Week 3 – How did I learn English grammar in school?
How important is grammar learning for primary students?

To be honest, I haven’t the faintest idea of how I learnt grammar. In fact, I do not have the slightest memory of learning English through grammar. Therefore, I believe I didn’t explicitly learn grammar as part of the English language. Now, I speak and write English according to whether a sentence sounds ‘right’. I do not think about sentence structures, for example, whether the verb should go after the subject or the object, etc. I think this approach of communication comes from having heard similar sentence structures again and again over a long period of time. Maybe a little similar to rote learning.

From my English learning experience and the availability of an all-English environment, I can suppose that explicit learning of grammar is not necessary for basic everyday communication. However, for more complex and academic writings, grammar is essential. Knowing your grammar would seem to complete the ‘package’ of the English language.

Since the session with Dr. Paul Sze lecturing on an English writing test, I am now more sensitive about how a sentence can be structured. In addition, I am more conscious of where each word/word phrase should be positioned in a sentence. This means that my awareness for grammar is now increased.

I escaped the labour of learning grammar when I was young, but now I have to catch up. However, the good news is that I am now learning grammar with enjoyment, and to learn with appreciation this aspect of the English language. It was very encouraging to hear Dr. Paul Sze shared how he learnt his English (included grammar) through his own effort, and the secondary school, which he attended carry no credit for his success in mastering this universal language.

Don’t we wish all kids were like Dr. Paul Sze, with a self-disciplined mind and a heart to learn? We know very well that many children for various reasons are unable to learn on their own. In Hong Kong, where an all-English environment is not available at all time for the majority of children to be ‘immersed’ in the language, which leads to less opportunities for natural rote of sentences. Therefore, explicit learning of grammar is necessary, which can provide a complete picture of the English language.

I think the concern is not whether we teach grammar in the primary school, but whether the method of teaching allows primary youngsters to enjoy learning this facet of the English language. If an effective teaching approach is available, for these primary school children, it would be a start to grammatical learning, and for us, that would be an art of grammatical teaching.



Something interesting…….

1) I asked my husband (who was also educated in England) if he learnt grammar in school. He said, “no, I just know it”.

2) I looked up the word “rote” in the Longman Dictionary of Comtemporary English, and interestingly the following definition came up: “a method of learning that involves repeating something until you remember it, without having to understand it. A phrase “learn something by rote” means old-fashioned grammar teaching and learning by rote.