Brenda Arnett Petruzzella discusses how "there are sometimes differences between what colleges teach perspective teachers in education and what practicing teachers in schools actually do" (1) Petruzzella (while trying to teach the basic concepts of writing) realized that in her instruction of teaching grammar in writing , what seemed to make the most impact with students was individual discussion. This is good because in many cases, students learn better when given the hands on experience. Sometimes learning individually is better for students because there are no other students around and no distractions which gives the teacher the students undivided attention. This enables the student to be more aware of what is being discussed which is helpful in them learning the topic effectively but, in all actuality, its hard for teachers to meet individually with a class of 30 especially when you teach more than one class. . When it comes to grammar instructions, Petruzzella noted that teachers didn't see the purpose discussing the structure of grammar in college classes (how it is being taught). Some teachers feel that a set of prescriptive rules to be followed for a writer,[grammar] is not useful, but if you teach grammar as a description of what a writer does, and as a vocabulary to talk about writing, it's very useful.In fact,you can't teach writing without it. (3) In the article, it was brought up by a teacher that every English teacher that she knew felt that in order to teach writing, you have to teach some grammatical skills. Petruzzella also mentioned in her article that "Education colleges need to clarify that abandoning formal, traditional grammar instruction does not mean abandoning all attempts to teach the conventions of standard English". (5)
Petruzzella mentioned that teachers from urban schools have,
given up teaching all but the most basic skills, and there is still a fair
amount of frustration about students who
refuse to learn even those skills. The urban
teachers spoke often about the benefits of
using computers in writing classes with less able or more reluctant students. If teachers are giving up on the basic skills of grammar, how do they expect students not to?
Sadly to say this article is so true! Students do not receive enough grammar instruction anymore and when given a lesson that focuses on grammar most students fail because they are not familiar with the information. How can one become a better writer if they are not familiar with the different components of writing? They can't! I think some teachers sway away from teaching grammar because they are not comfortable with their own grammatical skills. After all, if your not comfortable with teaching grammar how can you help your students become comfortable? Teachers have discontinued their teaching of grammar and they expect students to become scholarly writers without the preparation.
ReplyDeleteGrammar instruction has been diminishing from the basic curriculum for a while now. Grammar is something that takes constant practice. Some students now know the basics of grammar, but no more than that. Writing of today's youth is slowly getting worse. I agree with Sonya, I think that the reason some teachers refrain from teaching grammar is because they are not comfortable with their own grammar skills. I think grammar is a necessity and should be taught.
ReplyDeleteThis decrease in one-on-one teaching is due to numerous things not just one detail. Due to the high numbers of students in every class it is hard for the teacher to give this personal instruction to those who are in need. Also the students who do no fully understand the basics of grammar do not go to the teacher, for they may be shy, or they are to busy, or they are just lazy. Whatever the reason maybe this one-on-one instruction is still decreasing and along with it are the basic grammar skills that students are not learning.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, grammar isn't as prominent in schools as it should be. By the time students are expected to know basic grammar rules they are already behind and teachers can't catch them up and go on with their lessons as well. That is where one-on-one would be most helpful because the whole class would benefit from being at the same level of grammar instruction but that is rarely the case.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article because, the average student does not obtain the proper teaching needed. Some factor in this are due to overcrowding in the schools, old teaching styles, and not enough time is devoted in teaching the students. However this is not always the case, there are many students who have teachers that are willing to help them outside of school, but they do not take advantage of that. There needs to be something done in order to help more students to become successful in school.
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement with the article in regards to grammar instruction and the way children obtain those instructions to enhance their grammatical skills. Grammar skill is diminishing greatly within the schools because it isn't taught properly or the teachers don't provide the adequate information that is imperative for the student to be knowledgeable of. This allows the students to lack grammatically and plays a huge part in why students don't understand grammar properly. Teachers should become more assertive in teaching grammar and do more hands-on activities related to grammar so that students can grasp the concept.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this article because every student needs to have good grammar to succeed in this life. Students these days don't get the proper teaching they are needed to hone their grammar skills. I believe that most teachers are not teaching grammar properly is because they are nervous that they can be teaching it the wrong way, or that they don't know for sure that their grammar skills are even good enough to teach to others. Teachers need to make a better habit of finding ways to teach grammar to students so that they can get a good education and have the skills they need for their future.
ReplyDeleteI feel like grammar really isn't taught enough. People seem to think that grammar isn't as important as it may have once been and tend to not learn the proper usage of grammar. Teachers should definitely try to make students more excited about learning grammar. If urban teachers are sticking to the basic skills only because they need to financial support based on their testing, why wouldn't they incorporate grammar into those basic skills? A lot of times grammar is vital on those tests.
ReplyDeleteGrammar is declining in the school systems each day. While observing at a school, I have noticed the decline in grammar skills. The students want to know why they have to learn about subject-verb disagreement when the computer just corrects it for them. Also, the major problem is that teachers at the higher levels believe that students should come in to their class knowing all the basic skills, when this is in fact untrue. Students are often pawned off on teachers with not knowing the correct skills or information needed. I agree with the article on having students use hands-on skills in the classroom. TEP programs have been pushing this technique for teachers to incorporate into the classrooms.
ReplyDeleteThe article describes the decrease in the usage of grammar and the decrease in its activeness in the classroom. I can say from personal experience that from being a student all my life there was some emphasis on proper grammar but it wasn't taken seriously. Myself being a writer, I now know its' importance and the correlation it has with being an effective writer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article also. Grammar is important in this world. I know that grammar hasn't really been look at as a main factor but it needs to be a little bit more in high school and middle school. If this is done students will have a better understanding.
ReplyDeleteI think Grammar is weakening in school systems due to technology. Students don’t feel it is as important to know how to write correctly because the computer will correct their mistakes. However, teachers also sometimes lack the confidence in their grammar skills to teach students properly. I think it’s important for teachers of any subject to be able to point out mistakes in a student’s paper. I’ve personally had teachers that weren’t strict on grammar and as the years went I fell behind as many students probably have. Entering college I felt that professors had certain expectations of what students should already know. The fact is students don’t know a lot of grammar skills they probably should of learned prior to college.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article. I believe some students need that hands-on learning to be successful. Some students can do without it. If a teacher isn't putting forth their best efforts to teach then it is hard for some students to learn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the individual discussion most of the time students are scared to speak out in front students to ask for him. There is nothing wrong with getting to know students to build a good relationship to teach them. Also hands on always works because this shows exactly what the students knows and doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author saying that grammar instruction isn't taught as much as it should be. I also agree that students may learn better when given one on one attention. This helps because all the teacher's focus is on them. I found it interesting that there are differences between what perspective teachers are taught and the practices actually employed by teachers. I think that the basic grammar skill should be taught because they help form the foundation for a good writer.
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