Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

We can change the world by changing the labels we stick on things ?

[buravirgil]

[VietCanada]

How does a student learn to communicate effectively if they don't know what a noun or an adjective is? It seems to me that they have to learn the basics before they can benefit from whatever method is used to teach the next level.

In maths one must learn the multiplication tables to be successful. I would think that learning the level appropriate parts of speech is necessary to understand grammar.

Did I misunderstand the criticism of the tests that require one to successfully identify parts of speech?

I do not have a linguistics degree. It seems to me that the Asian students I teach say the noun first and then the adjectives in their own language whereas we like like to list the adjectives first. How does one help a student understand that if they don't know what a noun and an adjective are?

I think discussing how we teach that is obviously valid but criticizing the fact that it is mandatory to learn basic definitions is getting a bit carried away.

A recent neurology study indicates that this is counter to how the brain works and perhaps explains why maths students in Canada (the article was in a Canadian paper, I cannot find a link right now) are doing poor;y in maths. Simply, they are not learning their times tables and so they are struggling to learn the next level.

The brain sends the memorized basics to a particular of the brain where it is recalled as a fact rather than having to be figured out again in order to understand a higher level problem.

Memorizing the nine times table makes it easier to calculate 99X99 in other words. If you have to figure out what 9X9 is then you are going to have great difficulty with the higher level problem. A different part of the brain is used to learn something new.

You can use any method you want to teach the multiplication tables. the point is that they must be learned first just as one must learn the basics of language first.

I would think that learning the chords on a guitar is a similar situation. These are all abstract studies.

[buravirgil]

[VietCanada]

[johnslat]

Dear buravirgil,

However, knowing the nomenclature can be useful, What may be built upon that is imparting the jobs that the parts of speech do.

It's the functions, I think, that are important since most words can be used as different parts of speech.

"Is is not a noun."

Regards,
John

[buravirgil]

[johnslat]

Dear buravirgil,

"An interesting cognate for 'nomenclature' is the Russian word for 'ruling class'."

That is interesting - but unless I am missing something - seemingly irrelevant unless you're implying that naming things, having an common, agreed upon vocabulary for the classroom, is somehow culturally oppressive.

"I believe Crystal is arguing for those functions to be demonstrated within contexts that interrelate and serve a purpose versus examples that serve as a specimen."

Um, yup - did I somehow give the impression that I was advocating context-free, purposeless examples? If so, sorry.

Regards,
John

[Sashadroogie]

Systemic Functional Grammar! The way forward!!

[VietCanada]

If a student is given a list of nouns to memorize and then a test in which those nouns are present without any ambiguity as to whether or not they are the noun then they have shown that they memorized the list. They have not demonstrated that they understand what a noun is.

I would think that beginners would benefit from this memorization. I would think that some level of vocabulary and sophistication of sentence structure would be necessary to delve into function. Not to mention age.

[Sashadroogie]

Not sure I follow this. Or, rather I am sure that I don't.

[Sashadroogie]

[spiral78]

[Sashadroogie]

Isn't 14+ enough years?

[buravirgil]