Innovation in Language Learning

The grammatical laboratory consists in a strategy used by the teachers in order to teach grammatical contents. An alternative to this resource was presented by Hudson (1992), being, through the years, systematized by Duarte (2008) and by Costa et al. (2011). The grammatical laboratory integrates, in a concise way, the following array of steps: (i) observing, comparing and manipulating language data for a following discovery of language functioning regularities; (ii) systematizing and explaining the aforementioned regularities; (iii) mobilizing the acquired knowledge for other language competencies. This communication possesses the goal to present a didactic strategy, developed by three 6th grade classes from the 2nd level of Primary School (students from ages situated around 12 years old) and their insights on this type of work. The grammatical laboratory was applied for students with the goal to construct knowledge pertaining to the differentiation between subordinate time and cause clauses. After a final evaluation, elaborated via the filling of a quiz for each student, it was verified that the average success rate was positive. After the completion of a quiz for each student, it was possible to confirm that, about 60% of the students: (i) enjoyed to participate in the grammatical laboratory; (ii) would like to participate again hereafter; (iii) that it helped them to better understand the studied contents; (iv) and that this resource consists in a education strategy which differs from the ones they were used to concerning grammar learning. A content analysis based on the students’ answers justifications to these questions will be elaborated. To summarize, the grammatical laboratory follows a teaching methodology that is constructive, active, inductive; as well as the principles of learning by discovery. Such thing happens since it is not the teacher who, in a transmitting knowledge way, passes the contents to the students, but instead, are the students themselves who, gathered in groups, gradually construct their knowledge by stages.

 

Keywords: 6th grade; Students' conceptions; Language didactics; Grammatical Laboratory; Portuguese L1; Primary Education.

 

References:

 

[1] Hudson, R. (1992). Teaching grammar: A guide for the national curriculum. Blackwell.

[2] Duarte, I. (2008). O conhecimento da língua: Desenvolver a consciência linguística. Ministério da Educação – Direcção-Geral de Inovação e de Desenvolvimento Curricular.

[3] Costa, J., Cabral, A. C., Santiago, A., & Viegas, F. (2011) Conhecimento explícito da língua: Guião de implementação do Programa de Português do Ensino Básico. Ministério da Educação - Direcção-Geral de Inovação e de Desenvolvimento Curricular.