Interactive Approach In Teaching English Grammar To Vocational-Technical College Students

The ultimate goal of language teaching is to cultivate students' ability to communicate information and exchange ideas, while grammatical knowledge is traditionally viewed as the most important so that language instruction is made the goal of English teaching and the ability of using the language is totally neglected. Due to the long period of dominance of the traditional approach in the language classroom, grammar has always been taught as product to the students, teaching activities has been designed to be teacher-centred and examination-oriented, and interaction has often been neglected or paid little attention to. D. Hymes believed that linguistic rules were connected with language in use and proposed the concept of communicative competence, pointing out that the competent speaker must have the knowledge of how to use a language both appropriately and effectively. Since then, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) or Communicative Approach has begun and developed on the basis of the theory of communicative competence. However, in the practice of adapting CLT in foreign language teaching, there exist some misconceptions and misimplementations. Whether to teach or how to teach grammar has become the focus of debate by linguists and language teachers for many years. And it is still a stubborn problem for English teachers nowadays.This thesis, from a new viewpoint, searches for an alternative approach -interactive approach - to teach English grammar by demonstrating the following concepts:Grammar is a vital device and resource for comprehending and using language, and teaching is the prerequisite to gain accurate linguistic knowledge and fluent communication. Language without grammar would be chaotic, and grammar teaching is a vital component in language teaching, existing in the whole language teaching activities. Interaction is an important aspect being studied by western researchers. It is the heart of communication because "communication derives essentially from interaction" (Rivers, 2000). Research shows that interaction contributes to successful participation in productive classroom learning, and provides opportunities for foreign language acquisition. Most of all, it puts communication on a par with correctness, turns classroom language learning into social activities and promotes students' interactional competence. With the development of Chinese education, active interaction between teacher and students is also highly advocated in the field of English teaching these days. Interaction does not preclude the learning of the grammatical system of the language. In fact, we interact better if we can understand and express nuances of meaning that require careful syntactic choices. The interactive grammar teaching stresses the teaching of grammar through mutual participation, usually in groups. It is through the interactive approach, with its emphasis on playful group activities, that a simple grammar point or group of related grammar points can be revitalized and, above all, personalized.To explore the background and necessity of the study, investigations were carried out in some vocational-technical colleges. Students' questionnaire surveys and teachers' interviews were conducted to learn the status of grammar in EFL classrooms of HVTE (higher vocational and technical education). After the analysis, the researcher raises some strategies for implementing interactive grammar teaching combined with characteristics of ELT in vocational - technical colleges. Based on the theories and investigations, an experiment was carried out to test the effect of the interactive approach in our actual teaching and practising. Questionnaires, tests as well as classroom observation were included as testing measures.In a word, the study aims to offer a more appropriate and effective way to teach English grammar in vocational -technical colleges and in the meanwhile, hopes that the teachers may improve on it during employment.