Grammar as a Lived Experience
During our discussions about grammar, I've noticed that people are really quite passionate about the formal study of language. From what I can surmise from the many comments people have made, the lived experience of grammar instruction instills a perspective on grammar that gives us all different and often very vehement perspectives on the relationship of grammar and writing instruction.
These are all valid. The lover of the French language who thereby discovers and better understands the underlying linguistic system of English knows that the experience of learning French unlocked an awareness of language that would not have been there otherwise. Learning to speak and write a language different from our own really teaches us a lot about language, and by doing so, we gain a whole new understanding of language. The key point here, though, is that linguistic awareness was gained through actually trying to speak and write in the target language. Thus, the writer learned language through the agency of communicative competence-an active effort to communicate meaningfully in the target language. Stephen Krashen and other linguists would tell us that this is the key: grammar is learned best in situations in which the writer engages in meaning-making--writing or talking for real audiences and purposes.
At the same time, we have decades of studies that carefully track the impact of grammar instruction and its impact on writing proficiency. In one study, students who studied grammar over an entire year with an increasing emphasis on correctness ended up writing more poorly than they did at the beginning of the year. Their obsession with correctness discouraged them from taking risks in writing. As a result, their writing became more labored and monotonous. In effect, it was worse. Does an overemphasis on grammar simply encourage our students to play it safe and to equate good writing with correct grammatical structure? Does it create risk-averse writers?
I also wonder about the other experiences that people have with grammar instruction that have an impact on their writing. What are some of the experiences you've had with grammar? What impact do you see grammar having on your ability to write? Has a foundational understanding of grammar--of the key features of language structure and usage, as noted in Kelli's handout on Thursday--played a key role in your writing?
These are all valid. The lover of the French language who thereby discovers and better understands the underlying linguistic system of English knows that the experience of learning French unlocked an awareness of language that would not have been there otherwise. Learning to speak and write a language different from our own really teaches us a lot about language, and by doing so, we gain a whole new understanding of language. The key point here, though, is that linguistic awareness was gained through actually trying to speak and write in the target language. Thus, the writer learned language through the agency of communicative competence-an active effort to communicate meaningfully in the target language. Stephen Krashen and other linguists would tell us that this is the key: grammar is learned best in situations in which the writer engages in meaning-making--writing or talking for real audiences and purposes.
At the same time, we have decades of studies that carefully track the impact of grammar instruction and its impact on writing proficiency. In one study, students who studied grammar over an entire year with an increasing emphasis on correctness ended up writing more poorly than they did at the beginning of the year. Their obsession with correctness discouraged them from taking risks in writing. As a result, their writing became more labored and monotonous. In effect, it was worse. Does an overemphasis on grammar simply encourage our students to play it safe and to equate good writing with correct grammatical structure? Does it create risk-averse writers?
I also wonder about the other experiences that people have with grammar instruction that have an impact on their writing. What are some of the experiences you've had with grammar? What impact do you see grammar having on your ability to write? Has a foundational understanding of grammar--of the key features of language structure and usage, as noted in Kelli's handout on Thursday--played a key role in your writing?
posted by Gerri McNenny at
9:18 PM
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