The first approach (rules → language) is called the deductive approach.

The second (language → rules) is called the inductive approach.

Advantages and disadvantages of deductive and inductive approaches

It should be clear from the list of advantages and disadvantages in the activity
you have just done that the deductive approach, which is effectively a formal
lecture style of teaching, is not appropriate for language teaching, especially at
lower levels. A time when you might use this approach is if you are helping
students revise for an exam, but even then it is not usually suitable for lower-
level learners because the language demands are too challenging.

Trainee teachers often seem unable to resist using the deductive approach. There
are probably two main reasons for this:

1) It reflects the way that the teacher was taught foreign languages; hence, it
feels like the 'correct' way to give a grammar lesson. (This is the approach used
in traditional grammar-translation methodologies, which we will look at in Unit 8.)

2) The teacher feels this approach keeps him/her more 'in control' of the material
being presented; a list of rules is simply transferred to the students as quickly
as possible.

One disadvantage of the inductive approach is that there is always a risk that
stronger or more confident students will dominate lessons. The teacher needs to
work out ways of getting round this, for example, by nominating specific students
to answer questions rather than asking open questions, by ensuring that less
confident students are not asked questions they can't answer, and by building
relationships between students so that they work cooperatively and give everyone a
chance

Choral drilling (i.e. repeating phrases in chorus) can also seem like a rather
childish thing to ask adults to do. However, it is an extremely effective way of
practising pronunciation, and almost all students are eager to participate in
drills.

Common techniques — eliciting

Eliciting means drawing out, evoking...

1. ...examples of the target language, and

2. ...information about how it works
from the students, rather than just telling them the rules like a lecturer.

Eliciting
helps develop a learner-centred environment by keeping students alert and involved.
makes learning memorable by linking new and old information.
helps the teacher assess students' knowledge.
increases student talking time (STT)

Tips for eliciting

Be encouraging. When eliciting, comments such as ‘Nearly right' and ‘Try again' are
more constructive than ‘No, does anyone know the right answer?'
Don't correct language when learners are volunteering background information about
a topic — communication, not accuracy, is important here.
To avoid stronger students dominating, nominate who will answer questions.
Long silences or incorrect answers suggest that input is needed from the teacher.
Acknowledge each contribution with gestures or comments.

Possible disadvantages of eliciting

It can be time-consuming.
Students may not know how to react if they are unused to this style of teaching.
If students don't respond, it can inadvertently increase teacher talking time
(TTT).
Sometimes only one or two students respond, so they end up dominating the lesson.
It can be over-used: if eliciting is used all the time without any particular
purpose, it becomes pointless.
It is a little unnatural; it does not reflect normal spoken interactions.

Using elicitation, the teacher guides the students to work out the rules for
themselves, rather than simply explaining everything.

This is called guided discovery.

Presentation — clear context, natural speech

A teacher must ensure s/he maintains normal patterns of speech during presentations
of grammar. While you might speak a little more slowly than normal, intonation and
rhythm should remain natural.

Presentation - pronunciation
It is also important to maintain consistency in pronunciation when you drill the
language in the presentation and/or practice stage. Each time you model the new
language, say it in the same way.

Practice
In the Practice part of the lesson, the students practise producing the new forms
correctly through controlled-practice activities.

The focus is on accuracy, not on using the target language to communicate. The aim
of activities in this part of the lesson is to familiarise students with the
correct forms.

The teacher corrects when students make a mistake.

Production
In the Production part of the lesson, the students are given freer-practice
activities, which require the use of the target language.

Here the students have more freedom to choose what they say, and hopefully they
will manage to produce the language in a more natural way.

The focus is now on fluency.

The teacher corrects after students have finished the activity.

Freer-practice activities include: role plays, discussions and information gaps.

freer practice (production stage)
The aim of these activities is to help the students use the target language
productively (remember the distinction between receptive and productive skills).

The students will need to see, hear and practise using a new grammatical form many
times before it becomes part of their
language. Part 2 looks at ways of recycling new language.

How to plan a grammar lesson

1. Research (or revise) the language area you are going to teach.

2. Identify exactly which aspect(s) of that language area you will look at in your
lesson and use this to define the aims of your lesson.

3. Select a suitable context for presenting the new language.

4. Plan the lesson.

1. The normal structure of a comparative form is

A + be + adjective + (e)r than B

e.g. Sarah is taller than Amy, but she is younger than me.

N.B. Comparative forms can also be used with other linking verbs – seem, appear,
become, feel, and the verbs of the senses; for example, She seemed happier than
last time I saw her. However, we are going to begin by just presenting the verb ’be

2. The normal structure of a superlative form is A (subject) + be + the adjective +

(e)st

e.g., Samantha is the tallest person I know. She is the nicest person I know.

3. If an adjective ends in -y, the y is replaced with an i.

E.g. pretty→ prettiest, dirty→ dirtier, etc.

4. If the last three letters of an adjective are consonant-vowel-consonant, then

the final consonant is doubled, e.g. bigger, fatter, thinner, smugger.

5. If an adjective has more than two syllables, we do not add -er; we use the
structure
A + be + more adjective than B

(e.g., Italy is more beautiful than England.

6 If an adjective is a participial form (adjective that is the same as the past
particple of the verb. Usually ending in –ed or –ing – eg., bored, boring, tired,
tiring),

7. If the adjective ends in -ing or - ed (or many other suffixes), again we do not
add -er, but use the structure.

8. Irregular adjectives are:

good → better → the best

bad → worse → the worst

far → further → the furthest/the farthest (both are correct)

define aims

If students are at a low level, a full explanation of all the rules would be too
much information for them to absorb. However, it would be useful for them to know:

* the spelling changes for some common adjectives (e.g., funny, big)

* use of more with longer words

* good, bad, far — irregular

This means students need to know about:

1) The forms:

A + be + adjective + (e)r than B

A + be + more adjective than B

As the class is quite low level, you are likely to begin only with examples in the
present tense, so the form can be made a little less abstract:

A + am/is/are + adjective + (e)r than B

A + am/is/are + more adjective than B

2) Spelling changes for common adjectives; Y → I and doubling final consonants.

3) Using more with longer words

Plan the lesson - warmer
Having researched the language, identified aims and selected a context, you can
plan the lesson.

Firstly, you need to plan a warmer activity – ideally 5–10 minutes long — to
introduce the topic, elicit some relevant vocabulary and arouse the students'
interest.

Planning Stage 2: Presentation

Here is the procedure that would typically be followed for the presentation part of
a PPP lesson.

1. Introduce an appropriate context for the target language.

2. Elicit target language from students; if they can't produce it, teacher gives
it. Drill.

3. Write the model sentence exemplifying the target language on the board.

4. Elicit the form (e.g adjective+ -er, etc.) from students and put it on board
(including negative and interrogative forms if appropriate).

5. Check students' understanding of the function (meaning) by asking concept

questions, and, if appropriate,
using timelines. (If the students seem blank at this point, go over the original
context you used again, to make
the situation and the way the language is used clearer.)

6. Focus on pronunciation through further drilling (drilling is very controlled

practice
and can include choral drilling, group drilling, open pairs and substitution
drilling).

This means that it is not really necessary to concept check for comparative forms.