An approach to the teaching grammar in the EFL classroom: history, textbooks and tasks proposals

Abstract

[Abstract] It is a fact that grammar is constantly present in our daily lives and in the academic field. This is the reason why, from a historical point of view, it has undergone an important evolution since Antiquity, with the Grammar-Translation Method, until it reaches the Communicative Approach of today. This paper examines the teaching of grammar in an EFL contextand proposes a series of communicative activities in order to improve the acquisition process of grammar by increasing students’ motivation. To carry out this general aim,four specific objectives are proposed:first, to review the historical evolution of the different approaches and methods of foreign languages teaching; secondly, to analyse what type of exercises are included in current textbooks and how grammar, particularly the topic of reported speech, is reflected; thirdly, to know the opinion of EFL students about the teaching of English grammar and, fourthly, to make a didactic proposal following the Task-Based Learning Approach based on the opinion of the students with the aim of increasing their motivation. To achieve these objectives, the methodology includes in the first place, a search of the main methods and approaches with their respective characteristics; in the second place, an analysis of four B2-C1 level textbooks currently used in EFL classes and, finally, an online questionnaire on 262 people disseminated through the following social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.On the one hand, it was found that most of the grammar exercises in textbooks are mechanical;even in communicative books there are some exercises of this type in each unit. On the other hand, the majority of the respondents show more interest in grammar taught from a communicative rather than a mechanical perspective. Besides, it can be stated that the use of the Task-Based Approach with communicative and interactive activities has a more meaningful impact on the participation, motivation and desire to learn of students than textbooks.