Grammar practice with CALL

To the extent that I might end up being burnt alive, I have always claimed that a language course cannot and should not exist without grammar instruction! However, what I do support is that it does not necessarily have to be overloaded with grammar, following rigid definitions, drilling patterns and strictly pursuing the traditional grammar-translation method!  Believe it or not, grammar can be fun and it is more than necessary.

In support of this claim of mine, I would like to refer to two articles written by two of my favourite authors, Betty Azar and Rod Ellis. 

Both authors strongly recommend the necessity to overcome the rigid distinction between "either-or-approaches". Modern tendencies should be directed at implementing techniques and strategies aiming at teaching both effective and accurate communication adapted to the particular group of students, the level of learning and the unit/ segment being taught. Needless to say, there is far more to teaching than just presenting knowledge and asking for the reproduction of the same.

When asked about the proper teaching method, the exact amount of grammar or the decision on what a class should focus on, Azar says:

„Do both. Those are the two words I write most often in margins when I read academic articles about the teaching of grammar in second-language instruction. Focus on fluency or accuracy? Do both, in proper balance given the students' needs and goals. Have students work with grammar structures inductively or deductively? Do both: you never know where any particular student's "Aha!" is going to come from. Use authentic or adapted language? Students need both. Work with sentence-level vs. connected-discourse material? Both can have good pedagogical purpose and effect. Engage in open-ended communicative interaction or controlled response exercises? Both are beneficial for students. Explicit instruction or communicative exposure? Both.“

Similarly, Ellis points out that research has shown: 

„the overall effectiveness of grammar teaching. Further, there is evidence that, contrary to Krashen’s (1993) continued claims, instruction contributes to both acquired knowledge as well as learned knowledge. There is also increasing evidence that naturalistic learning in the classroom ... does not typically result in high levels of grammatical competence. In short, there is now convincing indirect and direct evidence to support the teaching of grammar." 

Computer-assisted teaching deployed for the purpose of presenting, practicing and producing correct grammar content is more than useful. Apart from ready-made tools available online, I recommend authoring tools. In my article on Skills  (see section on 'Comprehension') I have already mentioned  Hot Potatoes and Quandary as brilliant tools to use. Hot Potatoes is a rather comprehensive authoring tool to use for the purpose of practicing grammar as it includes all the various forms of creating exercises and tests teachers like to use, such as multiple-choice, match, fill-in-the-blanks, etc.

Apart from this, grammar can be taught and practised by means of various tools, available online. 

For starters, here is a selection of three really good grammar tools: 

Daily grammar
Grammar Games
Road to grammar

Vocabulary practice

A great tool for teachers to use as a vocabulary booster is Quizlet. Apart from providing ready-made vocabulary sets, new ones can be created in a few minutes only. The beauty of this tool is that the teacher can compile elaborate bi-lingual lists of vocabulary items in many different language combinations and use them either in class for presentation, practice and production or have the student use them at home on their own. The number of words to be introduced is unlimited and the various exercises that are available are generated automatically as soon as the list has been created.  

Once the list has been created, it can be presented in the form of a list or a grid. The items can be shuffled or ordered alphabetically by a mere click of the mouse. The various tools integrated are provided above the main list so they are activated by a simple click and the presentation of the list becomes a new tool - 'flachcards', 'learn', 'speller', 'test', 'scatter' and 'race'.

The tools may be used by the students either individually or in groups and pairs. Quite engaging think-pair-share activities can be organised based on the tools provided. First of all, each term can be presented on a flashcard in both language directions used.

The 'learn' tool engages the student on various levels as the item has to be written into the provided slot and if written correctly, the item will be pronounced for the student so they may hear it as well. If the item has been written incorrectly, the tool indicates the error clearly and suggests the correct answer. The exercise may be started all over again and the source language may be changed alternatively starting from either language used when the list of vocabulary items was compiled. 

The 'speller' is again engaging the student on many levels as they have to use the skill of listening and writing. The tool dictates the vocabulary item and the student has to type what they hear into the provided slot. At the same time, the translation of the item is provided next to the slot. As the vocabulary items are chosen randomly by the tool, the student will have the opportunity to practise various items without learning the order by heart. 

The 'test' tool is a classical quiz but comprised of various tasks generated automatically. The student will either have to type the correct vocabulary item, check the correct answer, say whether an answer is true or false, etc. When done, the answers can be checked immediately whereby Quizlet provides explanations as well.

The last two tools, 'scatter' and 'race' are like games engaging students in a fun way so that the final hurdle is actually a special treat.

As an illustration, here is a short list on Intellectual property consisting of 13 vocabulary items presented in English and Serbian.