Whose grammar is it anyway? Grammar in a changing world

Leys Bruno

Summary

The significance of teaching grammar in ELT is sometimes a controversial issue. The debate about the role of grammar seems to mainly focus, however, on whether to and how to teach grammar. Proponents of direct instruction, clash with advocates of an inductive approach, awareness-raising, second language acquisition (SLA) or a more lexically oriented route. What seems less prominent in this discussion is which grammar should be taught exactly. The grammar found in coursebooks and grammar reference books remains largely unchanged. Nevertheless, language is constantly evolving and it may be necessary to critically scrutinise which grammar items need to be presented and in what way. One of the aspects to consider is the growing attention for English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Some of the research suggests that ELF users not only passively adopt ongoing processes in English. Multilingual speakers with their multilingual identities may also contribute to the creation of patterns and even to shaping the core grammar of English. Another element is the changing world we live in. The growing awareness of inclusivity and evolutions in language usage in social media are also influencing present day English. As a result of this, some grammar items, pronouns and verbs for example, may need a different treatment in grammar grids and exercises. Participants will be invited to actively reflect on the presented aspects and on the relevance of these insights for their own teaching context. At the end of the talk there will be room for further questions and discussion.

Biodata

Bruno Leys is an experienced English teacher and teacher trainer. He currently works at VIVES University of Applied Sciences in Brugge. He has published several EFL coursebook series: Breakaway, Takeaway, High Five and Fastbreak. He also writes articles, tweets and blogs about TEFL, provides in-service training sessions and is a speaker on conferences in Belgium and abroad.

Presentation Details

Type of presentation: Talk
The presentation is for: General audience
The presentation focuses on: Various
The session is: A balanced mixture of theory and practice
Category: Effective Ways of Developing General Language Skills
Presentation is commercial: No
Speaking on behalf of a publisher, examination board, or commercial organisation? Yes, BELTA Belgium representative

Scheduled for

Date: Saturday, 2024-09-21, 17:30 - 18:10
Place: NE 232