10 Effective Strategies for Teaching Grammar Online

So, before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions to shape your online grammar lesson plan as it's crucial to meet students at the point of understanding. Here's how to get started:

1. Analyze Your Class: Understanding the makeup of your class is the first step in planning your strategy. Is it a single student? A diverse group of learners?
2. Assess Language Skills: Gauge your students' language capabilities. Can they read or write English comfortably? Are they familiar with any grammatical terms? A clear picture of their current skills will help you design lessons that build upon their knowledge.
3. Establish Learning Objectives: What are the language goals? Are you aiming to enhance writing skills, improve pronunciation, or boost overall language comprehension? Are students improving their English for business? Setting clear objectives will help guide your lesson plans and teaching methods.
4. Plan Accordingly: Once you understand your students' needs and class objectives, you can plan your approach. Remember, each class will have unique students, goals, and grammar requirements.

After answering these questions, you can devise strategies to teach the grammar they need. Careful planning and assessment will equip you to guide each student on their journey to mastering English grammar.

1) Inductive teaching

Inductive is the 'bottom-up' approach that encourages students to discover grammar rules independently. You'll first show examples that illustrate a grammar rule.

For example, a reading comprehension that describes what characters have done up to that time period. You'll ask questions about when certain events occurred. To teach the difference between simple past and present perfect, you'll ask about when things happened at a specific time in the past versus in a person's general experience. By doing so, your ESL students will discover how grammar works when discussing time.

With inductive teaching, students observe patterns, make connections, and deduce grammar rules while working through exercises. This hands-on approach can foster deeper understanding and long-term retention of concepts.

2) Deductive Teaching

Deductive teaching is the opposite, offering a 'top-down,' more textbook approach. This traditional approach begins by laying out the grammar rules explicitly. As a teacher, you'll introduce the rule first, then explain the concept.

Take, for instance, the rule of the present perfect tense. You'll begin your lesson by explaining that the present perfect has the auxiliary verb 'have' followed by a past participle (have played). You would clarify that this tense expresses an action that began in the past but continues to the present moment.

After the rule explanation, you'll guide your students through exercises designed to implement the rule. By using it actively in sentences, students can reinforce their understanding and gain confidence in using the new grammar structure.

Deductive teaching provides clarity and can be time-efficient especially in an online classroom. Presenting the rule upfront clears the path for students to apply what they've learned immediately. This direct approach can be particularly effective when teaching more advanced learners who appreciate fast-paced, clear-cut instructions.

Our TEFL certificate helps you understand and apply these approaches practically in your teaching.

Teaching grammar requires balancing two main methods: Implicit and Explicit instruction. These approaches complement each other and can enhance your teaching strategy.

1. Implicit Instruction: Grammar is taught in context and through communication. This method allows students to naturally grasp language rules, similar to how we learn our first language. We do this through constant exposure, imitation, and real-world usage. It nurtures a more organic and intuitive understanding of the English language.
2. Explicit Instruction: Involves direct, rules-based grammar lessons. Here, you lay out the guidelines, providing clear and structured explanations. This approach is handy for complex grammar rules, like understanding auxiliary verbs or explaining tenses to Chinese speakers. It gives students a concrete framework, helping them comprehend why and how we use specific structures in English.
3. The Combination: A combination of both Implicit and Explicit instruction often yields the best results. This blend offers a structured understanding and a natural feel for the language. Don't shy away from alternating between these two methods.

Tailor your teaching strategy to suit your student's needs and learning styles, and you'll see their grammar proficiency soar.

Stepping into English language teaching demands a solid grasp of English grammar. You can lean on your existing knowledge for most things and brush up on concepts when needed. You wouldn't embark on a hike without a compass or map, right? As an aspiring grammar teacher, you should know:

1. Parts of Speech: Get to know your building blocks – nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and the like. These are the elements that create sentences and meaning.
2. Verb Agreement: Who is doing the action? Match verbs with their subjects to form grammatically correct sentences.
3. Verb Tenses: Familiarize yourself with different timelines in English – start with the simple present, future, and past tenses. Once you have mastered these, you can progress to more complex tenses.
4. Modal Verbs: Get to know these versatile verbs. They express a variety of meanings, including necessity, possibility, permission, and ability.
5. Sentence Structure: Comprehend the mechanics of sentences. Understand how to form and interpret simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

The more robust your knowledge, the more effective your teaching will be. Remember, it's not just about knowing these grammar points but understanding how to make them understandable to your students. As you continue teaching, your knowledge will expand, and your foundation will become even more solid.

Here are 10 tips to make learning grammar fun for you and your students:

Grammar is often the most feared aspect of the English language. The rules and structures of English grammar can be tricky, even for native speakers, let alone for ESL students.

Here's the rub: many of us have learned English grammar instinctively. We grew up in an English-speaking environment where we learned the rules as we learned to speak. But knowing something intuitively differs from understanding it well enough to teach it.

Consider the complexity of grammar as an intricate dance routine. As a native English speaker, you've been dancing to this rhythm for as long as you can remember. The steps come naturally to you. But how can you teach this dance if you don't understand the steps yourself?

Teaching grammar effectively requires you to understand it. You wouldn't trust a dance instructor who hasn't mastered the dance, right? It's the same with grammar. A deep understanding of the subject helps you identify common errors students make and guide them toward improvement.

So, deep dive into English grammar! Download a grammar app. Understand the why behind the rules you've been following unconsciously. Take the time to learn how English works so you can teach it effectively. With this knowledge, you can quickly spot and correct your students' errors.

Side note: Always be open with your students about your limits. If a grammar question stumps you, be honest with them. Resist the urge to make up an explanation, as you'll likely make an error and possibly mislead them. Instead, commit to researching the query and enlightening them later.

Turn online learning into a fun experience by integrating games into your grammar lessons. With games, you can review both vocabulary and grammar and encourage conversa­tion.

You can play speaking grammar games, such as:

• "Never Have I Ever…" to get your students to use the present perfect tense.
• "Would You Rather…" to discuss imaginary scenarios. These are both ideal options for intermediate students.

Here are 2 ideas to teach tense:

1) Present Progressive Mime

You could teach present progressive tense with mimes. Start by performing a few yourself, such as stirring soup, painting a picture, or eating noodles. Encourage students to ask present continuous questions:

Are you folding your clothes?

No, I'm not / Yes, I am.

2) Backwards Day

For a quick review of past simple tense - narrate your activities from the day before, but in reverse chronological order. For instance, "I went to sleep, I watched a movie, I had dinner, I returned from work, I had lunch, etc."

Divide your students into pairs and encourage them to describe their "backwards day" to each other. This fun exercise reinforces the past simple tense and stimulates their imaginative thinking.

Teaching grammar should never be a standalone task. Grammar can seem abstract and complex, so weaving it with practical applications through reading and writing activities can bring it to life.

When teaching, encourage lots of reading and writing. It helps students see good grammar and use it in their writing. They'll refine their grammar skills by identifying and correcting their own mistakes.

The best way to teach grammar is by giving short lessons on grammar topics and connecting them with reading and writing. To aid your students in their grammar journey, engage them in authentic activities. Here are some online-friendly ideas you can try:

1. Let them analyze the sentence structure, punctuation, or grammar used in a text they are reading.
2. Ask them to read their work aloud. Recording and relistening to it can make it easier for them to spot mistakes.
3. Inspire them to copy the writing style of an author they admire. This will challenge them to use the same sentence structures and punctuation.
4. Create a short loom video of the grammar point you want to cover and share it with your students before or after the class.

When teaching grammar online, visual aids can be your secret weapon. They not only simplify intricate grammar rules but also make them more appealing. You can anchor the rules into your students' memory by transforming abstract notions into tangible visuals like:

• Infographics
• Charts
• Diagrams
• Memes

In deductive teaching, you could present a table with two columns illustrating the simple present and past tense. Make it clear that we add '-ed' for regular verbs to shift from present to past tense.

Show images to instigate curiosity if you lean towards an inductive teaching style. Ask students to describe what's happening in the pictures, which subtly reinforces the use of appropriate tenses.

Aim to have a unique visual aid for each grammar rule. A timeline, for example, can show different tenses, while a flowchart can demystify the usage of articles. Consider using real objects like a bag of rice or a glass of water to introduce concepts like countable and uncountable nouns.

Visual aids can serve as a quick reference for your students. They can review the material anytime, reinforcing the lesson and aiding memorization. Online platforms and tools make it easy to create and share these aids, ensuring your students can always access them.

When grammar sessions are met with your students groaning, "It's so boring, teacher!" It’s time to bring grammar off the page and into their world.

Modern pop culture - catchy chart-toppers, viral YouTube content, trending memes, candid celebrity interviews, social media buzz - is an untapped gold mine of real-world language use. Use this content to captivate your students' attention and explore the language within them.

You could display an image of Taylor Swift and ask students to describe her daily routine using the present tense. Or show a picture of the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme. Ask your students to narrate the story behind the meme using different verb tenses. This approach makes learning grammar fun and relatable and subtly emphasizes its omnipresence in our daily life.

Here's a pro tip: a lesson overburdened with grammar instruction could exhaust your students, leading to a drop in enthusiasm. Have short, digestible bursts - limit them to just 10 minutes or 10% of the total class time. For young learners, even less.

Keep it simple and cover just one topic a lesson. Take one core grammar concept, briefly explain it, and then involve the students in writing and speaking exercises to further their understanding. This strategy keeps things lively and varied.

Rather than just grammar drills, nurture skills like writing, conversational abilities, and reading comprehension. Your students indirectly acquire grammar knowledge as they participate in these activities. You're better off teaching less and providing plenty of opportunities for your students to practice what they've just learned.

Tasks that get students talking and thinking usually hit home more with ESL learners than pure grammar rules. Such interactive experiences make learning fun and fruitful. So, keep your grammar lessons short to boost student involvement and learning gains.

To breathe life into grammar:

1. Make it personal.
2. Spice up your lessons by relating grammar to students' real-world experiences.
3. Share your experiences, too. It creates a more connected learning environment.

Use grammar concepts to fuel personal storytelling. Share personal anecdotes or photos and motivate your students to do the same. Craft questions using specific grammar points, allowing students to delve into each other's lives. For instance, using "let" and "make," students can pose questions about each other's lives, such as:

• Did your parents let you have late nights?
• Does your boss make you work overtime?
• Did your coach make you run laps?

This interactive method can be employed with virtually any grammar topic, enabling students to share their life stories and opinions.

Tailor your lessons to align with your students' interests. Teaching the second conditional to basketball fans? Pose the question, "What would you do if you were drafted into the NBA?" This strategy transforms grammar lessons from dry and detached too lively, relevant, and deeply personal.

A novel way to teach the past perfect tense would be to create a customized timeline based on your student's age. They can enter their birthdate and see what major historical events happened throughout their lifetime.

Transform the way you teach grammar with a melody. Songs present an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and practice grammar rules while cultivating an atmosphere of creativity, relaxation, and fun in the classroom. Each song, being a story of its own, centers on specific verb tense, making it a great learning tool.

Start with questions like:

• How many examples of the simple present can you find in the lyrics?
• Why did the songwriter choose this verb tense?

Turn the learning volume up with song selections tailored to your student's musical tastes. Here are a few examples of different tenses:

Present Simple:

• "Happy" — Pharrell Williams
• "Imagine" — John Lennon
• "She Loves You" — The Beatles

Present Continuous:

• "Chasing Pavements" — Adele
• "Sailing" — Rod Stewart
• "Dancing Queen" — ABBA

Guide your students to hunt for instances of the targeted grammar in the lyrics. Discuss the songwriter's choice of verb tense, its function, meaning, and structure. Highlight that songwriters often play with grammatical norms for artistic purposes. This strategy transforms grammar lessons into an exciting voyage through language within songs.

Teaching grammar to young learners can be challenging as they often have a limited vocabulary, making it hard to express their ideas in a foreign language. Comic strips, filled with visual cues and narratives, could be your superhero solution to bridge this gap.

Pick a comic strip, anything from Peanuts to Calvin & Hobbes to Tu and Ted. Remove the dialogues, give your students the 'silent' strip, and ask them to fill the speech bubbles. The catch? They need to use a specific grammar rule you're focusing on.

Let students present and explain their choices to the class. It's a way for students to show off their grammar skills in an interactive, enjoyable way.

Assessment is critical to understanding how well your students are absorbing the lessons. Regular quizzes and tests can help gauge their comprehension and application of grammar rules.

But don't make it drab! Instead, infuse some fun into these evaluations. Create interactive online quizzes using platforms like Kahoot or Quizlet. You can also use Google Forms to create self-grading tests.

To ensure the quizzes reinforce the learning:

1. Align the questions with the examples used in your lessons.
2. Make it a habit to review the quizzes together.
3. Discuss the answers, explain why they are correct, and clarify misunderstandings.

So, turn your assessments into engaging learning experiences. This approach keeps your students engaged and fosters a deeper understanding of the grammar rules.

Teaching grammar to ESL students doesn't need to be overwhelming. Sprinkle your lessons with bite-sized chunks, tie them to the real world, and mix up your teaching styles. This makes learning a rewarding journey for both you and your students.

Remember, you don't need to be a grammar guru to be an effective English teacher. In fact, admitting that your own grammar isn't flawless can inspire your students. It sends a clear message - learning is a never-ending adventure.

The tips shared here aim to breathe fresh life into grammar lessons, turning them from daunting to engaging. With a dash of creativity and real-world links, grammar becomes less of a chore and more of an exciting exploration. So dive in, make your classes fun, and watch as your students fall in love with the world of grammar.