Teaching Grammar as Meaning-Making in the Writing Class: An Inclusive Approach

Abstract

This article addresses the question of how teachers can adopt an inclusive approach to the teaching of grammar that attends to the diverse language learning abilities of students in an English Language (EL) writing class. This article suggests that teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource in an EL writing class empowers students of various language learning abilities to make meaningful grammatical choices in their writing. Teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource entails adopting a descriptive view of grammar. This is as opposed to adopting a prescriptive view of grammar where the avoidance or remediation of errors in writing is the emphasis. Two primary school EL teachers engaged in an action research project in a primary school in Singapore on teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource within writing in the EL classroom were interviewed. Three strategies on how to teach grammar as a meaning-making resource in writing were identified. The three strategies are a) visualisation of links between grammar and writing, b) discussion of grammatical choices in writing and c) provision of clear feedback on grammar in writing. In teaching grammar this way, students of varying language learning abilities are empowered to make grammatical choices in creating meaning in writing.