Creating Contexts for Language Practice

Abstract

Language practice should not be based on random lists of disconnected sentences. The most obvious way to avoid a list of random and disconnected sentences is to create a realistic context to which all the sentences in a single drill are related. The main problem of contextualization is the conflict between the grammatical and contextual components: If the structures are strictly controlled, it is difficult to maintain a consistent development of subject; if the context is natural, it is difficult to keep the structures limited. The ideal lesson artfully combines grammar and context, structure and situation. Ten general assumptions serve as guidelines for contextualization in which the ideal context goes beyond the situation itself to specify the conditions under which the sentences are to be practiced. Illustrative contexts are provided for two structures-the passive and the present perfect. The emphasis, however, is on the process of contextualization and not on the contexts themselves. Since the teacher knows better than anyone the interests and immediate needs of his students, he should feel free to adapt the content of each lesson as he goes along. If the teacher is to adapt, the textbook writer must try to produce transparent lessonslessons in which the teacher can easily identify places that can be modified or extended without changing the grammatical focus.