More acquiring but less learning

By Viviana Velasco

A couple of years ago I was asked to teach language to sixth graders. The language book I worked with called “Amazed” was based on the traditional syllabus, student’s priority was to learn grammar and vocabulary trough different short texts types. The standards set by my institution regarding to providing language instruction was not just focus on building a solid based for language learning but also including communication in the process. Based on that, my coordinator wanted me to develop activities that increased such communications; soon I started developing speaking activities which demands oral interaction. My critical moment showed up when I noticed that my students were not able use language accurately and fluently when doing oral interaction. I was confused with the idea on how could possible a student can perform well on grammar activities and tests but can not perform accuracy in conversations.
To develop a performance in grammar activities ,focusing on the traditional syllabus that the book offered me, my plan for the activities were the following :students first listen to and read the dialog or conversation, reread and paying attention to the pronunciation and intonation, look at the example of the grammar structure, read or give the respective grammar explanation , then practice the new structure in control context ( drills or substitution exercises ) and practice the conversation individually and then in Chorus, memorizing the dialog and finally practicing these with a classmate. After that and because of my communication goal, I wanted my students to interact without using their visual or text aid, for that reason I asked my students to extend the questions in order to have real conversation, using the structure they just being taught and also putting in practice their previous knowledge on it. As a result I observed my students trying harder asking and answering question and having difficulties to be understood by the other. They could not follow natural conversation (fluently and accurately) without consulting and asking me questions on how to say something. I was shocked I thought they have already learned.
As a conclusion, planning every lesson with small conversations, short dialogs or texts, present to a student a grammar structure and putting that in practice doing the grammar exercises do not help ensure students are acquiring a language at all. Thanks to the hypotheses and principles now I know that being taught all the time about how to write in correct way (focusing on form), make students learn language rules but not acquiring language in order to make them feel free of communicating.