1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, one of the main issues
regarding teaching languages is the methodology that instructors have to follow
in order to teach students. This entry will focus on two different approaches:
Focus on Form and Focus on FormS instructions. The former is mainly based on
linguistic elements. The teacher must guide students so that they achieve
learning unconsciously through the practice of the
language skills in an inductive way. The latter follows the traditional method
of teaching, in which teachers are the center of the learning process. They
focus firstly on the explanation of the grammar rules and later on the practice
through mechanical activities (Sheen, 2002, p. 303).
2. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOCUS ON
FORMS AND FOCUS ON FORM
On the one hand, Graham and Parry
(2011) explain the main differences between these two methods as follows:
Focus
on forms is the deliberate teaching of grammar in order to produce
understanding of the grammar, in the hope that understanding alone will allow
the learner to use the form correctly. Focus on form refers to bringing grammar
to the attention of learners as a part of communicative language practice (p.
19).
On the other hand, the
results of the study that professor Laufer (2006) carried through, showed an
empirical support for the efficiency of Focus on Forms because ¨the nature of
lexical competence makes it indispensable to vocabulary instruction¨ (p.14). Meanwhile
the Form Focused methodology is very important in learning context that ¨cannot
recreate the input conditions of the first-language acquisition¨ (p.14).
3. METHODOLOGIES BEFORE FOCUS ON FORM AND FOCUS ON FORMS
The main methodologies which came
before Focus on Forms and Focus on Form approaches are Grammar-based and Communicative
Language Teaching, respectively.
Grammar-based approach mainly
focuses on the explanation of grammar rules. Therefore, it does not pay attention
to meaning, only to the formal aspects of the language. According to Azar
(2007), Grammar teaching has been again studied since the late 1980s and
1990s.
Both Grammar-based translation and
Communicative Language Teaching integrate grammar and communicative skills. As
a general rule, Focus on Forms has the aim of introducing grammar components
into a Communicative Language Teaching. As Azar (2007) points out "GBT
seeks to integrate into a structural syllabus, usually in one class (often
called a grammar class) within a larger, varied curriculum."
On the other hand, Focus on Form
Instruction has its origins in Communicative Language Teaching method, which
has "its focal point on meaningful interaction through the use of
spontaneous speech during pair and/or group work" (Wong &
Barrea-Marlys, 2012, p. 61).
4. ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO
This video shows in a simple way the two methodologies we are explaining and differenciating through this post. Let´s analyse the video to show the most important features of these two forms of instruction in detail.
In the first part of the video, we can clearly identify the Focus on FormS instruction. During the first 30 seconds, the teachers explain the rules of the game the students are about to play without giving any kind of explanation on a grammar rule so the students have to play but basing their communication on MEANING. Once the game has started, students ask and answer questions according to the rules of the game. In minute 1:13, a student commits a grammatical error when answering a question and inmediately the teacher asks for repetition of the structure, so the student realizes about her mistake. Later, at the end of the game, exactly from minute 1:48 on, the teachers give some feedback to the student to learn in context about the error make orally. This is a clear example of Focus on FormS technique.
In the second part of the video, we can identify just from the very beginning (mitute 2:55) the Focus on Form instruction. This fact is easy to detect because if we take a look to the video from the minute 3:04 to minute 3:32, the main focus of the lesson is to learn some grammatical structures supported by a PowerPoint presentation containing written explanations with a controlled reading of the examples by the students. This aspect conforms one of the main characteristics of Focus on Form methodology. In addition, in the video in minute 5:18 and till the end, students are asked to practice with some examples but basing their ideas on the grammar explanations from the PowerPoint, that is to say, on the Form and not the meaning.
This video shows in a simple way the two methodologies we are explaining and differenciating through this post. Let´s analyse the video to show the most important features of these two forms of instruction in detail.
In the first part of the video, we can clearly identify the Focus on FormS instruction. During the first 30 seconds, the teachers explain the rules of the game the students are about to play without giving any kind of explanation on a grammar rule so the students have to play but basing their communication on MEANING. Once the game has started, students ask and answer questions according to the rules of the game. In minute 1:13, a student commits a grammatical error when answering a question and inmediately the teacher asks for repetition of the structure, so the student realizes about her mistake. Later, at the end of the game, exactly from minute 1:48 on, the teachers give some feedback to the student to learn in context about the error make orally. This is a clear example of Focus on FormS technique.
In the second part of the video, we can identify just from the very beginning (mitute 2:55) the Focus on Form instruction. This fact is easy to detect because if we take a look to the video from the minute 3:04 to minute 3:32, the main focus of the lesson is to learn some grammatical structures supported by a PowerPoint presentation containing written explanations with a controlled reading of the examples by the students. This aspect conforms one of the main characteristics of Focus on Form methodology. In addition, in the video in minute 5:18 and till the end, students are asked to practice with some examples but basing their ideas on the grammar explanations from the PowerPoint, that is to say, on the Form and not the meaning.
REFERENCES
Azar, B. (2007).
Grammar-based teaching: A practitioner’s perspective. TESL-EJ,
11.2, 1- 12. Retrieved from http://www.tesl-ej.org/ej42/a1.pdf
Laufer, B. (2006).
Comparing focus on form and focus on forms in second-language vocabulary learning.
The Canadian Modern Language Review,
150-165. Retrieved from http://www.utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/cmlr.63.1.149
Sheen, R. (2002). ‘Focus
on form’ and ‘focus on forms.’ ELT
Journal, 56.3, 303-305. Retrieved from http://www.eltj.org/ELTJ%20debate%202003/sheen.pdf
Wong, C. C. Y.,
& Barrea-Marlys, M. (2012). The role of grammar in communicative language
teaching: An exploration of second language teachers’ perceptions and classroom
practices. Electronic Journal of Foreign
Language Teaching, 9.1, 61-75. Retrieved from http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v9n12012/wongcy.pdf
