Xavier, Christine Anita

This paper reports on an action research study that focused on reconceptualizing grammar within English Language classrooms in Singapore as a dynamic and contextually situated resource for meaningful literacy development. Departing from conventional perceptions of grammar as a rigid set of rules, the study endeavors to position it as a flexible and empowering tool that enables learners to effectively construct and convey meaning. Additionally, the study placed deliberate emphasis on grammar as a meaning-making resource in authentic Asian texts, acknowledging the significance of context in language learning. The aim was to underscore the contextualized nature of language practices, viewing the learning of meaning-making resources of grammar as essential in language skill development, particularly in text interpretation, in the hope of enhancing literacy among learners. Existing research served as the foundation of the study, highlighting the pivotal role of grammar in literacy development and text interpretation. The study employed an action research methodology characterized by a cyclical process of planning, acting, observing, reflecting, and revising. The data comprised teacher-designed materials, teacher-written reflections, and interviews involving 10 teacher-collaborators from four primary and secondary schools in Singapore. Key findings underscored the intrinsic link between grammatical choices and the nuanced meanings they convey, and in so doing reveal the crucial role of grammar in comprehending language intricacies.

This SUG project to determine whether a web-based application better facilitated teacher- inquiry into students’ writing as opposed to manual marking and coding, was situated within a project titled ‘Investigating writing in a primary school’ (IRB Application Code IRB-2017-03- 018, herafter referred to as the IRB project. This IRB project involved i) the review of the current EL P5 writing package of a particular primary school, ii) data collection involving sample student scripts collected at intervention and post intervention stages, iii) grammar coding of students' compositions and iv) reflections from the teacher-producers of the writing package. Through the analysis of student scripts, it aimed to identify the areas of grammar that could be explicitly embedded into the writing package.
A web-based application for the electronic grammatical-tagging of the students’ writing was developed under the SUG project. In order to determine whether such a web-based application, as opposed to manual marking and coding, facilitated teacher-inquiry into student writing, the teachers manually grammatically-coded the student scripts at the intervention stage and electronically grammatically-tagged the student scripts via the web- based application at the post-intervention stage of the IRB project.

This article addresses the question of how teachers can adopt an inclusive approach to the teaching of grammar that attends to the diverse language learning abilities of students in an English Language(EL)writing class.Thisarticle suggests that teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource in an EL writing class empowers students of various language learning abilities to make meaningful grammatical choices in their writing.Teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource entails adopting a descriptive view of grammar. This is as opposed to adopting a prescriptive view of grammar wherethe avoidance or remediation of errors in writing is the emphasis. Two primary school ELteachers engaged in an action research project in a primary school in Singapore on teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource within writing in the EL classroomwere interviewed. Three strategies on how to teach grammar as a meaning-making resource in writingwere identified. The three strategies are a) visualisation of links between grammar and writing, b) discussion of grammatical choices in writing and c) provision of clear feedback on grammar in writing. In teaching grammar this way, students of varying language learning abilities are empowered to make grammatical choices in creating meaning in writing.KEYWORDS: grammar as meaning-making, writing, diverse learning abilities, inclusive approachIntroductionThere is increasinglya focus on inclusivity in developed schools, whereteachers are expected to meet the diverse learning needs of students in their classes, callingto attention,then the need to adaptpedagogical approaches to attend to these various learning needs(Westwood, 2018).This article addresses the question of how teachers can adopt an inclusive approach to the teaching of grammar that attends to the diverse language learning abilities of students in an English Language (EL) classroom, specifically in the writing class. This article suggests that teaching grammar as a meaning-making resource in an EL writing class empowers students of various language learning