How to Teach Grammar - Teacher Trainer reacts to a Grammar Lesson

Summary

This video script covers an interactive grammar lesson focused on the present perfect continuous tense. The teacher skillfully engages students by asking them about recent activities, eliciting responses, and using those examples to introduce and practice the target grammar structure. The lesson emphasizes understanding meaning first, followed by form and pronunciation. The teacher also adapts the lesson to students' language needs, such as explaining niche vocabulary like 'welding.' The session concludes with controlled practice and a recap, ensuring students grasp the concept and can apply it to their own lives.

Takeaways

• 📚 Emphasis on Present Perfect Continuous: The lesson focuses on the present perfect continuous tense (have/has been + verb-ing) to discuss recent actions that started in the past and continue to affect the present.
• 👥 Context-Based Learning: The teacher engages students by asking them about their recent activities, encouraging real-life application of the target tense.
• 🔍 Vocabulary Expansion: By responding to the student's interests, like welding, the teacher introduces relevant vocabulary that may not typically be covered in standard lessons.
• 📝 Eliciting Student Language: The teacher allows students to express themselves first, then reformulates their statements using the correct grammatical structure, aiding in comprehension.
• ❓ Concept Checking: Questions about the meaning of words like 'recent' help ensure students understand key concepts that support the target language.
• 🧩 Scaffolding Grammar: The teacher moves from meaning to form, then pronunciation, allowing students to understand and produce the tense more naturally.
• 🎯 Focus on Form and Pronunciation: By eliciting, demonstrating, and having students repeat forms like 'I've been,' the teacher highlights contraction and pronunciation for fluency.
• 📖 Learner-Centered Approach: Using student-generated examples makes the lesson more relevant and meaningful, as learners engage with language that reflects their own lives.
• 🔄 Iterative Practice: The lesson includes controlled practice, and the teacher hints at further free practice at the end to reinforce learning and solidify the tense in natural conversation.
• 🌱 Point of Need Learning: The approach is responsive to the students’ immediate needs, introducing language that supports their specific goals and communicative purposes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lesson discussed in the transcript?

The main focus of the lesson is teaching the present perfect continuous tense (have been + ing) through communicative methods and student-centered learning.

How does the teacher introduce the grammar topic in the lesson?

The teacher introduces the grammar topic by asking students to talk about recent activities they've been doing, creating a natural context for using the present perfect continuous tense.

Why does the teacher emphasize checking the meaning of 'recent' at the beginning of the lesson?

The teacher emphasizes checking the meaning of 'recent' to ensure that students understand the concept, as it is key to the lesson's focus on recent activities and the present perfect continuous tense.

How does the teacher assess the students' understanding during the lesson?

The teacher assesses understanding by asking students to share recent activities and observes if they naturally use the present perfect continuous tense, allowing her to gauge their familiarity with the structure.

What role does emergent language play in this lesson?

Emergent language, which refers to the language students need in real-time but may not know, plays a key role as the teacher helps students express themselves and upgrades their responses by introducing accurate vocabulary and grammar.

Why does the teacher reformulate the student's sentence about cooking?

The teacher reformulates the sentence to model the correct use of the present perfect continuous and help the student learn the proper way to express recent activities.

How does the lesson highlight the importance of context in learning grammar?

The lesson shows the importance of context by having students discuss personal experiences and then converting their sentences into grammatically correct ones, making the grammar more relevant and meaningful.

What is the significance of the word 'welding' in this lesson?

The word 'welding' demonstrates how student-generated examples, even with niche vocabulary, can be valuable learning moments. The teacher helps students explain terms relevant to their lives, even if they are unlikely to be taught in a traditional curriculum.

What strategy does the teacher use to review grammar rules with the students?

The teacher uses a strategy of eliciting student-generated sentences, followed by asking concept-checking questions and summarizing the grammar rules (present perfect continuous) through a final recap, reinforcing the lesson.

How does the teacher ensure students are actively engaged with the grammar point?

The teacher ensures engagement by using students' own examples, asking guiding questions, and involving them in transforming their sentences, which promotes active participation and deeper understanding.