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ERIC Number: ED468601
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2002-Jan
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Systemic Approach in Teaching Grammar to Adult Learners.
Meskhi, Anna
This article addresses difficulty in English-as-a-Second-Language grammar instruction, offering the systemic approach as an alternative method of teaching grammar. Observation of the process of learning various grammatical rules reveals a tendency to make two types of errors (formational and functional). Analysis of grammatical errors made by Turkish students of English highlights the complex nature of the source of mistake production, which can be presented as a mixture of several factors grouped into two categories (linguistic and methodological). Linguistic factors embrace interlingual and intralingual factors. Methodological factors relate to the principles of textbook compiling, on one hand, and methods of material presentation in classroom teaching, on the other. The paper discusses the mechanism of error production on both the interlingual and intralingual levels, describing the systemic approach to teaching. This approach provides learners with holistic pictures of grammatical micro-systems. It helps learners freely navigate within the newly acquired grammatical micro-system and link it to previously acquired knowledge. This method is appropriate for adult learners, because it requires a conscious approach to material acquisition and well-developed thinking skills. The paper emphasizes the importance of considering unique characteristics of the first and second language when teaching ESL to adult learners. (SM)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the International Conference of Bilkent University School of English Language (7th, Ankara, Turkey, January 24-26, 2002).