The effort at creating a grammar book that resonates with the local experiences of the learners is a constructive step towards making grammar more accessible to learners
Shatarupa Mishra
‘English Grammar in Real-Life Situations’ by ELT Practitioner Panchanan Duria is a fine example of discourse-based teaching of English language, which helps students become competent communicators, even if they have underprivileged educational backgrounds.
Traditional grammars have aimed to ingrain in the minds of students the structure(s) of English grammar by making them work with decontextualized sentences that include names and cultural references foreign to their experiences. They have certainly not achieved their objective because students feel disconnected from the language-learning processes employed by them and thus fail to use the language properly in oral and written communication.
The effort at creating a grammar book that resonates with the local experiences of the learners is a constructive step towards making grammar more accessible to learners. Paragraphs on students’ daily activities or their hobbies, for instance, not only allow the learners to have a first-hand observation of the simple present tense in use but also help them learn more words connected with school life, thereby enhancing their vocabulary.
Using real students from districts like Nabarangpur and Kalahandi as the subjects of the paragraphs, the book makes language learning more immediate and practical. When students read write-ups on local places of attraction, like Phurlijharan and Dokrichanchara waterfalls, which they have heard of or visited, they will be inspired to use the language in talking to others about these spots.
A passage on a PhD Research Scholar’s visit to Dharamgarh, for example, comes alive with descriptions of the hospitality of the local people. When such a piece of writing appeals to the emotions of the learners, they notice the cohesion that language achieves while presenting an idea and this helps them acquire the structures of language faster. Appropriate photographs accompanying the accounts add to the visual appeal and make English Language Teaching multimodal.
A good grammar book always considers various aspects of language learning. A conversation between two friends about their likes and dislikes gives the students information about verbs that do not take the progressive tense without presenting before them the formal-sounding term stative verbs. A description of a dancer’s set routine and programmes introduces the students comfortably to the rather heavy-sounding term coordinating conjunctions.
The selections of contexts have been made carefully keeping in mind the diverse interests of learners apart from curricular studies: some might love drawing, others dancing, some might love the idea of speaking in youth talk shows, others might be devoted to sports or the art of business. Taking the examples of regional youngsters who have made a mark or of accomplished elders, the book also motivates the learners to understand the purpose of education, that is, to become capable of contributing to society in a positive way. Language is shown as the means to an end, and that makes the task of acquiring English less daunting.
Dialogues, interviews, letters, festivals, memories, movements, rumours, queries, diary entries, extra-curricular programmes, visions, and viewpoints, strange experiences: such contextualization expands the horizons of thinking of learners, makes them acquainted with the social functions of language, and through these methods enables language acquisition effectively.
The book will provide English language teachers with a significant advantage in lesson planning, as it emphasizes the selection of texts and tasks that are socially and culturally pertinent to the intended learners.
(The author is an Assistant Professor of English at Model Degree College, Deogarh. Views expressed are personal.)
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