Notes & Quotes: Reading about Grammar Teaching
This section contains readings about the teaching of grammar and language teaching in general that I’ve found interesting or helpful. I hope you find them interesting, too, and will respond with your own ideas on the Teacher Talk Forum.
Below is a list of readings by topic. If you prefer, there is a list with complete bibliographic references.
Topics
Articles
- Current research on grammar teaching (Nassaji & Fotos)
- Research meta-analysis showing that grammar teaching works (Norris & Ortega)
- Ellis says "the teaching of grammar works." (TESOL Quarterly)
- The naturalists were wrong (Shepherd)
- Views on practice vs. consciousness-raising in grammar teaching (Ellis)
- TBI: The overselling of theory based on scanty empirical evidence (Swan)
- Grammar returns to SATs (The Washington Post)
- Do students think grammar is important in language study? (Fortune)
Books
- Teacher-friendly guide to grammar teaching (Firsten)
- New perspectives on grammar teaching (Hinkel & Fotos)
- The War Against Grammar (Mulroy)
- Teachers' views on language teaching (Senior)
- Diane Larsen-Freeman's views on grammar teaching
- Balancing focus on form and focus on meaning (Lightbown & Spada)
- Have a grammar question? Find the answer in this reference text. (Swan)
- Explicit teaching: not only grammar but vocabulary, too (Folse)
Interview: A Conversation with Betty Azar
Videos
- 2008 TESOL Panel: Teaching Grammar in Today’s Classroom
- 2007 TESOL Plenary: Teaching amid Change
- 2002 WAESOL Plenary: Languages of the Heart
Articles
- “Grammar-Based Teaching: A Practitioner’s Perspectives” by Betty Azar
- “An Author Responds” by Betty Azar