Mastery of grammar
Today we revised the PPP model and looked into the reasons why some pupils can produce a fluent and accurate speech while others cannot. In my school, all junior and senior form students are required to buy a grammar book and practise on their own, say they have to complete a grammar unit every other week. However, after a year, I still cannot see any observable improvements in their speech or writing in terms of their grammar accuracy. I think the main reason is that the majority of students remain at the stage of practice and have difficulty proceeding to the production stage. Some students even do not understand the rules, such as type 2 and type 3 conditionals, not to mention apply them. Students should involve in active communication in order to really understand the grammar rules, form and meaning. It is not quite possible that they can immediately master dozens of grammar items in a single school term or year as a result of incessant drilling but without the opportunities to practice in real-life.
What about those successful English learners? There are many factors which influence their superb abilities to communicate accurately and naturally. Among all these, I believe exposure to an authentic English learning environment and students' language awareness are of utmost importance. In retrospect, I studied in an EMI school and the learning environment was engaging and language-rich. Sometimes, my classmates would even discuss the language proficiency of some non-language teachers. That's the reason our school, a CMI one, has recently initiated a policy to make its second floor conducive to English learning. This includes more English posters and 100% English on that floor, i.e. no Chinese even during recess.
There's another important point to note though. Drilling (or a better term, controlled practice) is somehow necessary in today's ESL learning environment. As professional teachers, we should try to liven up the controlled practice by employing a variety of techniques, including pictures, memory games, role plays, etc. The time spent on preparing all these activities is often quite long but should worth the while.
What about those successful English learners? There are many factors which influence their superb abilities to communicate accurately and naturally. Among all these, I believe exposure to an authentic English learning environment and students' language awareness are of utmost importance. In retrospect, I studied in an EMI school and the learning environment was engaging and language-rich. Sometimes, my classmates would even discuss the language proficiency of some non-language teachers. That's the reason our school, a CMI one, has recently initiated a policy to make its second floor conducive to English learning. This includes more English posters and 100% English on that floor, i.e. no Chinese even during recess.
There's another important point to note though. Drilling (or a better term, controlled practice) is somehow necessary in today's ESL learning environment. As professional teachers, we should try to liven up the controlled practice by employing a variety of techniques, including pictures, memory games, role plays, etc. The time spent on preparing all these activities is often quite long but should worth the while.
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