On Application Of Task-based Approach To Teaching Adults English Grammar

For a long time, in the traditional grammar class, the teacher spends a lot oftime explaining and illustrating the rules and grammatical points while studentsjust doing the drills and exercises to consolidate what the teacher teaches. It hasbeen proved by numerous facts that such a teaching method for grammar doesnot produce any satisfactory results because it fails to provide any effectivemeans to help students master grammatical structures and use those forms in thereal communication. How can we, the language teachers improve the effect ofgrammar teaching according to adult students’ learning characteristics? How canwe turn the knowledge of grammar into the practical ability to use the language?Such problems are worth thinking and studying. The study on second languageacquisition indicates that when learners are supposed to understand the languagematerials and temporarily remembered them, they are not supposed to havecompletely mastered such materials. Two crucial steps are neglected intraditional grammar teaching, which are suitable context in which language isused and the learners’ use of language to communicate. Therefore, applyingtask-based language teaching to adult grammar classes is not only theoreticallysound but also beneficially practical. Designing different tasks based ondiscourse reading provides certain language context for grammar learning. Ifstudents acquire grammar by mechanical recitation and isolated drilling, it willleave them an impression of being dull.The thesis analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of traditional grammarteaching and current situation of adult grammar learning, and then introducesthe application of task-based language teaching method in adult grammarteaching based on the theories of adult learning characteristics, second languageacquisition, context and task-based approach.An experiment is carried out in the research. Discourse is introduced to the task-based language teaching for grammar learning. As a result, the method hasnot only stimulated the students’ learning enthusiasm, but also enhanced theefficiency of teaching. The purpose of this thesis is to find out a practicalmethod for the English teachers in adult schools to help the students to learnEnglish grammar as well as to raise their practical ability to use English.