Log 003 - Once upon a time, "I learned Grammar"
- Sep 28, 2017
- 2 min read
How exactly did I learn Grammar?
(SCT Session #04)
To be honest, Grammar was never officially taught in school, except for the final year of high school where we finally had a textbook on grammar. However, even though, the "grammar" part of the textbook was quickly browsed through and we focused more on how to do proper (MLA) citations, conduct research, write meaningful topic sentences, and ultimately write a personal statement free of grammar and spelling mistakes.
Grammar never was a focus.
As an international school student, I was never "taught" how to use English, as using English is a necessity. It is the means to make friends, to self-express and to understand; English is the key to gaining more knowledge about the world. A proper English class was never truly called "English" unless one is referring to English Literature. I learned grammar, therefore through all aspects of the language - chatting with friends, watching movies, listening to songs, writing reports or journal entries, reading books. Learning English was integrated into the learning of other subjects such as History, Humanities, Maths, Sciences, Band, Keyboarding... everything that was taught was done so in English.
It is in this sense that grammar was "taught". Since English was learnt through immersion, every moment at school was an English-learning moment. Learning English was a necessity as well as an enjoyment. Through literature, I have learned about people's thoughts and feelings that are affected by one's background and culture. Through experimenting with my own writing, creatively or not, have I learnt how to be brave and express myself.
Grammar was just some rules to help me communicate with others. Seeing it as a tool, a user of English can "play" with the language once he or she knows the basic rules. After all, we as users control the way in which the language is used, not the other way around.
Official "teaching of grammar" therefore is a difficulty for me. It is not that I can't teach Grammar once I've brushed up on what I need to teach, but it is the way that it's being taught in local schools in Hong Kong that bothers me.
Sure, students may know how to write in a particular grammatical way, especially during compositions or tests and exams, but often times, we see that they can't even manage writing a basic English sentence without the most fundamental of mistakes. How can I teach "grammar" according to the SOW when I never learned it in such a way?
I learned English through completing tasks, learning the rules and vocabulary needed on my own or with the guidance of teachers along the way. To teach English in terms of "Language Content" or the four "Macroskills" is something I must learn.
English can be so much fun; I hope that, in time, I can still ignite in students an interest in the English Language or culture while helping them gain what they must know to tackle formal assessments.
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