I have to admit, grammar is my hobby horse. I love to find the logic behind the word. My answer, however, to the question, "Does grammar rule?" would be, "No, but it sure does rock!" Why the blog, then... well, I still think that there's a place for grammar in our classrooms and though some question the future of the written word, we seem to be using it ever more frequently. I know its been some time when I have done as much personal writing as I have these last weeks on my discovery tour of Web2.0. It seems to me that with more users, the need for organization and a common set of standards to secure understanding becomes ever more imperative. What does grammar serve if not to supply a structure to satisfy that need and support all the communicating that is being generated.
So why the blog? I guess I'd like to have a place to put down my ideas about grammar, hear what others have to say, and most important, get ideas on how to make the subject more accessible to our students. I would also like to keep a record of those picky little exceptions that no book seems able to explain and exchange ideas of how others go about teaching (or even understanding) them.
About me
- patscf
- I'm a teacher who's always ready to learn. I'd like to bring my teaching into the 21st century but not allow the nutritional value to be lost in the new packaging. By the way, my avatar was created at http://www.abi-station.com/iconmaker/index_en.shtml
4 comments:
Hello dear Pat
I know what you mean! Those gray zone little fragments that drive us all crazy and even Marcella Frank happened to have had them slip her mind!
Dear Pat,
Wow! I was going to email you to see how things were going as I already missed your thought-provoking posts and your presence. Now I can see why. Your blog is just like you, engaging, humanistic, straightforward. It is certainly an inviting space for reflection and sharing.
I'm sure that if you endure in your blogging project, you'll have lots of readers. I'll certainly be one as an old fan of yours. I've learned so much about grammar and life with you for these past years, and this space would only add value to the online community.
You said,"I still think that there's a place for grammar in our classrooms and though some question the future of the written word, we seem to be using it ever more frequently. I know its been some time when I have done as much personal writing as I have these last weeks on my discovery tour of Web2.0."
This is so true. Never have I written and read so much since I started blogging. First, it was with my students, now I do it for pure pleasure and need. Need to think, rethink and keep things fresh and under perspective.
Way to go. I'm glad to be with you in this Web2.0 journey.
By the way, there is one question Daniela Meyer asked me and then on her blog about error correction in blogs. What do you think? How should we approach learners' mistakes when they are blogging? Food for thought, isn't it?
Hi, Pat.
Like Carla, I had "...missed your thought-provoking posts and your presence." When I read the posts in "Should Grammar Rule?," however, I could see why you'd been quiet for a while. Believe me, what you've been working on was certainly worth waiting for!
I agree with you that grammar doesn't rule, but it still rocks. I also think there's a place for grammar in the classroom (whether F2F or online or in a "blended" class) and I further agree that in online communication, there should be a need for organization and a common set of standards. I think, by the way, that there are standards, but I also think that these standards develop "organically" and differ for different types of online materials. The writing standards which are appropriate, for example, for FaceBook and My Space and the standards which are appropriate for professional-level media such as your wonderful blog aren't the same at all.
I think the goals of your blog (your comments after "So why blog?") are salutory. I definitely want to become one of your followers because I'm completely in resonance with what you'd like to do here.
Very, very best wishes!
Dennis in Phoenix
I love this blog. I want to belong to this blog. I want this blog to belong to me LOL!!!
As for the ruling/rockin' dichotomy, I'm right there with you. When most people - students and teachers alike - think about grammar, they think: dry, dull, boring, difficult, way over my head... And maybe it is true for them. For me, however, grammar is essential, interesting, curious and fun! I wish more colleagues could see it this way...
There is nothing wrong with grammar or with having to teach it. The problem is that sometimes we're not sure of what we're doing because we ourselves like the knowledge, so we enter the class with this - OMG-I-GOTTA-TEACH GRAMMAR attitude, which may be contagious. This so doesn't have to be like that....
Having a place to discuss some grammar topics that trouble our classes may be a good start to change this painful view of grammar.
Keep rockin'
and rulin
Luffs
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