Here are suggested answers to the Think About It items in this chapter of the Online Learning Center website. - Briefly discuss some of the research evidence that exists to support that explicit instruction in grammar has little, if any, effect on how learners acquire an L2.
Teacher’s Note: Response should include some of the following:
- The existence of acquisitional orders.
- The existence of developmental sequences.
- Empirical studies that show learners can learn grammatical information in the absence of explicit information (e.g., Benati, 2003; Farley, 2003; Sanz & Morgan-Short, 2003; Wong, 2003).
- Explain why traditional grammar instruction, defined as explicit explanation followed by output practice, may be questioned in terms of what we know about how learners acquire an L2.
Teacher’s Note: Response should include the following:
- L2 Acquisition is input dependent. Traditional instruction is output oriented with little or no regard for input.
- In your own words, explain the difference(s) between a mechanical drill, a meaningful drill, and a communicative drill.
Teacher’s Note: Response should be similar to the following:
- In a mechanical drill, learners can successfully do the drill without paying any attention to meaning.
- In a meaningful drill, learners must understand meaning but the response is fixed. No new information is communicated (e.g. “What color is John’s shirt?”).
- In a communicative drill, learners must pay attention to meaning and the information contained in the learner’s answer must contain new information (e.g., “What are you going to do after dinner tonight?”).
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