CURRENT ISSUES IN THE TEACHING OF GRAMMAR: AN SLA PERSPECTIVE Should Grammar Teaching Be Intensive or Extensive?

Intensive grammar teaching refers to instruction over a sustained period of time concerning single grammatical structure or a pair of contrasted structures. Extensive grammar teaching refers to instruction concerning a whole range of structures within a short period of time. Instruction depends on whether it is massed or distributed. The massed-distributed distinction refers to how a whole grammar course is staged, intensive-extensive distinction refers to whether each single lesson addresses a single or multiple grammatical features. Intensive grammar teaching: - 3Ps (present-practise-produce) assume an intensive focus on specific grammatical structures. - Acknowledge learners readiness to acquire the structure. - Learners will succeed practising the structures if they were given sufficient opportunities to practise. - Help pupils learn and produce the structures correctly on their own. - Help pupils progress through the sequence of stages in the acquisition of the structure. - Help pupils to use structures they have already partially acquired more accurately. Extensive grammar teaching: - The teaching process can occur within a learning activity. - Teacher provides corrective feedback in the form-focused and meaningfocused lessons. - In form-focused lessons, feedback is directed primarily at the structure targeted by the lesson whereas in meaning-focused lessons, it is directed at whatever errors happen to make.

- Learners require minimal evidence to set a particular parameter for the grammar they are learning. - Errors that teachers addressed incidentally in the context of communicative language teaching help the pupils to identify and correct their own errors later on. Pros and Cons of intensive and extensive teaching: - Some structures may not be mastered without the opportunity for repeated practice. - Intensive instruction is time consuming. - Extensive instruction able to provide opportunity to attend to large numbers of grammatical structures. - Both involve a response to the errors each learner makes. - Both do not provide the in-depth practise the structures might require.

Therefore, grammar teaching needs to be reconceptualised in teacher handbooks to include the king of extensive treatment of grammar that arises naturally through corrective feedback.

Reader Response

In my opinion, intensive grammar teaching is suitable for primary school pupils as they can focus on specific grammatical structures. This is very important as pupils need to have good grasp of understanding on the structures before they are able to apply it in their life. Pupils also will tend to become enthusiastic and give full participation in learning when they know the correct structure. Intensive approach also focuses on practice which involves drills and tasks. This is also important for pupils as drilling can strengthen their memory on the structures where at the end of the lesson, pupils are able to produce the structures correctly on their own. Pupils can apply the lesson and become very confident when they were given drills on specific grammatical rules.

Meanwhile through extensive grammar teaching, errors made by pupils are corrected on the spot during learning activity. The instant corrective feedback directed by teachers would help the learners to recognize the errors made. The address of errors helps the learners to learn the structure of grammar indirectly when teachers give the feedback. The corrective feedback given shows that teacher maintains the balance between accuracy and fluency. Teachers encourage the learners to use the target language especially through communicative language teaching which focus on the usage of target language. At the same time, teachers insert on the input of grammatical rules to the learners. The indirect learning of grammar rules help the pupils to identify of errors made and corrects them on their own later on. Learners are encouraged to communicate in target language without worrying much about the grammar mistakes made. This is because if they make mistakes, teachers would correct them and they would take reminder of the errors made for the following learning activity. Extensive grammar teaching make the learners aware of their grammar structures whenever they are about to talk. This therefore helps to maintain the balance between accuracy and fluency.

In conclusion, both intensive and extensive grammar teaching is necessary in the teaching of grammar. Intensive instruction would provide the learners to know deeper about the grammatical rules concerning the target language. Pupils know when and how to use the grammar elements appropriately and correctly in English writing as well as speaking. Extensive teaching at the same time eases the pupils to learn the grammar structures in fun and interesting atmosphere. They would not feel like they are forced to learn the target language as they are free to express ideas and opinions as errors would be tolerated later on.