中学英语教学中显性语法教学和隐性语法教学的整合

2021年1月26日发(作者：laba)
A Brief Analysis of the Combination of Explicit and
Implicit Grammar Teaching in Middle School English
Teaching
Li Huimin

Abstract
:
Nowadays, there are two kinds of English grammar teaching
methods
in the opposite way----explicit teaching and implicit teaching. Many
scholars and teachers in and abroad are debating which is the better way for
teaching English grammar. However, the explicit and implicit instructions
should not be divorced from each other, but linked closely. This paper gives
an analysis about the combination of explicit and implicit grammar teaching,
and makes it applicable to the middle school students. The first chapter in
the
paper
briefly
explains
definitions,
characteristics
and
general
processes
of explicit and implicit grammar teaching. The second chapter focuses on the
principles,
the
educational
model
of
the
combination
and
the
requirements
for
English
teachers.
The
third
chapter,
showing
a
lesson
as
the
example,
explains
how
to
put
the
requirements
into
practice.
Based
on
a
theoretical
foundation,
as well as a large number of data collection, the paper makes an analysis of
the
combination
of
explicit
and
implicit
grammar
teaching
in
the
middle
school,
in the hope of giving some help to English teachers.
Key words
: combination; explicit; implicit; grammar teaching

容提要：
目前，在英语语法教学中存在着两 种对立的方法，即显性语法教学和
隐性语法教学。国外对于英语语法教学究竟使用哪一种方法更好也一直 颇有争议。然
而，显性语法教学与隐性语法教学并不应该相互脱离，而应该紧密联系。本文从语法
教学入手，分析了如何在语法教学中将显性教学与隐性教学结合起来，使其适用于中
学课堂。本文第一 章简要论述了两种教学方法的定义、特点以及一般教学过程。第二
章重点论述了两种方法整合的原则、教 学模式以及对英语教师的要求。第三章以一堂
课为实例，说明如何将这些要求运用到实践之中。本文基于 一定的理论基础以及大量
资料，对显性语法教学以及隐性语法教学的整合做了分析与总结，希望对英语教 学有
一定的帮助。

关键词：
整合；显性；隐性；语法教学

Introduction

At
the
present
time,
Chinese
education
status
is
that
there
are
a
great
number
of
people
being
educated,
but
seldom
of
them
can
use
English practically. Therefore, some people increasingly believe
that
the
most
important
thing
to
learn
a
language
is
its
communicative
function,
and
the
grammar
teaching
has
been
neglected
gradually. But grammar is generally thought to be a set of rules
for choosing words and putting words together to make sense, and
it is concerned with the form of the language-----patterns and
regularities.
Without
grammar,
writing,
reading
and
communication
which
are
thought
to
be
more
important
than
grammar
by
some
people
will have big problem. Language can be seen not only in terms of
grammatical
items,
but
also
in
terms
of
its
function
in
communication.
For
that
reason,
grammar
teaching
is
still
a
significantly indispensable part of English teaching.
In
this
regard,
the
international
educational
circles
of
language have mainly two kinds of genres, namely explicit and
implicit
grammar
teaching.
In
1967,
the
concept
of
explicit
learning
and
implicit
learning
were
first
introduced
in
finite-state
grammar
tests
by
Reber.
Then,
which
grammar
teaching
method
makes
it
easier
for
students
to
receive
and
understand
has
been a controversial question.
Many researchers abroad, such as Mcaughlin, believe that the
explicit
instruction
can
only
develop
students’
ability
of
exam,
but
the
implicit
instruction
can
lead
to
the
production
of
communicative
competence.
Ellis
strongly
advocates
to
use
implicit
grammar
teaching,
and
as
far
as
possible
do
not
use
explicit
grammar
teaching. Her purpose is to enable students to discover grammar
rules
through
the
activities.
Bialystok
thinks
that
language
classes can produce the explicit knowledge, but teachers should
change their traditional teaching methods so that students can
generate spontaneously communicative ability. And she believes
that the implicit language knowledge is the key to develop the
communicative competence of students.
But
for
countries
which
lack
an
English
language
environment,
such as China and Japan, the feedback survey results from these
countries show that the explicit instruction is better than the
implicit
instruction.
Only
in
the
adequate
environment
of
language
will
it
be
possible
for
students
to
discover
rules
in
activities.
According to the theoretical analysis about the empirical study,
Zhu
Lianhong
found
that,
comparing
with
implicit
teaching,
explicit
teaching
has
more
advantages
in
the
acquisition
of
pragmatic
knowledge
and
memory
retention.
Su
Ya
and
Zhang
Ruixue
pointed
out
that
attention
should
be
paid
to
the
role
of
the
class
teaching
in
the
development
of
students
’

pragmatic
competence.
So
they
proposed to use explicit teaching.
But in recent years, during the study of English teaching
process, increasingly experts and scholars see the pros and cons
of
explicit
and
implicit
grammar
teaching
and
believe
that
they
are
not contradictory but complementary with each other. A Chinese
professor,
Tian
Jingpin,
said
in
The
Empirical
Research
of
Implicit
English
Grammar
Teaching
:
“
Implicit
grammar
teaching
has
no
function
to
the
traditional
grammar-based
tests,
but
plays
a
significant
role
in
the
output
task
for
the
purpose
of
exploring.
”
[1]

And Stephen Krashen
’
s Monitor Model holds that the learning of
explicit
grammar
rules,
while
not
contributing
to
language
acquisition
itself,
may
enable
learners
to
monitor
their
own
output,
detecting
and
correcting
violations
of
rules
they
have
learned
but
not yet acquired. Currently, a lot of experts begin to study the
combination of explicit and implicit grammar teaching, to learn
their advantages, and to make the traditional grammar studies on
the
basis
of
more
interest
so
that
a
better
result
can
be
achieved.
However,
the
importance
of
the
complex
and
multifaceted
interaction
between the implicit and the explicit instructions has not been
universally
recognized.
The
important
implication
of
the
interaction between implicit and explicit instructions is that
teachers should firstly make learners have an implicit knowledge
base
before
learning
complicated
task,
and
then
trying
to
establish
explicit
task
model.
According
to
the
information
processing
model
and the theories of weak interface hypothesis, etc, Yang Menglan
and Yang Wei studied and built an integrated model of grammar
teaching.
In
addition,
Lu
Jing
also
put
forwarded
some
principles
of
the
combination
according
to
the
characteristics
of
explicit
and
implicit grammar teaching.
The
writer
believes
that
the
combination
of
explicit
and
implicit
grammar
teaching
can
indeed
integrate
the
advantages
from
each
other
in
order
to
reach
a
better
educational
purpose.
Therefore,
the
writer,
absorbing
and
analyzing
a
variety
of
theoretical
results,
puts
forward
new
ideas
and
construction
of
the
integrated
model.
In
the
following
chapters
are
some
views
on
the
combination
of
explicit
and
implicit
grammar
teaching
in
the
middle
school
and
the
teaching practice by the writer in the No.6 Middle School of
Changsha.
Chapter
1

An
Introduction
to
Explicit
and
Implicit
Grammar
Teaching

With
the
in-depth
English
teaching
reform
and
the
implementation
of
communicative
teaching
approach,
grammar
teachability
has
no
longer
been
the
main
issue.
Currently,
the
focus
of the field of language teaching is that the grammar teaching
should
be
explicit
or
implicit.
In
this
chapter,
let
us
study
what
explicit and implicit grammar teaching are.
1.1 The Definitions
Explicit grammar teaching means students, through learning
grammar
rules,
achieve
the
purpose
of
mastering
the
grammar.
It
lays
particular
emphasis
on
teaching
grammar
rules
directly
and
obviously,
and
pays
great
attention
to
the
role
of
teachers.
In
the
lesson
of
explicit
grammar
teaching,
firstly,
teachers
are
required
to
present
or
describe
the
grammatical
structure
or
language
points,
and
then
organize
students
to
do
the
grammar
practice.
The
explicit
method
regards
English
grammar
as
a
set
of
knowledge
system.
Through
teachers’

systematically
t
eaching
and
students’

conscious
learning exercises, grammar rules can be understood. The Grammar
Translation Method is a typical explicit instruction.
Implicit grammar teaching means teachers avoid speaking the
grammar
rules
directly
during
the
lesson,
but
primarily
let
students
experience
language
through
the
natural
scenarios,
and
sum
up grammar rules through the use of communicative language. The
Communicative
Approach
is
the
representative
of
the
implicit
instruction.
Stern
said:
“
According
to
the
Communicative
Theory,
students
should
do
the
‘
real
communication
’

in
the
scenario
for
the purpose of studying grammar rules.
”
[2]

1.2 The Merits & Demerits

Before the combination, we have to analyze the merits and
demerits
of
explicit
and
implicit
grammar
teaching,
and
then
discard the dross and select the essence in order to properly
integrate them and play out their greatest advantage.
A.
The
advantages
of
explicit
grammar
teaching
are
that
it
has
a strong sense of purpose, the high controllability for teachers
and
the
learnability
for
students.
It
can
enable
students
to
master
grammar firmly and keep a solid memory. This kind of approach is
highly praised by countries in which English is as their second
language.
For
example,
Chinese
students,
lacking
language
learning
environment,
must,
through
learning
grammar
rules,
understand
the
laws of grammatical system and characteristics of English.
However, explicit grammar teaching is also inadequate. The
British
e
ducator
Jayne
Moon’s
studies
have
shown
that
learners

who
are
learning
a
language
have
the
nature
of
“go
for
meaning”
.
That
is,
they
always
focus
on
the
linguistic
sense
firstly,
but
rarely
take note of language forms or grammar rules. If teachers just
simply
teach
grammar,
students
will
easily
feel
bored.
Then,
students
can
not
concentrate
on
studying,
and
have
low
efficiency.
B. The advantages of implicit grammar teaching lay in its
automatic nature, abstract, stability and anti-jamming. It can
improve
students’

abilities
of
observing
and
discovering.
Implicit grammar teaching has various kinds of forms. It can put
grammar teaching into the real sense, blending education with
entertainment and adding more fun to the class. So the learning
motivation
of
students
can
be
stimulated
and
the
learning
efficiency will be improved.
Nevertheless, implicit grammar teaching needs to be based on
a great number of language input. As for the need for adequate
language
environment,
implicit
grammar
teaching
is
more
popular
in
English
speaking
countries
than
the
explicit
instruction.
In
most
of
Chinese
middle
schools,
students
lack
an
English-speaking
environment,
and
lots
of
teachers
do
not
have
the
competence
which
can control the implicit instruction. So, pure implicit teaching
in non-English speaking countries will meet a big problem. The
students
under
the
implicit
grammar
teaching
method
will
encounter
some problems, such as grammar confusion, and do not know how to
use grammar and do practice, etc.
1.3 The General Process

The processes of explicit and implicit grammar teaching are
totally
different.
Next,
the
paper
uses
two
examples
to
illustrate
differences.
A. Explicit grammar teaching focuses on the grammar itself.
There
are
several
main
teaching
methods,
such
as
to
explain
grammar
rules,
to
provide
vocabulary
usage
and
sample
sentence,
to
analyze
syntax elements, and then use single sentences and paragraphs
exercises to practice the grammar.
Teaching by Example:
At first,
the teacher taught
the concept and
the usage of the
attributive clause.
Then, the teacher wrote some phrases on the blackboard:
“
the green team
”

“
the team in green
”

“
the team who were wearing green
”

The teacher asked students: “
What is the central word ?
”

A s
tudent answered: “

The central word is the ‘team’.”

The
teacher
asked:
“

What
are
Modifiers?
What
are
the
relationships between them and the central word?
”

A
student
answered:
“

The
first
modifier
is
‘green’,
it
is
an
adjective;
the
second
one
is
‘in
green’,
it
is
a
prepositional
phrase; the third
one is ‘who were wearing green’,
it is an
attr
ibutive clause. ”

The example above is to enable students to understand the
attributive clause by analyzing the ingredients. It uses the way
that
firstly
locates
the
central
word
and
then
finds
the
relationship between the modifiers and the central word to let
students
explore
a
variety
of
phrases
so
as
to
gradually
understand
the attributive clause.
B. Implicit grammar teaching tends to use scenarios and the
communicative teaching methods.
Teaching by Example:
The teacher brought a male doll, a female doll and a red hat
to the class.
the
teacher
asked:
“

Can
you
tell
me
which
doll
is
a
girl?
”

Students:
“
The doll with long hair is a girl.
”

The teacher put the red hat on the female doll’s head.

Teacher:
“

What is the girl wearing now? ”

Students:
“
The girl is wearing a red hat.
”

Teacher:
“
How do you like the girl wearing the red hat?
”

Students:
“
The girl who is wearing a red hat becomes more
beautiful.
”

The
example
above
enables
students
to
feel
the
development
and
changes
of
things
in
operation,
and
to
comprehend
dynamically
the
language
features
and
the
role
of
expression
of
attributive
clause.






Chapter
2
The
Combination
of
Explicit
and
Implicit
Grammar
Teaching

After we have had the above discussion about explicit and
implicit grammar teaching, we can clearly see the advantages and
disadvantages of two kinds of teaching methods. So in the actual
instruction,
teachers
should
depend
on
the
different
situations
to
combine
them
so
as
to
achieve
a
better
teaching
effect
and
function.
2.1 The Principles

Before combining explicit and implicit grammar teaching, we
should

firstly
establish
a
few
basic
principles
as
the
foundation
of the integrated teaching model.

A
．
The integrity of language learning

This principle is based on Whole Language Instruction which
proposes the language is as a whole. It emphasizes the integrity
of
the
content
of
the
language
teaching,
the
fusion
of
linguistic
skills,
and
the
communicative
function
of
language.
The
instruction
believes
that
writing
is
to
speak
on
paper.
Reading
and
listening
are
the
ways
of
receiving
information,
and
writing
and
reading
are
the ways of thinking with language. Therefore, learners should
adhere
to
these
principles
when
they
study
a
language:
the
integrity
of
language
learning; the purpose
of
language using;
and
the
synthesis
of
the
language
training.
So
grammar
teaching
can
not
be
isolated,
for
example,
we
can
learn
English
grammar
and
vocabulary
from writing and reading.

B. The proper proportion of combination

During
the
middle
stage,
teachers
have
to
help
students
to
lay
a solid foundation. Explicit grammar teaching can systematically
explain
the
grammar
phenomenon,
which
is
beneficial
to
students
to
digest
and
absorb
the
knowledge.
So,
the
instruction
should
mainly
be the explicit method and supplemented by the implicit method.

During
the
high
school,
with
students
’
knowledge
enriching
and

growthing
gradually,
they
have
already
had
a
solid
foundation,
so
they need to expand their knowledge. Implicit grammar teaching
provides
a
language
environment,
so
that
students
can
summarize
the
grammar
rules
in
a
variety
of
scenarios.
In
this
way,
students
can
not
only
understand
the
practical
application
of
grammar,
but
also
cultivate their ways of thinking and abilities of summarizing.
Therefore, the instruction should be mainly implicit instruction
and supplemented by explicit instruction.
C. The Enjoyment of explicit grammar teaching
First of all, explicit grammar teaching should make good use
of
multi-media.
Usually,
teachers
can
use
video
materials,
pictures,
stick
figure,
rich
body
language,
facial
expressions
and
intuitive
multi- media
to
attr
act
students’

attention
to
the
boring
grammar
rules.
Secondly,
the
systematic
explanation
of
explicit
grammar
teaching
for
the
grammar
phenomenon
can
be
presented
to
the
students
by
different
teaching
methods,
such
as
the
inductive
method
and
the
contrast. In addition,
the game
can also be applied to the system
of grammar teaching.
D. The heuristic principle
The
heuristic
principle
is
that
teachers
should
give
full
play
to
students
’

subject
position
in
class,
and
help
students
give
an
active role in study. Teachers need to guide students to think
independently, explore actively
，
acquire knowledge consciously,
and improve the competence of analyzing and solving problems.
Teachers
should
not
only
stimulate
students’
learning
motivation,
strong
thirst
for
knowledge
and
learning
interest,
but
also
guide
students
to
think
independently
and
develop
their
thinking
skills.
Teachers
should
promote
the
teaching
democracy
and
the harmonious teacher- student relationship in order to make an
active atmosphere.
2.2 The Theoretic Basis

In order to establish a reasonable and feasible integrated
teaching
model,
the
writer,
searching
some
information,
studied
and
learnt the following theories:
1. Operant conditioning learning theory
Skinner
believed
that
the
acquisition
and
changes
of
the
behavior are the formation of operant conditioning. The rule of
operant conditioning is: if a reinforced stimulus is presented
after something happening, then the strength (the possibility of
re-operation) will be hanced.
NEXT
RIGHT
EXPLAINA
QUESTION

(Stimulus)
ANSWER

(Strengthen)
CONFIRM

(Reaction)
WRONG









BACK

Table 2.21
2. Weak interface hypothesis
Based
on
the
research
of
explicit
and
implicit
knowledge,
Rod
Ellis
came
up
with
the
weak
interfaces
hypothesis.
He
believes
that
the
explicit
knowledge
leads
learners
to
pay
attention
to
the
form
of
language
input.
Therefore,
under
certain
conditions,
the
explicit knowledge indirectly leads learners to acquire implicit
knowledge. Ellis acknowledged that the explicit and the implicit
knowledge are two kinds of independent knowledge systems, and he
stressed that these two systems should be viewed as a continuum.
Ellis said, an important feature of the weak interface was that
emphasis on the importance of
“
note
”
.
3. Note hypothesis
Note
hypothesis was
put
forward in the 1990s
by
Schmidt.
“Note”

is
a
process
that
the
brain
receives
lots
of
information,
but
people
select
only
one
object
from
several
simultaneous
phenomena
to
process.
Confronting
with
a
great
number
of
language
input,
learners
do
not
completely
absorb,
but
only
absorb
the
part
of
input
which
is
concerned
by
learners.
Thus,
it
is
necessary
for
foreign
language
learners
to
note
the
form
of
the
target
language.
4. Social interaction theory
Social interaction theory requires that the members of the
class
to
make
up
several
groups
for
teaching
activities.
There
will
be inevitably some unique links and social interaction between
members,
so
a
certain
mood
or
atmosphere
will
be
formed
in
the
class.
H. Thelen
’
s group working model is one representative of social
interaction
theory.
Thelen
stressed
that
the
class
is
also
a
society,
and has its unique order and culture. So education should take
advantage of this natural energy source.
2.3 The Teaching Model
Based
on
the
above
theories
and
principles,
the
writer
proposes
the following combination of grammar teaching model.
PROBLEM

SITUA
TION
(
Stimulus
)
IMPLICIT

GRAMMAR

TEACHING
FORM

CENTRIC
MEANING

GUESSING
INTERPRET
A
TION

OF

THE

RULES
EXPLICIT

GRAMMAR

TEACHING
NEXT
FORM

CENTRIC
PRACTICE
WORKING

GROUP

TO

ANSWER
(Strength)
BACK
CONFIRM
(
Reaction
)
RIGHT
Table 2.3 1

WRONG

In
the
teaching
process,
firstly,
teachers
should
give
students
a stimulus. Based on the above-mentioned theory, the stimulus
should
be
a
problem
scenario.
Therefore,
implicit
grammar
teaching
should
be
firstly
used.
After
receiving
the
stimulus,
students
will
make
two
kinds
of
responses:
“form
-c
entric”

and
“meaning
guessing”.
On
one
hand,
the
“form
-
centric”

approach
is
to
promote
teachers
to
consciously
guide
and
improve
students’

attention to various grammatical forms in communicative language
teaching
process;
on
the
other
hand,
because
learners
have
nature
of “go for meaning”, they will naturally guess the meaning of
language. On this basis, teachers give detailed explanation of
grammar
rules,
which
is
explicit
grammar
teaching.
In
this
process,
the
response
of
students
is
“form
-
centric”

which
is
mainly
concerned with the accuracy of structural forms. Teachers should
spend
the
appropriate
time
to
teach
a
grammatical
structure
separate
ly
and
intensively.
After
teachers’

explaining
in
detail,
students
can
clearly
understand
the
grammatical
structure,
and
then
they
should
practice
in
order
to
achieve
the
purpose
of
strengthening.
The
way
of
practice
should
use
group
working
to
study
and discuss with each other, and to find the right result. If the
result is wrong, the teacher can go back to the previous step and
explain the grammar rule again, then repeat the following steps
after
explicit
teaching,
and
to
start
a
new
grammar
teaching
until
students understanding completely the former one.
2.4 The Requirements for English Teachers
Because the combination fuses the advantages of explicit and
implicit
grammar
teaching,
teachers
need
to
make
great
efforts
to
keep
excellent
control
of
the
teaching,
and
to
achieve
the
success
of
the
combination.
Besides
complying
with
the
4
principles
which
have
been
mentioned
before,
what
should
a
teacher
do
to
achieve
the
teaching success?
A. Before the class
Before
designing
the
task,
firstly,
the
teacher
should
analyze
students’
levels, so that he can decide the difficulty level of
the
task.
Then,
teachers
need
to
collect
sufficient
materials
for
teaching content, and choose a variety of teaching approaches or
games
to
help
stimulating
students’
learning
interest.
When