ESL Lesson Plan

Ahhh yes the anal-grammarian in most each class. Those of us who have taught in ESL schools have to deal with this aspect of the job from time to time. Well the advice given so far has been spot on, I have employed the advice from time to time. What I try and put forth in the class is the idea that this is not a grammar class, it is about using English, speaking, listening and understanding. Also, I have used movies, lyrics from pop music, novels, newspapers and TV scripts to show we "native speakers" all make errors in grammar. No one speaks or writes perfectly. It is important to let the students know grammar is not a science, it is an art form with some rules but overall there are no grammar police to arrest or enforce the rules. Also, some students use grammar trivia to stuff up the teacher and class. Sometimes employed by a student who is worried about their grammar and so afraid they will not let go of the idea of getting on with the use. Fear can induce a student to ask more questions then needed, it is a stall method in some cases.

Actually, the core of this problem is the student's desire to humiliate the teacher and that is what needs addressing.

The intricacies of a language are infinite; none of us knows all the answers and we shouldn't be ashamed to admit it. As teachers we are there to help learners, not provide all the answers. A young and inexperienced teacher with a meagre CELTA as a qualification is, frankly, ill equipped. Why not explain to a class that you are new to the job and want to help them learn but do not pretend to be an expert. Bluffing is bad for the teacher's sense of self-worth and it is not honest towards the learners.

"If laughing off your mistakes to show your students that even teachers make mistakes doesn't work (it didn't in China), then here are some other things that you can do..."

The key word here is "if". Of course, in the ideal world, all students will respect their teachers and be adult enough to know that everyone has their limits. Unfortunately, some students look to teachers as many patients look to their doctors: if a doctor makes a mistake in a diagnosis, it's not unlikely that the patient will lose faith in him/her.

In my experience, Chinese students view their teachers as fountains of knowledge, not as facilitators in the language. This kind of mismatch in perception can often cause rifts in the classroom. Neither perception is wrong, but it does mean that someone will have to compromise. If you're able to teach the same students long enough, it's possible to help the students understand where you're coming from, but if you only have a set of Chinese students for a short-time, it is more likely that you are going to have to be the one to change your ideas.

What does everyone else think?

I agree with Dazza’s March 17 comment that “It is important to let the students know grammar is not a science, it is an art form”. The highly academic and analytical nature of traditional grammar instruction makes it difficult for students and teachers to understand the art of expression. For example, in the phrase ‘years before’, the word ‘before’ looks like a preposition and functions like a preposition, but is defined in the dictionary as an adverb. Similarly, in the sentence “The store is closed Mondays”, the word ‘Mondays’ looks like a plural, proper noun and functions as a plural, proper noun, but is defined in the dictionary as an adverb also. Traditional grammar instruction contains enigmas that give some students the opportunity to make a teacher squirm. The analytical explanations for these enigmas may make sense to grammarians, but appear obscure to many of us.
We should make every attempt to help the student understand the natural, intuitive and artistic side of English as well as its analytical side. Students should be taught that nouns are just names that identify things and people. Adjectives are only details that describe things and people. Prepositions are only links that relate various items (time, place, objects…) to things and people. Verbs reveal the relationships (interactions, experiences and connections) between things and people. And adverbs and adverbial phrases represent the context of a thought. Simple terminology leads to intuitive understanding.
For instance, it doesn’t do much good to introduce students to prepositional phrases by saying that they have an adverbial relationship with verbs or an adjectival relationship with nouns. The more intuitive explanation is that these phrases set the scene or context of the thought, which relates the surrounding objects, circumstances and conditions, involved in the thought. The context simply answers any questions about the thought - who, what, where, when, why, how, whose and which. You can play the Parker Brothers’ game of Clue with students, to show how these phrases answer the questions who, what, and where: “Mr Boddy was murdered by Colonel Mustard with a rope in the library”. Emphasize that Whodunit novelists will also reveal when, how and why: “…at noon by strangulation for fun”. Show students some news reports that answer all eight questions. Demonstrate that every detective, novelist, reporter and English student needs to answer these questions.
Once the student understands the practical, intuitive and artistic purpose of these phrases, they can much easier grasp the two enigmas above. The word ‘before’ serves as a link that connects the when-context/adverbial ‘years before’ to a thought, and ‘Mondays’ is a name that serves as a when-context/adverbial with an omitted link/preposition ‘on’. Both words are adverbially/contextually connected to a thought, thus the designation ‘adverb’ in the dictionary.
Natural, intuitive and artistic terminology and explanations provide the baby steps that students need to understand the analysis and enigmas of grammatical instruction. A spoonful of artistic sugar helps the grammatical medicine go down.