Start grammar instruction from the problems learners notice in their own written output¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article proposes building grammar teaching on the grammatical features learners spontaneously notice while composing, rather than on preselected target forms. "Focusing on the problems learners notice while writing, the teacher may provide them with strategies to deal with these problems, such as more sophisticated ways of connecting sentences or explicit instruction in the use of modals." The author links this to writing-to-learn approaches and to the method of intelligent guessing (MIG) proposed by Angelovska and Hahn (2014), and suggests such instruction may align with learners' developmental stage.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Finding out which problems learners are concerned with in written language production, e.g. via think-aloud or similar elicitation

Constraints¶

• The author states further research would be needed to find out whether there are more topics learners find relevant and to what extent they are already considered in teaching

Target Learners¶

• adolescent (15- to 16-year-old) L2 writers at around B1 level

Target Learning Goals¶

• grammar features learners notice in writing, such as modal verb use and clause connection

Related Strategies¶

• Design class-wide grammar lessons from common journal errors, and let students catalogue their own errors

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Monika Geist. (2017). Noticing grammar in L2 writing and problem-solving strategies. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7(3), 471-487. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2017.7.3.6