Effective ways of teaching grammar at secondary school

Why use the deductive approach?

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  It can meet student expectations. For many learners the inductive approach is very new and somewhat radical, and it does not fit in with their previous learning experiences.
  

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  It may be easier. A class using the deductive approach, if well planned, goes from easier to more difficult – which may be more appropriate for some learners. It can also be easier for less experienced teachers as there is more control of outcomes.
  

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  We can control the level of input language more.
  

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  We can control our learners’ understanding of rules more – making sure that the ideas they form about language are the right ones. In this way we can try to avoid learners forming incorrect hypotheses.
  

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  It may be a more efficient use of time; the inductive approach can take longer.
  

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  It can be designed to meet the needs of more learning styles. The demands of the inductive approach make it more suitable for a specific kind of learner.
  

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  It is used by many coursebooks and it fits in better with many syllabus structures.[14]
  

Most importantly, when the rules are presented in the deductive approach, the

presentation should be illustrated with examples, be short, involve students’

comprehension and allow learners to have a chance to personalize the rule.

Nonetheless, the deductive approach has its own advantages and disadvantages as

shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1.

Advantages and disadvantages of the deductive approach to teaching grammar

[16, pp. 122-141]

Advantages	1.The deductive approach goes straightforwardly to the point and can, therefore, be time-saving.
	2. A number of rule aspects (for example, form) can be more simply and clearly explained than elicited from examples
	3. A number of direct practice/application examples are immediately given
	4. The deductive approach respects the intelligence and maturity of many adult learners in particular and acknowledges the role of cognitive processes in language acquisition
	5. It confirms many learners’ expectations about classroom learning particularly for those who have an analytical style.
Disadvantages	1. Beginning the lesson with a grammar presentation may be off-putting for some learners, especially younger ones
	2. Younger learners may not able to understand the concepts or encounter grammar terminology given.
	3. Grammar explanation encourages a teacher-fronted, transmission-style classroom, so it will hinder learner involvement and interaction immediately
	4. The explanation is seldom as memorable as other forms of presentation (for example, demonstration).
	5. The deductive approach encourages the belief that learning a language is simply a case of knowing the rule.