Memo Four...

            So I think that I am abandoning grammar in post secondary education and refocusing on grammar instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. After speaking with some professors it is clear that there is an expectation that students are prepared with all the knowledge that they need in order to be a successful writer. So that brings me to wonder where the teaching of grammar happens. Although all my sources say " yes it is important to teach grammar" it is more the instruction of it that matters more.I have found that some teachers focus more the content of the writing while others focus on the mechanics. I spoke to one seventh grade teacher who believes that grammar is an important process of writing and gives mini lessons everyday, the children seem to enjoy it, I'm sure if it was a full class period there might be some disdain for it.Another seventh grade teacher that I spoke with does not focus on it at all. So who benefits and who loses out, the students that receive grammar instruction or those who do not. I am at a stand still. I'm hoping more field research will provide more insight to this matter.

           

Memo Two & Three

Memo Two & Three…

            I feel like my research is taking me into a completely different direction than I originally thought. When I first began this project I wanted to explore grammar, and if it was being taught in the classroom, and how it plays a significant role in writing. My focus and opinion was that grammar should be taught at every age level from the elementary level to the post-secondary. Im starting to shift my view point, although I still maintain that grammar should be taught at all levels I am focusing more on how grammar is absent in the majority of college level English courses because  these courses are generally literature driven and analysis dependent. Unless you are specifically taking writing course there is little instruction of grammar if any. I vaguely remember my first “English” course at CCRI and it certainly focused on writing rather than literature. I think it’s safe to assume that all of us were required to take this “First Year Writing” or “Composition” regardless of what college you attended. I do remember a brief, very brief mention of grammar and I believe that I received a packet of the parts of speech. I just find it amazing that as an English major I have not been taught grammar, only corrected on it. I find that I not am interesting in exploring grammar instruction in post-secondary schools versus elementary or secondary. I came to this conclusion after reading and discussing what is expected of college students, especially their writing. I started this journey with one idea and it has taken me somewhere else and I partly blame JSTOR. This amazing resource makes it difficult to focus on one specific thing and I feel myself wandering! I digress…

            My research has led me to NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English and with Titles like “ Grammar in the Schools of  Today” and “ Teaching Grammar in the Context of Writing” have really opened my eyes and changed my opinion, sort of anyway. I look forward to finding more articles relevant to my new focus and exploring this topic even further. To summarize these articles the point that the authors are making is this; that grammar should be taught but it the methods of teaching grammar have to change. I can live with that, but how do we teach it? What new creative ways can we teach our students something that could and has been considered to be boring? Why aren’t the “old methods” working? And can we place all the blame on the teacher’s instruction without displacing blame on the students themselves? Learning is pro-active right? These are the questions that I am dabbling with and some questions have not been thought of yet. I have to go to my primary sources to hear firsthand accounts of ways to teach grammar and ways in which help the learning of grammar.

            Originally, my focus was on elementary and secondary levels where I was going to interview teachers and students. The various perspectives included second, seventh, and eleventh grade students and teachers. Although, I might still explore these levels for my own purposes but I feel that I am going to have to contact some of my professors and classmates. It would be interesting to write a paper and disperse it to various faculty members in the English department and see how much focus is placed on grammar. Perhaps I can use my own writing and other students writing as a resource. My papers always have comments relating to grammar but unfortunately I have no idea what some of those comments mean. Does knowing how one teacher corrects grammar indicative of his or her colleagues? Probably not, perhaps it is simply the preference of the teacher. I have had some professors who heavily dissect grammar while others are more content focused, is either more right or wrong? I have no idea… I feel like I need to stop before my topic eludes me…. Until next time folks!

Memo One

           I’m fascinated by grammar because of its intricacies and the fact that I am terrible with grammar. I can vividly remember sitting through grammar drills in elementary school and hating it. Now I wish I had English classes like that, because at thirty-two I have forgotten the basics. I am really curious to find out if grammar is still being taught and if so at what grade level. As I start this I- Search project I am a firm believe it should be taught because it is a valuable asset to writing. I am very interested to see if my opinion changes at the end. The first re-connection I had with grammar in the classroom is when I volunteered in a seventh grade ESL classroom, and the teacher taught grammar every day!! I thought what she was doing seemed important and necessary in developing great writers. She made grammar fun and exciting and I loved her approach to it all, she was the self-proclaimed “Grammar Queen” and wore a tiara during her lessons, the students thought that was great! I wanted to emulate her because of the value she placed on grammar and the importance of it. Although her lessons where short, she made sure that she devoted 10-15 minutes of class time to diagramming sentences and teaching them about prepositions, verb tenses, commas, etc. She believed that grammar was just as important to a story as the content and I agree. With this being said if I am not able to find the answer I am seeking I hope that I will find the answer that will justify the reason why grammar is or is not being taught. I plan on speaking with teachers and students from all grade levels about their experience with grammar. I’m thinking the easiest way and most efficient way to do this is by creating a survey about their experiences. It will be interesting to have both a teacher and students perspective. By doing this I hope to gain further insight to my question of should grammar be taught?? This is where I am currently in my project. I am also in the middle of reading two secondary articles regarding the teaching of grammar in schools. I will post my findings shortly.

Animoto Video!!

To teach or not to teach grammar?

Hello class!

 

         Here is my very own blog, exciting!! I just wanted to post a brief introduction about my I- Search project since I'm still figuring out how to create and post the video. I would like to explore the teaching or non-teaching of grammar in schools. I feel that the teaching of grammar has being non-existent and I would like to find out why. I am a firm believer that grammar plays a very important role in writing and it should be incorporated into the English curriculum if it isn't already.
 
      As of this very moment I feel that grammar should be taught at every level. I feel that there is an expectation that because we can read, write, and speak English that we have mastered the mechanical aspect of writing. I feel that the teaching of grammar may get overlooked and I am interested to see if the teaching of grammar is required for certain grade levels or it is up to the teacher.

     I'm excited to see what I find out and can't wait to share my findings with all of you !!