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Digital Library Directory > Innovation in Language Learning 16th Edition 2023
Innovation in Language Learning 16th Edition 2023

Using Supplemental Instruction for Teaching English Grammar

Christine Johansson

Abstract

Supplemental instruction (SI) is practised at most universities all over the world, and at Uppsala University we are adapting this to focus on teaching grammar. However, grammar teaching has not a high status in Swedish schools or in the curricula (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2022). Indeed, there is a widespread opinion that grammar teaching is outdated and need not be included at all (but cf. authorities on teaching and testing grammar, such as Ellis, 2006 and Larsen-Freeman, 2003). The teaching of grammar through SI has been very welcomed by students at the English department at Uppsala University where a special design of SI has been implemented. The SI leaders are high school student teachers in their third term of English. They point out that through SI, they have become more interested, not only in grammar and teaching it in the future, but also in writing about the importance of grammar and grammar teaching in their research papers (see Benati, 2015). This is especially important in the ethnically diverse classrooms in Sweden. Note that here we have students who are likely to be learning both English as a necessary language for their teaching as well as Swedish as a second or third language (see Hinkel, 2016). In this presentation I will share the results that will be relevant to any multicultural language learning environment. Our initial aim was to get the students interested in grammar, not only by studying more and different grammar but also by trying out teaching and explaining grammar including phraseology and sentence structure (see Johansson, 2006). What we found was that that these SI leaders as well as the students they tutor gained a much better understanding of grammar thereby developing confidence as well as improving literacy skills more broadly.

 

 

Keywords

Supplemental instruction, SI leaders, multicultural language learning environment, high school student teachers, developing confidence

 

 

 

References

 

[1] Benati, A. G. 2015. Key methods in second language acquisition research.

         Sheffield: Equinox.

 

[2] Ellis, R. 2006. “Current issues in the teaching of grammar: An SLA

          perspective”. TESOL quarterly 40: 1, 83-107.

 

[3] Hinkel, E. (Ed.). 2016. Teaching English grammar to speakers of other languages. New York: Routledge.

[4] Johansson, C. 2006. “Supplemental instruction och lärarstudenters intresse för grammatik i språkundervisningen och i examensarbeten.”  In J. Einarsson,  E. Ringqvist-Larsson and M. Lindgren (Eds). Approaches to teaching and learning in linguistic research, 112-140. Växjö University: ASLA 19.

[5] Larsen-Freeman, D. 2003. Teaching language. From grammar to grammaring. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

[6] The Swedish National Agency for Education. 2022. Curriculum for compulsory education and course plans for the subject English in the different programmes in senior high school. Skolverket.se. Accessed 16 July, 2023.

 


Publication date: 2023/11/10
ISBN: 979-12-80225-69-6
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