Metacognitive Skills: Building on techniques for teaching grammar

Another recent article in Foreign Language Annals echoes, at least for me, my last post on teaching grammar in the target language. David R. Thompson argues we should promote metacognitive skills in language classrooms ("Promoting Metacognitive Skills in Intermediate Spanish: Report of a Classroom Research Project" Vol 45 No 3 Fall 2012 pgs 447-462). Meaning we should encourage our students to self-monitor and reflect on their learning. As a result they will be more aware of their learning and feel a greater sense of ownership over it.

A couple of highlights:

• "Learning should include opportunities for students to talk explicitly about methods of problem-solving and connect strategy selection and evaluation to particular scenarios" (449). My thought: doing this will give students tools and should empower them.
• "Most educational psychologists agree that metacognitive skills should be embedded in disciplinary content instruction and that instructors should include cues for strategy selection and evaluation in assignments" (449, citing Pintrich 2002, Svinicki 1999, Veenman et all 2006). My thought: it makes sense to share with students techniques that are likely to be more effective for them, perhaps things that worked for us, the instructors, when we were first learning the concepts. At the same time I wonder if this reflection, which will inevitably be done in the students' first language, will be a mental detour away from the important concepts at hand. Furthermore, I wonder if this self-monitoring and reflection replicates L1 learning. It seems to me no, it doesn't...

Examples of metacognitive activities:

• posttest reflection exercises
• talking explicitly about study strategies during classtime
• anonymous surveys getting students to think about their learning strategies

Why this made me think of my last post:

Although assigning students self-monitoring assignments may lead them in the direction of L1 use and away from the central concept being taught, I think any activity that builds awareness and confidence, is a good one. Learning grammar in a second language can be very intimidating to students who don't know the formal grammar rules of their first language. Metacognitive skills can boost confidence.

Teaching Grammar in the Target Language

As I catch up with some long overdue reading I was surprised and inspired by two articles on teaching grammar, both from Foreign Language Annals. Both articles strongly support teaching grammar in the target language (TL).

In "The Effect of Target Language and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance and Perceptions of Elementary-Level College French Students" by Brinson, Herron, Cole and Haight (vol 45, no. 1 spring 2012) I was a bit smug when I read their introduction noting the mixed opinions of the benefits of exclusive target language use when teaching grammar. I've noticed how much my students struggle with grammar, even in their first language, and wondered if language professors are really doing them a service by teaching them something so challenging in the target language. Brinson et al cite the work of V. Cook who refuses to reject first language use and M. Swain and S. Lapkin who argue that the use of their first language (L1) facilitates interactions, fosters collaboration, and is more efficient.

Brinson et al conducted a study to determine whether test scores were different between target language  situations and target language + L1 situations. Their results were striking. While students expressed a preference for being taught in the combination TL + L1 environment, they recognized the value of a TL only explanation. Brinson et al noted that the test scores were significantly higher among the TL only group. They cite the work of P. Lightbrown to hypothesize that the reason may be that teaching grammar in the TL maintains the cohesion of both form and function; when form is separated from function learning is typically short-term only.

The authors offer the following, extremely helpful suggestions, for using the TL:

• "openly discuss the benefits of a TL-only approach with the students" (86)
• coach them and reassure them that they DO have the skills to recognize the patterns is the are attentive during instruction in the TL
• be sure to emphasize learning to do in the TL instead of just learning about the TL
• you can provide supplementary information in the L1 but make it available OUTSIDE of class and prior to class meetings

The first year French text I've most recently used, Chez Nous, has an online workbook with multimedia tutorials included with each chapter. I regularly assign them so students get extra grammar support without taking class time to talk about the language rather than using the language. A colleague in German goes a step further and creates an audio explanation of all the grammar using Audacity, which he uploads to the course management site. At the end of the audio is a dictée integrating the grammar which is the students' homework. To do the homework they must listen to the explanation. I need to do more to stress the importance of these outside of class time resources. 

Gladys Jean and Daphnée Simard's article reaches similar conclusions. ("Grammar Teaching and Learning in L2: Necessary, but Boring" FLA vol 44. no. 3 fall 2011). Their inspiring suggestions include:

• "choose an approach that does more than teach grammar...grammar instruction should work as a catalyst for language acquisition" (480). Meaning: form + meaning = effective learning
• sell your approach and the benefits of learning grammar to your students
• start by showing the form in authentic discourse so they both see it and hear it. Then give them a communicative task using the form
• stress the idea that grammar rules are not laws. There are many, many exceptions. Rather than a grammar "rule" explain that it is merely a description of how the language works to try and make sense of a pattern or irregularities and help other people understand it. 
• make sure grammar presentations are focused and contextualized