中学英语教学中显性语法教学和隐性语法教学的整合

1、A Brief Analysis of the Combination of Explicit andImplicit Grammar Teaching in Middle School EnglishTeaching Li HuiminAbstract : Nowadays, there are two kinds of English grammar teaching methodsin the opposite wayexplicit teaching and implicit teaching. Manyscholars and teachers in and abroad are d

2、ebating which is the better way for teaching English grammar. However, the explicit and implicit instructions should not be divorced from each other, but linked closely. This paper gives an analysis about the combination of explicit and implicit grammar teaching, and makes it applicable to the middl

3、e school students. The first chapter in the paper briefly explains definitions, characteristics and general processes of explicit and implicit grammar teaching. The second chapter focuses on the principles, the educational model of the combination and the requirements for English teachers. The third

4、 chapter, showing a lesson as the example, explains how to put the requirements into practice. Basedon a theoretical foundation, as well as a large number of data collection, the paper makes an analysis of the combination of explicit andimplicit grammarteaching in the middle school, in the hope of g

5、iving some help to English teachers.Key words: combination; explicit; implicit; grammar teaching容提要： 目前，在英语语法教学中存在着两种对立的方法，即显性语法教学和隐性语法教学。国外对于英语语法教学究竟使用哪一种方法更好也一直颇有争议。然 而，显性语法教学与隐性语法教学并不应该相互脱离，而应该紧密联系。本文从语法 教学入手，分析了如何在语法教学中将显性教学与隐性教学结合起来，使其适用于中 学课堂。本文第一章简要论述了两种教学方法的定义、特点以及一般教学过程。第二 章重点论述了两种方法整合的原则、教

6、学模式以及对英语教师的要求。第三章以一堂课为实例，说明如何将这些要求运用到实践之中。本文基于一定的理论基础以及大量 资料，对显性语法教学以及隐性语法教学的整合做了分析与总结，希望对英语教学有 一定的帮助。关键词： 整合；显性；隐性；语法教学IntroductionAt the present time, Chinese education status is that there are a great numberof people being educated, but seldomof them can use English practically. Therefore, some p

7、eople increasingly believe that the most important thing to learn a language is its communicative function, andthe grammarteaching has beenneglected gradually. But grammar is generally thought to be a set of rules for choosing words and putting words together to make sense, and it is concerned with

8、the form of the languagepatterns andregularities. Without grammar, writing, reading and communication which are thought to be more important than grammarby somepeople will have big problem. Language can be seen not only in terms of grammatical items, but also in terms of its functionincommunication.

9、 For that reason, grammar teaching is still a significantly indispensable part of English teaching.In this regard, the international educational circles of language have mainly two kinds of genres, namely explicit and implicit grammar teaching. In 1967, the concept of explicit learning and implicit

10、learning were first introduced in finite-state grammartests by Reber. Then, which grammarteaching method makesit easier for students to receive and understand has been a controversial question.Many researchers abroad, such as Mcaughlin, believe that the explicit instruction can only develop students

11、 ability of exam, but the implicit instruction can lead to the production of communicative competence. Ellis strongly advocates to use implicit grammarteaching, andas far as possible do not use explicit grammar teaching. Her purpose is to enable students to discover grammar rules through the activit

12、ies. Bialystok thinks that language classes can produce the explicit knowledge, but teachers should change their traditional teaching methods so that students can generate spontaneously communicative ability. And she believes that the implicit language knowledge is the key to develop the communicati

13、ve competence of students.But for countries which lack an English language environment, such as China and Japan, the feedback survey results from these countries show that the explicit instruction is better than the implicit instruction. Only in the adequate environment of language will it be possib

14、le for students to discover rules in activities. According to the theoretical analysis about the empirical study, ZhuLianhong found that, comparing with implicit teaching, explicit teaching has more advantages in the acquisition of pragmatic knowledge and memoryretention. Su Ya and ZhangRuixue point

15、ed out that attention should be paid to the role of the class teaching in the development of students pragmatic competence. So they proposed to use explicit teaching.But in recent years, during the study of English teaching process, increasingly experts and scholars see the pros and cons of explicit

16、 and implicit grammarteaching and believe that they are not contradictory but complementary with each other. A Chinese professor, Tian Jingpin, said in TheEmpirical Researchof Implicit English GrammarTeaching:“ Implicit grammar teaching has nofunction to the traditional grammar-based tests, but play

17、s a significant role in the output task for the purpose of exploring. ” 1 And Stephen Krashen s Monitor Model holds that the learning of explicit grammar rules, while not contributing to language acquisition itself, mayenable learners to monitor their ownoutput, detecting and correcting violations o

18、f rules they have learned but not yet acquired. Currently, a lot of experts begin to study the combination of explicit and implicit grammar teaching, to learn their advantages, and to make the traditional grammar studies on the basis of moreinterest so that a better result can be achieved. However,t

19、he importance of the complexand multifaceted interaction between the implicit and the explicit instructions has not been universally recognized. The important implication of the interaction between implicit and explicit instructions is that teachers should firstly make learners have an implicit know

20、ledge base before learning complicated task, and then trying to establish explicit task model. According to the information processing model and the theories of weak interface hypothesis, etc, Yang Menglan and Yang Wei studied and built an integrated model of grammar teaching. In addition, Lu Jing a

21、lso put forwarded someprinciples of the combination according to the characteristics of explicit and implicit grammar teaching.The writer believes that the combination of explicit and implicit grammarteaching can indeed integrate the advantages from each other in order to reach a better educational

22、purpose. Therefore, the writer, absorbing and analyzing a variety of theoretical results, puts forward newideas and construction of the integrated model.In the following chapters are someviews on the combination of explicit and implicit grammarteaching in the middle school and the teaching practice

23、by the writer in the No.6 Middle School of Changsha.Chapter 1 An Introduction to Explicit and Implicit Grammar TeachingWith the in-depth English teaching reform and the implementation of communicative teaching approach, grammar teachability has nolonger beenthe mainissue. Currently, the focus of the

24、 field of language teaching is that the grammar teaching should be explicit or implicit. In this chapter, let us study what explicit and implicit grammar teaching are.1.1 The DefinitionsExplicit grammar teaching means students, through learning grammarrules, achieve the purpose of mastering the gram

25、mar.It lays particular emphasis on teaching grammar rules directly and obviously, and pays great attention to the role of teachers. In the lesson of explicit grammarteaching, firstly, teachers are required to present or describe the grammatical structure or language points, and then organize student

26、s to do the grammarpractice. The explicit methodregards English grammaras a set of knowledgesystem. Through teachers systematically t eaching and students conscious learning exercises, grammar rules can be understood. The Grammar Translation Method is a typical explicit instruction.Implicit grammar

27、teaching means teachers avoid speaking the grammar rules directly during the lesson, but primarily let students experience language through the natural scenarios, and sum up grammar rules through the use of communicative language. The Communicative Approach is the representative of the implicit inst

28、ruction. Stern said: “According to the CommunicativeTheory, students should do the real communication in the scenario for the purpose of studying grammar rules. ” 21.2 The Merits & DemeritsBefore the combination, we have to analyze the merits and demerits of explicit and implicit grammar teachin

29、g, and then discard the dross and select the essence in order to properly integrate them and play out their greatest advantage.A. The advantages of explicit grammarteaching are that it has a strong sense of purpose, the high controllability for teachers and the learnability for students. It can enab

30、le students to master grammar firmly and keep a solid memory. This kind of approach is highly praised by countries in which English is as their second language. For example, Chinese students, lacking language learning environment, must, through learning grammarrules, understand the laws of grammatic

31、al system and characteristics of English.However, explicit grammar teaching is also inadequate. The British educator Jayne Moon sstudies have shownthat learners who are learning a language have the nature of “go for meaning” . That is, they always focus on the linguistic sense firstly, but rarely ta

32、ke note of language forms or grammar rules. If teachers just simply teach grammar, students will easily feel bored. Then, students can not concentrate on studying, and have low efficiency.B. The advantages of implicit grammar teaching lay in its automatic nature, abstract, stability and anti-jamming

33、. It can improve students abilities of observing and discovering. Implicit grammar teaching has various kinds of forms. It can put grammar teaching into the real sense, blending education with entertainment and adding more fun to the class. So the learning motivation of students can be stimulated an

34、d the learning efficiency will be improved.Nevertheless, implicit grammar teaching needs to be based on a great number of language input. As for the need for adequate language environment, implicit grammarteaching is more popular inEnglish speaking countries than the explicit instruction. In most of

35、 Chinese middle schools, students lack an English-speaking environment, and lots of teachers do not have the competencewhich can control the implicit instruction. So, pure implicit teaching in non-English speaking countries will meet a big problem. The students under the implicit grammarteaching met

36、hodwill encounter some problems, such as grammar confusion, and do not know how to use grammar and do practice, etc.1.3 The General ProcessThe processes of explicit and implicit grammar teaching are totally different. Next, the paper uses two examples to illustrate differences.A. Explicit grammar te

37、aching focuses on the grammar itself.There are several main teaching methods, such as to explain grammar rules, to provide vocabulary usage and sample sentence, to analyze syntax elements, and then use single sentences and paragraphs exercises to practice the grammar.Teaching by Example:At first, th

38、e teacher taught the concept and the usage of the attributive clause.Then, the teacher wrote some phrases on the blackboard:“ the green team ”“ the team in green ”“ the team who were wearing green ”The teacher asked students: “What is the central word ?”A student answered:“The central word is the te

39、am . ”The teacher asked: “ What are Modifiers? What are therelationships between them and the central word?A student answered: “ The first modifier is green , it is an adjective; the second one is in green , it is a prepositional phrase; the third one is who were wearing green , it is an attr ibutiv

40、e clause. ”The example above is to enable students to understand the attributive clause by analyzing the ingredients. It uses the way that firstly locates the central word and then finds the relationship between the modifiers and the central word to let students explore a variety of phrases so as to

41、 gradually understand the attributive clause.B. Implicit grammar teaching tends to use scenarios and the communicative teaching methods.Teaching by Example:The teacher brought a male doll, a female doll and a red hat to the class.the teacher asked: “ Canyou tell mewhich doll is a girl? ” Students: “

42、 The doll with long hair is a girl.”The teacher put the red hat on the female doll s head.Teacher: “ What is the girl wearing now? ” Students: “ The girl is wearing a red hat. ”Teacher: “ How do you like the girl wearing the red hat? ” Students: “ The girl who is wearing a red hat becomes more beaut

43、iful. ”The exampleabove enables students to feel the development and changes of things in operation, and to comprehenddynamically the language features and the role of expression of attributive clause.Chapter 2 TheCombination of Explicit and Implicit GrammaTr eachingAfter we have had the above discu

44、ssion about explicit and implicit grammar teaching, we can clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of two kinds of teaching methods. So in the actual instruction, teachers should dependon the different situations to combinethemso as to achieve a better teaching effect and function.2.1 The Princ

45、iplesBefore combining explicit and implicit grammar teaching, we should firstly establish a few basic principles as the foundation of the integrated teaching model.A The integrity of language learningThis principle is based on Whole Language Instruction which proposes the language is as a whole. It

46、emphasizes the integrity of the content of the language teaching, the fusion of linguistic skills, and the communicative function of language. Theinstruction believes that writing is to speak on paper. Reading and listening are the ways of receiving information, and writing and reading are the ways

47、of thinking with language. Therefore, learners shouldadhere to these principles whenthey study a language: the integrity of language learning; the purpose of language using; and the synthesis of the language training.So grammarteaching can not beisolated, for example, wecan learn English grammarand

48、vocabulary from writing and reading.B. The proper proportion of combinationDuring the middle stage, teachers have to help students to lay a solid foundation. Explicit grammar teaching can systematically explain the grammarphenomenon,which is beneficial to students to digest and absorb the knowledge.

49、 So, the instruction should mainly be the explicit method and supplemented by the implicit method.During the high school, with students knowledgeenriching and growthing gradually, they have already had a solid foundation, so they need to expand their knowledge. Implicit grammar teaching provides a l

50、anguage environment, so that students can summarizethe grammarrules in a variety of scenarios. In this way, students can not only understand the practical application of grammar,but also cultivate their ways of thinking and abilities of summarizing.Therefore, the instruction should be mainly implici

51、t instruction and supplemented by explicit instruction.C. The Enjoyment of explicit grammar teachingFirst of all, explicit grammar teaching should make good use of multi-media. Usually, teachers can use video materials, pictures, stick figure, rich body language, facial expressions and intuitive mul

52、ti-media to attr act students attention to the boring grammar rules.Secondly, the systematic explanation of explicit grammar teaching for the grammarphenomenocnan be presented to the students by different teaching methods, such as the inductive methodand the contrast. In addition, the game can also

53、be applied to the system of grammar teaching.D. The heuristic principleThe heuristic principle is that teachers should give full play to students subject position in class, and help students give an active role in study. Teachers need to guide students to think independently, explore actively ， acqu

54、ire knowledge consciously, and improve the competence of analyzing and solving problems.Teachers should not only stimulate students learning motivation, strong thirst for knowledgeandlearning interest, but also guide students to think independently and develop their thinking skills. Teachersshould p

55、romote the teaching democracyand the harmonious teacher-student relationship in order to make an active atmosphere.2.2 The Theoretic BasisIn order to establish a reasonable and feasible integrated teaching model, the writer, searching someinformation, studied and learnt the following theories:1. Ope

56、rant conditioning learning theorySkinner believed that the acquisition and changes of the behavior are the formation of operant conditioning. The rule of operant conditioning is: if a reinforced stimulus is presented after something happening, then the strength (the possibility ofre-operation) will

57、be hanced.NEXTBACKTable 2.212. Weak interface hypothesisBasedon the research of explicit and implicit knowledge, Rod Ellis cameup with the weakinterfaces hypothesis. Hebelieves that the explicit knowledgeleads learners to pay attention to the form of language input. Therefore, under certain conditio

58、ns, the explicit knowledge indirectly leads learners to acquire implicit knowledge. Ellis acknowledged that the explicit and the implicit knowledge are two kinds of independent knowledge systems, and he stressed that these two systems should be viewed as a continuum. Ellis said, an important feature

59、 of the weak interface was that emphasis on the importance of"note”.3. Note hypothesisNote hypothesis was put forward in the 1990s by Schmidt. “Note” is a process that the brain receives lots of information, but people select only one object from several simultaneous phenomena。process. Confronting with a great numberof language input, learners do not completely absorb, but only absor