Tesl

1. What are some of teacher –student conference in helping students with grammatical problems in writing? Language teachers and language learners are often frustrated by the disconnect between knowing the rules of grammar and being able to apply those rules automatically in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This disconnect reflects a separation between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. • Declarative knowledge is knowledge about something. Declarative knowledge enables a student to describe a rule of grammar and apply it in pattern practice drills. • Procedural knowledge is knowledge of how to do something. Procedural knowledge enables a student to apply a rule of grammar in communication. Procedural knowledge does not translate automatically into declarative knowledge; many native speakers can use their language clearly and correctly without being able to state the rules of its grammar. Likewise, declarative knowledge does not translate automatically into procedural knowledge; students may be able to state a grammar rule, but consistently fail to apply the rule when speaking or writing. To address the grammatical problems of students in writing teachers may apply several strategies for students:
a.) Relate knowledge needs to learning goals. Identify the relationship of declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge to student goals for learning the language. Students who plan to use the language exclusively for reading journal articles need to focus more on the declarative knowledge of grammar and discourse structures that will help them understand those texts. Students who plan to live in-country need to focus more on the procedural knowledge that will help them manage day to day oral and written interactions.
b.) Apply higher order thinking skills. Recognize that development of declarative knowledge can accelerate development of procedural knowledge. Teaching students how the language works and giving