TESL 373 Applied Grammar

A course examining form, structure, meaning, and use in English grammar, with particular application to English language instruction.

At a structural level, language consists of lexicon – the words of a language – and grammar – the morphology and syntax that builds words and arranges them into sentences. To teach the English language effectively, then, a TESL professional must have extensive, explicit knowledge of English grammar. Teaching this knowledge to language learners is not straightforward, however. Recent decades have seen a pendulum swing from explicit, drill-based approaches, to a more communicative focus almost entirely devoid of explicit grammar instruction. Currently, the pendulum has settled somewhere in the middle: contemporary pedagogical models recognize the importance of both a focus on explicit, form-based instruction, and the need to embed it in meaningful, communicative context. This course will both review and improve your explicit knowledge of English grammar, and equip you with practical, hands-on knowledge of the current best practices in effectively teaching grammar to English language learners.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for this discussion. This thread must be at least 300-350 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150-250 words. Threads and replies must adhere to current APA format, and include at least the textbook(s) as a reference.

Peer Review Discussions (3)

Students will post their activities into a discussion. They will provide evaluative feedback on two of their peers’ activities. They will further incorporate peers’ feedback on their own activities to make changes to their own activity assignments before submitting these for the instructor’s review.

L1 Transference Assignment

The student will conduct limited research on the grammatical features of the L1 of their anticipated target teaching demographic. The student will detail issues they are likely to face as TESL practitioners in overcoming these learners’ grammatical deficiencies. The paper will be 500-1000 words, excluding front and back matter, and must adhere to APA formatting and style guidelines.

Structured Input Activity Assignment

The student will create a short activity that could be implemented in an ESL or EFL classroom based on the focus on form methodologies detailed in Nassaji and Fotos (2011). The activity will be created to focus on a specific grammar issue, as specified by the instructor.

The student will create a short activity that could be implemented in an ESL or EFL classroom based on the focus on form methodologies detailed in Nassaji and Fotos (2011). The activity will be created to focus on a specific grammar issue, as specified by the instructor.

TBLT Grammar Task Lesson Assignment

The student will create a longer activity that could be implemented in an ESL or EFL classroom based on the focus on form methodologies detailed in Nassaji and Fotos (2011). The activity will be created to focus on a specific grammar issue, as specified by the instructor.

Quizzes (3)

The student’s explicit grammar knowledge of English, with an emphasis on the readings from Lester (Applied Grammar) will be tested. Each exam will be open-book/open-notes, contain multiple choice and true/false questions, and have a 1 hour time limit.

Quiz: TESL 499 Internship Information

Students will read information about the TESL 499 internship process and complete a short quiz.