In our everchanging world of text talk, emails, Twitteer and Facebook posts, our students are writing less, quantitativley, but at the same time, they are actually writing MORE frequently. I think is the key to unlocking the issue of motivation by way of grammar instruction; recognizing students are not always just "lazy" with writing, but that they truly do not understand WHY they need to know the rules of grammar if they are "never going to use them." We need to show them grammar is more than rules, it is the control and understanding of language, it is something that has to be learned and acquired to apply to all situations. They apply rules of grammar everyday, we just need to make them aware, as I stated earlier.
While researching the linkage between levels of motivation and grammar instruction, I came across another research blog entitled Digital Learning Environments, where the author, Leslie Wilson, comments on what she refers to as "what's old is new" in the way of grammar instruction. In her blog, she cites the 11 year old study of Garcia and Arias, whom I mentioned in an earlier post. After discussing the results of the study, which studied the effects of, then new, technologies on language skills acquistion, the blogger asks, "are students today more saturated with technology tools and thus less likely to be as motivated?" I think although this study is dated, she brings up a good point, that demands attention.
Web-based grammar instruction offers a multisensorial experience, increasing its attractiveness as a learning and research venue but what about the effectiveness of this experience? This may be an issue of novelty. As I discussed earlier in my post on games and grammar, there is a certain "fun factor" attached to these tools that can sometimes overshadow the purpose, but then we should ask, what is the purpose? With grammar, I think the purpose is to create interest, build a student centered classroom where the student has choice, and therefore more incinitve and motivation in their own learning. If the software/games/etc. are "fun", what is the harm? If our students today are more saturated with tools of technology, then why not keep changing it up? To motivate students means to create interactive, authentic learning experiences.
One interesting study, printed in 1999 in WORLDCALL, discusses web-based instruction as a window to the authentic world. The authors, Swets and Zeitlinger argue in their introduction that "there appears to be a gradual shift from teacher-centered approaches, largely reflected in the explicit teaching of a grammar, which exploit the technicial potential of the Web, to student-centered learning, reflected in meaning task-based activities, which exploits the new medium's unique potential for authentic learning experiences"(1). I think this statement supports much of the recent research on web based approaches to grammar instruction because although a dated study (1999), this still rings true today.
Perhaps it does not matter how you teach grammar, but why you teach grammar. The grammarian debate focuses on pedagogical arguments and methods and traditions of instruction, but with web-based delivery, maybe these issues are not the focus. Perhaps "the web should most sensibly be used for the unique potential it offers"(1), the potential to use this medium as a way to create a student-centered task-based and collaborative learning environment that is an authentic setting. For our students, the web and mulitmedia technologies are the authentic setting. Adaption to this setting will create motivation in students; we are meeting them where they are.
Works Cited:
1. Felix, Uschi. "Web-based Language Learning: A Window to the Authentic World". WORLDCALL. Monash University, Austrailia. 1999.
2. Wilson, Leslie. "What's Old is New" Digitial Learning Environment Blogs: Tech and Learning. New Bay Media, LLC. 2011. Date Accessed 20 March 2011. http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog_leslie_wilson/what_s_old_new
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