While many new teachers struggle with teaching grammar, it’s nothing to fear at all.
I’ve been in teacher training for the better part of two decades now. For brand new teachers on our TEFL course at The Language House in Prague, there’s no bigger fear than the terror that can come from teaching a confusing grammar point (or even an easy one) to a group of language students. These hyper-feelings of dread do make a lot of sense, right? Most native English speakers who go down the teaching English path step into the classroom with little to no understanding of English grammar. English grammar is simply not something we are taught in school or think about during our daily lives. Then, suddenly, you’re a new English teacher, struggling to teach a grammar point to a group of language students, and it is completely evident that your students have a far better understanding of the material than you do. In short, after mumbling and bumbling through your presentation, the lesson is a disaster.
If this scenario rings true for you, let me give you a little help. Grammar is actually really fun to teach. It just takes rethinking of your approach and practing your presentation skills.
What is the point of a grammar lesson?
Understanding the goal of why we teach grammar is the first step towards doing it right. I’ve got a great video that answer this question for you below. The short answer is that it’s all about usage and getting your students to communicate better. The long answer…? That’s all covered in the video, along with about 10 other tips to help you succeed.
How do I actually teach grammar?
Having the right mindset is a great, but how do I actually teach grammar to students without translation or lengthy explanations? Wonderful question! Once you have your approach down, it’s time to work on your teaching techniques to make your grammar presentation efficient and productive. A solid grammar presentation should only take about 10 minutes. That’s it! That’s all you need. The rest of the lesson is just pushing your students toward fluency with study (and eventually) speaking activities.
These 10 minutes though (your grammar presentation) are really important. Nailing this part is crucial if you want the rest of your lesson to have any success. Take a look at the video below to learn a step-by-step guide on how to teach any grammar point in under 10 minutes.
How long does it take to become confident teaching grammar?
This is going to vary from teacher to teacher, but the best answer I can give you is to practice. Most teachers believe that if they just plan their lessons (or think about their lessons) more, they will improve in the classroom. Mmm, it might help a bit, but better is to grab a friend or colleague and run though your grammar presentation a few times with them. If you approach teaching grammar as if it were a skill (which it is), and you put in the time to improve your teaching grammar skills, you can become very good… very fast.