Teaching Grammar Creatively

Abstract

The first sentence of the Introduction to this volume states ‘This is a practical book’ (p. 5). The authors offer a variety of lessons and activities that are directed towards stimulating ‘the imagination, humour and creativity’ (p. 5) of the learners. The 53 grammar lessons have been designed while keeping in mind the hard fact most teachers face: learners often find it difficult to make flexible use of the rules of grammar taught in the classroom. They may know the rules perfectly but are incapable of applying them during language use. To this end, each lesson has two sections, one ‘Language awareness activities’ and two ‘Creative grammar practice’. The former introduces new items and gives practice in them while the latter provides a deeper understanding and the chance to use the items ‘creatively’. For instance, in Chapter 4, Section 4.2 (pp. 217–19) is on the use of ‘whenever’ in complex sentences. After presenting the given model text, the teacher elicits responses to show the various ways in which ‘whenever’ can be used. Once the students are familiar with the item, the teacher encourages them to draw interpretations from the model text. When there are enough variations on the theme on the board, the learners are asked to create their own texts based on the discussion and the model text, making use of ‘whenever’. Most teachers are hard-pressed for time when they look for supporting materials, so, as a practising teacher, I fear that the busy teacher might find some of the tasks and activities too cumbersome and time consuming. Also, there is the added risk of the creative aspect fizzling out in a mixed-ability class.