English Language Knowledge for Secondary Teachers

Alison Ross

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780415635967
• eBook ISBN: 9781136200311
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

If teachers are to successfully develop their students' English language skills it is vital that they overcome any existing lack of confidence and training in grammar and language concepts. Language Knowledge for Secondary Teachers is an accessible book aiming to equip secondary teachers with the knowledge they need to teach language effectively. It clearly explains the essential concepts for language study, introduces the terminology needed for 'talking about language' and shows how this knowledge can be applied to the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

This new edition has been fully updated to take into account changes to the curriculum and developments in digital and new media language. Written by an experienced teacher and consultant the book includes:

• All the grammar knowledge that a secondary teacher needs;
• Contemporary language examples to which new teachers can relate;
• A companion website with a numerous activities for use in the classroom linked to each chapter and supported by detailed commentaries to explain how these work in practice (www.routledge.com/ross).

By making language teaching a fun and enjoyable experience, this text offers a refreshing resource for any secondary teacher daunted by the prospect of teaching grammar and language.

CHAPTER
1
	Introduction

The aim of this book is to provide secondary English teachers with the knowledge about language that they need and, perhaps, did not acquire during their own education. It covers the essential concepts for language study, introducing the terminology needed for ‘talking about language’ and shows how this knowledge can be applied to the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Using the website

There is a companion website for the book at www.routledge.com/cw/ross. For each concept or term introduced, there is an activity for teachers to use with students. The logo (

) indicates that there is an activity plus commentary. The abbreviations Y7+, Y12+, etc. suggest the year group for which the activity would be suitable. Of course, it may always be necessary to revise some concepts that were introduced in earlier years, hence the ‘plus’ sign.

The activities are numbered to match the chapter and the order in which they appear, so Activity 5.9 would be the ninth activity for Chapter 5. Most activities have a commentary, explaining the key teaching points. A link will take you from the activity to the commentary, and back to the activity if it would be useful to look at it again.

The book is divided into two main sections:

■ Section 1 – deals with grammar and the structure of language.

■ Section 2 – moves outside the scope of sentence structure to explore aspects of:

– Phonology – the sounds of language and their effects;

– Semantics – the ways words convey meanings via emotive and figurative language;

– Discourse – the ways whole texts are organised;

– Spoken language – some key differences in the organisation of speech; and

– Electronic modes – the ways that new technologies have influenced language use.

The organisation of the book involved a common dilemma for teaching approaches:

‘Where should I start?’

A ‘top-down’ approach emphasises the importance of the wider picture before studying smaller elements. It may be more effective to begin study of a Shakespeare play by watching a performance of the whole text. But perhaps important aspects of context need to be appreciated before this: the conventions of the dramatic genre, or the historical and social background. Close analysis of speeches and individual words comes later.

The decision to take a ‘bottom-up’ approach to language study in this book was not taken lightly. Although a focus on words and sentences runs the risk of being de-contextualised, there are some practical advantages in working up from the basic elements of language. The educational background of the readers of this book also influenced the decision. Many university degrees in English emphasise the study of literature rather than language. Although such courses involve the study of language in its wider aspects – genre, metaphor, rhetoric, and so on – finer details of grammar remain a source of uncertainty. This area is therefore tackled before the more familiar aspects.

The fact that the section on grammar is relatively long does not indicate that the structure of language is more important than other aspects of language in use, but rather that the grammatical terms and concepts are less familiar to readers under the age of fifty. The reasons for this ‘gap’ in knowledge are connected with the changes in educational policy over the last few decades. These are worth exploring.

Knowing about language or using language?

Debates about English education tend to focus on the relative merits of explicit grammar study versus exposure to a rich variety of language use. The most noticeable changes have been in attitudes to the role of grammar. Using an analogy, I would suggest that – trams are to transport policy what grammar is to educational policy. Both have moved in and out of favour in recent history. In the 1950s there was a system of trams or trolley buses in most cities. They were considered an efficient form of public transport. Then they seemed outdated and the whole system was dismantled. Around the turn of the century, the advantages of this mode of transport were recognised and tram systems were reintroduced. Some people complain about the expense and inconvenience. For others, trams have intrinsic value, but their role is important in the wider scheme of things: trams contribute to a more efficient and environmentally friendly transport system.

Changing attitudes to the role of grammar teaching have followed a similar path. From the eighteenth century until the 1960s, a formal approach to teaching the structures of language was accepted as the most effective way to teach English and foreign languages. By the 1970s, grammar study was seen as outdated and inefficient. These conclusions were based on research studies showing that explicit teaching of grammar had little impact on the wider skills of language use (Wilkinson, 1971). It was replaced by a ‘language in use’ approach, where the emphasis was on exposure to various forms of language, without the need for the terminology to describe language. Later studies cast doubt on the validity of these conclusions (Tomlinson, 1994). After decades of teaching English without any explicit reference to grammar, the National Curriculum (1989, revised in 2000) caused another change in the ways English was taught in schools. The reinstatement of grammar – as with trams – has been welcomed by many with nostalgia for bygone days, when rules were fixed and order prevailed. However, this is not simply a return to the grammar teaching of the past. The contemporary, ‘streamlined’ approach to grammar no longer emphasises the value of ‘naming of parts’ for its own sake; grammar is now seen to have an unfulfilled potential for its contribution to the wider scheme of things. As the linguist David Crystal comments:

The principle was evident: one should not teach structures without showing children how these structures are used in real-life situations; and, conversely, one should not introduce children to the language of real-life situations without giving them some means of talking about it precisely. Structure and use should be seen as two sides of the same coin – a view which is present in the guidelines which led to the new British National Curriculum course on English. But the question remained; how exactly can these two domains be brought together?

(Crystal, 1998)

The situation at the time of writing is not clearly defined. The National Curriculum and National Literacy Strategy no longer have the official status of guidelines, but the new National Curriculum is not due to emerge until later in 2012. A full programme of study for English (maths and science) will not be ready until September 2014.

However, it is likely that broad principles will remain. The concept of language variation shapes the overall statem...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1. Introduction
• Section One: Grammar
• Section Two: Beyond Grammar
• References
• Index