How to

teach
grammar
Workbook
Your reflective journal
and additional resources
Foreword
We’re delighted you’ve chosen to continue your professional development
with TeachingEnglish training and look forward to learning with you over the
coming weeks.

In this workbook you’ll find additional learning materials to complement your

course, places to note ideas of interest, encouragement and guidance in
applying them within your teaching practice. Whether you prefer to save and
update it on your device, to keep handwritten notes, or use it as a prompt for
your on-the-go reflection, do what works for you. We hope you and your
learners find it beneficial.

If you haven't signed up for the free course, go to the course training page to
enrol.

Happy learning.

The British Council open learning team.

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Contents
Foreword…………………………………………………………………………… 02

Your learning goals, your course………………………………. 04

Your learning tools…………………………………………………………. 05

Module 1: Methods and approaches for grammar

Overview and additional learning resources………….. 06

Your learning: Notes, plans and reflections……………..07

Module 2: Engaging with grammar – noticing and restructuring

Overview and additional learning resources…………….09

Your learning: Notes, plans and reflections………………10

Module 3: Engaging with grammar – different approaches

Overview and additional learning resources……………12

Your learning: Notes, plans and reflections………………13

Your action plan……………………………………………………………….15

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Your learning goals, your course
Discover how to help your learners notice, make sense of, and become more confident
using grammar with engaging, meaning-focused teaching. Learn about deductive and
inductive approaches to grammar teaching, how to evaluate the best approach for your
learners and identify contexts and tasks which encourage 'noticing'

During this TeachingEnglish training, you’ll engage with learning content in four modules,
supported by a series of live events and extra learning content in our Facebook community.
You’ll find practical support and encouragement from course tutors and other members of
the British Council courses for teachers global learning community as you work to
introduce new teaching ideas within your classroom.

Just as every classroom is unique, so is your learning journey. Ensure you’re heading in the
right direction by reflecting upon and noting your reasons for taking this course and
learning goals. Keeping these in mind will help you focus on the most beneficial content and
discussions for you.

Your goals and reasons for learning

Introduce yourself and your learning goals by replying to the welcome post.

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Your learning tools
Online learning modules
After completing the introductory Getting started module, work through three modules,
each exploring a different area of teaching and learning. Involving an average of 12
hours of study, this course blends theory, practical teaching suggestions and case
studies that explore new ways of teaching. Repeat, return to and review activities as
often as you like before the end of your course. Learn how to access the online learning
modules by visiting the courses page on TeachingEnglish.

Courses for teachers community

Join course tutors and other educators working on their professional development in
our supportive, Facebook-based learning community. Gain access to a wide selection of
additional learning resources and engage in developmental discussions while getting
the support and encouragement you need to successfully bring ideas from the course
into your classroom. Access all the discussions and content related to your specific
course in the Guides section on the community Facebook page.

Live events
Attend live community events and webinars led by expert educators, or watch the
recordings on the community Facebook page. Focusing on different aspects of your
course, these sessions provide you with an opportunity to seek answers to your
questions - and share your own expertise and insights. Recordings of all live
sessions are available on TeachingEnglish and on the community Facebook page.

Workbook
Use this workbook to record useful course and community content, questions you’d like
to ask in the community, links to resources, or to note ideas from any of the extra
resources or recorded events. Save a version online or print the workbook - or both.

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Module 1: Methods and approaches
for grammar
Overview
The aim of this module is to introduce you to a range of English Language Teaching
approaches for teaching grammar. You'll begin with a brief history of approaches and
a look at deductive and inductive approaches to learning.
By the end of the module, you'll be able to:
• distinguish between inductive and deductive learning
• summarise different ELT approaches: PPP, TBL, TTT, guided discovery and
flipped learning
• outline their benefits and drawbacks
• identify and explain inductive and deductive approaches to presenting
grammar.

Further reading, teaching, and learning resources

Type Resource description (tap/click to open)

Article by Jane Willis discussing how an explicit focus on grammar can fit
Read
into a task-based lesson.
Article by Katherine Bilsborough exploring TBL and PBL: Two learner-
Read
centred approaches.
Read Article about guided discovery.

Read Article about TTT.

Article by Scott Thornbury exploring the influence of coursebooks on
Read
how language is taught.
Article by Tanya Cotter describing the PPP approach to grammar
Read
teaching.
Webinar by Chia Suan Chong exploring the changing approaches to
Watch
language teaching through history.

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Your learning
Which new ideas in Module 1 are most useful for you? Note them here together with any
questions you’d like to ask in the British Council courses for teachers learning community.

Describe three things you learned from…

Your online module

Resources you found and discussions in the course community

Extra resources and recorded events

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Plan it

Describe one thing you will change in your teaching. Why have you
chosen it?

What problems might happen when you try to make this change?

What could you do to solve those problems?

Share your plans in the Facebook community in this post.

Teach it

Try it out and come back here to reflect on the experience. What did
you learn?

Share your reflections in the Facebook community in this post.

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Module 2: Engaging with grammar –
noticing and restructuring
Overview
The aim of this module is to explore the concept of noticing and look at various
activities to encourage your learners to notice grammatical forms.

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

• identify what's involved in noticing

• distinguish between tasks which practise grammatical structures and tasks
which encourage noticing them
• modify typical coursebook grammar exercises to provide practice in
developing noticing skills
• make comparisons between grammar structures in different languages
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of restructuring activities
• design restructuring activities.

Further reading, teaching, and learning resources

Type Resource description (tap/click to open)

Read Article discussing the use of Google as a language resource for teachers.

Read Article suggesting creative ways of approaching grammar.

Read Article with suggestions for approaching grammar with teens.

Read Article sharing six ways to teach English grammar with voice recordings.

Read Article describing practical ways to build 'noticing' in grammar lessons.

A classroom dictation activity where learners are required to reconstruct
Use
a short text (Dictogloss).
An activity to focus learners on specific language points (Grammar
Use
auction).
Watch Talk about the pros and cons of using metalanguage with your students.

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Your learning
Which new ideas in Module 2 are most useful for you? Note them here together with any
questions you’d like to ask in the British Council courses for teachers learning community.

Describe three things you learned from…

Your online module

Resources you found and discussions in the course community

Extra resources and recorded events

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Plan it

Describe one thing you will change in your teaching. Why have you
chosen it?

What problems might happen when you try to make this change?

What could you do to solve those problems?

Share your plans in the Facebook community in this post.

Teach it

Try it out and come back here to reflect on the experience. What did
you learn?

Share your reflections in the Facebook community in this post.

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Module 3: Engaging with grammar –
different approaches
Overview
In this module, you’ll look at a range of techniques for introducing grammar that focus on
meaning.
By the end of this module, you'll be able to:
• summarise and evaluate a range of activities for introducing grammar
• provide personalised grammar practice for your learners
• add elements of gamification to your lessons
• plan the presentation stage of a grammar lesson using an inductive approach.

Further reading, teaching, and learning resources

Type Resource description (tap/click to open)

Read An Edutopia article, Grammar: The skunk at the garden party.

Read Article by Jo Bertrand on her experience of Dogme, as a teacher.

Article by Jo Budden suggesting ways of making grammar more
Read
interesting for students.
Read Article exploring how texts can be used in the language classroom.

Read Article sharing three fun grammar activities to encourage teamwork.

Read Article exploring ways of managing feedback on learning activities.

Use An activity for primary classes to revise the present continuous form.

Use Poetry activities by Loli Iglesias, including some with a grammar focus.

Watch A TEDx Talk exploring a communicative approach to language learning.

Watch Six videos exploring the use of grammar in the classroom..
Watch Talk about how to make grammar meaningful.
Watch Talk about how to structure a grammar lesson.

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Your learning
Which new ideas in Module 3 are most useful for you? Note them here together with any
questions you’d like to ask in the British Council courses for teachers learning community.

Describe three things you learned from…

Your online module

Resources you found and discussions in the course community

Extra resources and recorded events

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Plan it

Describe one thing you will change in your teaching. Why have you
chosen it?

What problems might happen when you try to make this change?

What could you do to solve those problems?

Share your plans in the Facebook community in this post.

Teach it

Try it out and come back here to reflect on the experience. What did
you learn?

Share your reflections in the Facebook community in this post.

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Your action plan
Make an action plan focused on applying learning from this the course. Complete any
sentences that help you do this. Come back and reflect on what happened in class.

In the next two weeks, I am going to...

Over the next two months, I’m going to...

Before the end of the school year, I’m going to...

Next school year, I want to...

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Well done — you’ve made it to the end of the course! We hope you’ve
found it useful, and you’ll join us on another very soon.

Learn more about other free teacher training courses with the British Council
at: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/training

Explore our framework for teacher knowledge and skills for inspiration,
support and materials: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-
development/teachers

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