The Psychological Reality of 'Grammar' in the ESL Classroom

Finding innovative, motivating techniques for teaching in the ESL classroom taxes the creative imagination of teachers, and therefore such classes often degenerate into teacher monologues, linguistic debates, and rote classroom exercises, all of which can lead to monotony and boredom. One of the reasons for this state of affairs is that grammar itself is a rather ill-conceived notion in many textbooks and curricula. A redefinition of as something bearing psychological reality may lead us back to a more meaningful conception of grammar. The insights of recent generative-semantic theories of language and cognitive theories of learning (cf. Brown, 1972) have the potential for forming a basis for better achievement of the goals of teaching. One of the keys to teaching as a psychological reality is the optimal blending of cognitive and affective variables in classroom activity; many current approaches minimize the crucial importance of the latter, affective domain.