26th Annual Student Research Conference
Know Thyself: Error Analysis, Grammar Instruction, and Introductory Composition
David J. Giovagnoli♦
Dr. Priscilla Riggle, Faculty Mentor
Grammar instruction is both a topic that is burdened by more than a century of organized research and a topic that is laden with pitfalls built up by its ineffectual nature in a direct grammatical instruction form, its tendency towards colonizing language, and the inherently product-centered teaching style that results from too much focus on error. This paper does not dispute the enormous body of evidence that suggests that the direct, discrete method of grammar instruction is not useful in an introductory composition course, but rather synthesizes the existing scholarship to find ways of integrating error analysis grading strategies into students' composition and peer-editing processes. Thus, an instructor may address grammatical issues on an individual basis, while making the primary focus of a composition course critical thinking and rhetorical strategies, and providing students with the tools for better self-evaluation.
Keywords: Grammar, Error Analysis, Pedagogy
Topic(s):English
Education
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 207-4
Location: VH 1320
Time: 10:15