The document discusses the key elements and differences between the whole language approach and traditional approach to teaching grammar. According to the whole language approach, extension activities should allow for creative self-expression, not just fill-in-the-blank worksheets. They can include information gap activities, role-plays, games, projects, and simulations. Language learning is viewed as a thinking process where teachers design cognitively demanding activities that encourage students to hypothesize, predict, take risks, and self-correct. In contrast, the traditional approach sequences tasks simply to complexly and has more teacher-directed explanation and mastery of each step before moving to the next.

1. Extension activities in the “Whole language approach”
They should be interesting, related to the theme and the
most important thing, they should allow students to use
“creative self-expression”
These activities should not be working sheets in which
learners use the target form to fill in blanks or
disconnected sentences.
Rather, they can be information-gap activities, role-play
situation, dramatizations, games, authentic writing
projects, simulations of real life situations, etc.

2. KEY ELEMENTS OF WHOLE LANGUAGE
LEARNING
There are some differences between a whole
language approach and a traditional approach
to the teaching of grammar.
Thus, according to the whole language approach, we
should understand that language learning is a
thinking process. In word of a student, a guessing
game.
Teachers should design cognitively demanding
activities that will encourage students to
hypothesize, predict, take risks, make errors, and
self correct.

3. Differences between a whole language approach
and the traditional approach to the teaching of
grammar.
Whole language approach.
•
•
•
Uses higher skills and
language before moving
to procedural skills.
Richly implicit
explanation.
Instructional interaction
between student and
teacher.
Traditional approach.
•
•
•
•
Sequencing of tasks from
simple to complex.
Little teacher-student
interaction; teacherdirected explanation.
Explicit explanation of
grammar.
Students must master
each step before going to
the next one.

4. •
•
•
Encourages
performance before
competence.
Students participate in
problem-solving
process.
Language and
especially questions
must be suitably tuned
to a level at which
performance requires
assistance.
•
•
•
Students are passive
learners who rarely
participate in
constructing the
explanation.
Few questions-mainly
rhetorical.
Oftentimes the functional
of grammatical points
does not emerge until
the end of lessons

5. This approach concurs with Bruner´s advice that
students need to be cognitively challenged
through the use of discovery method.
Thus, we must give the learners opportunities to
share information, ask questions, and solve
problems collaboration.
According to this approach, the activities should
be integrated, contextualized, and meaning
centered.