Furthermore...

Furthermore, the inductive approach can be frustrating to adult learners, many of whom have already become analytical with regard to the rules that govern their native languages. The learners intuitively yearn to speed up the learning process by consciously comparing and contrasting their own native rules to the rules that govern the new target language. Reformulating Grammar Instruction Although explicit and implicit teaching are clearly opposites, they share some notable deficiencies.

Neither approach acknowledges the critical role of the teacher in negotiating classroom explanations, and neither approach acknowledges the contributions and backgrounds that the learners bring to the instructional setting (Tharp and Gallimore 1988). Moreover, neither approach recognizes the natural learning tendencies that occur between human beings outside the classroom. Learning is a dynamic, reciprocal, and interactive process.

However, our profession has been grappling with two established methods, neither of which recognizes the mutually responsive interactions that are fundamental to learning as it occurs naturally between humans in everyday life. Therefore, we believe it is time for the profession to begin a serious reappraisal regarding teaching of grammar. We are advocating a whole language and guided participatory approach that contrasts with traditional explicit or implicit teaching.

In many ways, this alternative approach may serve as a viable compromise between explicit/implicit polarized views. For a number of reasons that will be discussed later, we believe that a whole language and guided participatory approach might hold the key to dramatic improvement in the teaching of grammar.

Basic Principles of Whole Language Teaching Before discussing some practical applications of this approach, we should discuss some basic principles of whole language and guided participatory teaching. Many specialists in first language development have been exploring the implications of whole language teaching for the past decade. Likewise, researchers in cognitive psychology have been investigating guided participation in the areas of science, math, and social studies.

Unfortunately, foreign language education has been lagging behind these other disciplines. First we will discuss some basic principles of a whole language approach to grammar instruction, and then we will discuss how to use guided and joint problem solving to enhance grammar explanations.