Stages Providing Input
After the first three stages, learners understand the
need for change and believe that they can change. At
this point they are ready for new knowledge, tips, and
strategies which will help them begin to self-correct and
change long-engrained speaking patterns.
Awareness of Structure/Meaning Connections
Explanation: Despite the fact that many English
learners have been taught primarily through a
grammatical approach, they often seem to lack the
understanding that grammar is meaning. Many learners
see English grammar as rules rather than as meaning.
An example of this is students learning that “ed” is used
to make past tense but not grasping the idea of
“completed action” that is crucial to a full understanding
of the English meaning of “past.” Another
example in Indonesian speakers is the frequent use of
“ever” to convey the idea that something hap-pened at
an unspecified time in the past, such as in the statement
“I ever go there.” In English, present perfect tense is the
mechanism for conveying this meaning–not a single
word. When grammar is taught more as “meaning” and
less as “rules”, students more readily understand how
grammar and words are used together to convey
meaning.
As I share “grammar meanings” with students, my
goal is to help them see the big picture that is English
structure and meaning combined. Contrary to courses
and texts in which discrete grammar items are digested
individually and sequentially, grammar should be viewed
holistically, focusing on areas of logic and meaning
which may have been previously unnoticed.