Teaching Grammar in Context, by Constance Weaver Chapter 6 response

It is agreed that writers need ways to revise sentences, make them more effective, and edit grammar, punctuation, and usage. This chapter looks at teaching and learning these methods through the cognitive learning theory. One way to teach grammar is through mini-lessons that focus on one concept at a time and are based on cognitive and constructive principles of learning.

            Basically, a mini-lesson is a short or brief explanation of something that will be helpful to students. There are several characteristics that define these mini-lessons. Firstly, these usually take no more than five to ten minutes. The teacher explains the theory directly; they are simply offering the students tips. These lessons can be taught to the whole class, or to small groups of students who will especially benefit from the tips, or to students one-on-one. Another key characteristic of mini-lessons are that students are not given follow-up assignments after the lessons, but instead are expected to incorporate what they learned into their own writing. It is up to the teacher to decide when and what mini-lessons are needed, and for whom. I think this concept of mini-lessons is a great way to teach grammar. It eliminates the endless busy work that characterized my experience with learning grammar. It teaches students concepts in short dosages, which is easier to learn and apply. They then are applied directly to the students writing, instead of endless worksheets. I think this will make teaching grammar much more effective and will increase students’ enjoyment of it.

            Weaver also listed some interesting cognitive and constructive principles of learning. The first is that learning is not the mastery of isolated facts, but instead the construction of concepts. Learning is not linear, even though teaching often is. Learners must construct concepts themselves, which involves formulating hypotheses, testing them, and revising them based on feedback. Learning occurs best when students feel that it is personal and natural. A great deal of the learning process occurs not from instruction, but through observation. I think that these concepts should be remembered and applied in schools today, and we would probably see large changes and improvements in school systems.