, produce optimal output and take
into account feedback.

How?
Get to know your student and allow them to know
you as well.
Create a sense of order through clear behavioral and
academic expectations.
Utilize communal games and activities, relevant
instructional materials, and engaging classroom
discussions.
Provide constructive feedback and allow students to
learn from their mistakes.
Don’t judge.

Celebrate success and class achievements.
Choose appropriate teaching methods to cultivate
students motivation and creativity.
Teachers may use the teaching method named
Suggestopedia/ Desuggestopedia by Georgi Lozanov
on Imploring different relaxing elements like music,
drama and art in creating a more comfortable
learning environment. This is also supported by
Krashen’s Affective Filter in eliminating the “filters” or
“barriers” that may hinder language learning.

RULE OF APPROPRIACY
It is given fact that no two students are alike. Even if
you are teaching in the same grade level, your students
will always vary in age, proficiency level, learning needs,
interests, expectations, skills, learning styles, beliefs,
attitude and values. This rule, according to Thornbury,
suggests that teachers should be able to apply these
rules of teaching grammar according to the
aforementioned differences. Whether you put prevision
to a grammar-driven classroom or may not teach
grammar at all, it is your responsibility to identify what
is best for your students.

Why?
People are more different than they are alike. Teachers here is
respond to the diversity of learners.
These individual differences in a language classroom can
make for success or failure in attaining the goal of acquiring
the target language.
Regardless of how diverse the classroom is, students should
be given equal opportunity to learn and achieve their goals.
Teachers need to evaluate what students really need and
design classroom activities suited to their needs.
The teaching – learning process should be student-centered.

What?
Teachers should design classroom activities not just
according to efficiency but also appropriacy.
Grammar practice and communicative tasks should suit to
the “context” of each learner.
This rule prompts teachers to consider their students in the
context of being language learners – What do they need to
know in the future? These questions can help teachers
evaluate if what they are doing in the classroom is
somehow appropriate to their students.
Teachers should consider the individual differences of the
students and ue this to plan an effective and productive
teaching-learning process.

How?
Teachers may conduct need assessment analysis or
diagnostic tests to gain necessary data on students
proficiency level and needs.
Talk to your students and let them share their
language learning challenges and how they want to
be supported.
Determine your students learning styles previous
learning experiences and present expectations.
Take into consideration all other rules of teaching
grammar.

Start where your students are

References
https://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/grammar/some_rules_for_teaching_grammar.html
GraphicOrganizer http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/ ND

Thank you for
listening