By Mohammed Alfadhel
M.A. in English Literature
Alandalus University
mafnaz@yahoo.com

None are so blind as those who will not see
Teachers of grammar insist on using old- fashioned methods (1)

Despite the great progress that has been made in almost every aspect of education, we, teachers of English, still cling desperately to outdated methods, namely, in teaching grammar. We live in ivory towers. Ironically, we became tools of destruction instead of construction. Worse than that, we are the major reason behind students' hatred of this course whether we like it or not. Is it wise to bury our heads in the sand and pretend as if nothing happened? Or rather seek remedial measures to overcome this serious problem? To begin with, we need to emphasize the importance of studying and applying rules of grammar for all students irrespective of their levels. Grammar is not merely some dead rules we memorize and repeat like parrots; it is an effective tool for using and mastering the language, if used properly.

In my earlier article, entitled " To Kill two Birds with one Stone: Using Literary Texts to Teach Grammar", published in Education-supplement, number 25, I have shed some light on making use of an effective way to teach grammar using literary texts. In this article, I am going to highlight other approaches and reasons attributed to this problem. Metaphorically speaking, teachers are called as gardeners since they plant seeds and watch them grow, while students are like dough since we mould them into any shape we like. As such, we must take our share of the blame and admit responsibility for having this problem.

Some teachers prefer using the deductive approach rather than the inductive approach or the other way around. It is not a matter of using this approach or that; it is more complicated, therefore, we need to get to the root of the problem. The real problem is teachers turning the entire class into grammar lesson, denying the students the right to participate and work on exercises. Students are passive learners and onlookers. They are not given the chance to put into practice what they have learned. There is no point in repeating the rules over and over without really using the language. Besides, some other teachers dictate the rules to their students in Arabic wasting their time. As a result, the students can hardly differentiate between tenses or other structures for they lack real exposure to English, not to mention lack of applying these rules in sentences.

One way to remedy this situation is to reconsider our approaches and devise new methods so as to create genuine passion in our students to such a degree that they are glued to their chairs. For example, teachers can allot some time to run competitions among students to stimulate and enhance them. They can divide the class into groups at the end of each topic. Each group is given copies of questions to be answered in a limited period of time. When the time is up, we can add the scores and announce the winners. This activity can be repeated once in a while. We can even make use of the internet (if available) to make our students have online-exams. I myself have always employed such outstanding methods in my classes and the results have always been fruitful and rewarding.

As has been mentioned, the problem lies with some teachers not students. They refuse to modify their approaches and keep pace with changes on the ground that they are experienced enough to make the lesson comprehensible, and as a result they loose their impact on their students. Some teachers may argue that using such methods require great efforts and patience, but believe me it is worth the effort. Next issue, I will elaborate more on the topic and present more examples.
To be continued next issue