Teachers 'do not know enough grammar to teach new curriculum'An
eminent linguistics professor has attacked teachers' ability to
teach grammar correctly, as they often have "no knowledge of
English grammar themselves".By atthew !ayton4:31PM BST 04 Oct
2013Bas Aarts, Professor of English Linguistics at ni!ersit"
#ollege Lon$on, sai$ that ne% testsintro$uce$ &" E$ucation
Secretar" Michael'o!e for (u(ils u( to the age of 14 $e)an$e$
agreater *no%le$ge of gra))ar than )an" teachers currentl"
(ossesse$+,Man" teachers feelunco)forta&le %ith gra))ar an$
$on-t*no% ho%to use it for)all",. hetol$ The Times+ /0e al%a"s *ne%
the teaching of gra))ar %as $ifficult for teachers &ecausethe"
often ha$ no *no%le$ge of English gra))ar the)sel!es+/1e (ointe$
out the s*ills ga( %as not the fault of the teachers the)sel!es,
&ut $ue to a historicalla(se in the for)alise$ teaching of
gra))ar+1e sai$: /There %as a (oint in the 1230s %hen the
'o!ern)ent sai$ that schoolchil$ren $i$n-tnee$ to learn an" gra))ar
as it inhi&its their creati!it"+ 4o%, that-s changing
ra(i$l"+.Thene%curriculu)featuresrigoroustestingonthe)echanicsof
gra))ar,an$has&een$esigne$ to i)(ro!e stan$ar$s of literac" in
(ri)ar" school an$ 5e" Stage 3 (u(ils+Professor Aarts is at the
hel) of Englicious, a ne% go!ern)ent6fun$e$ (rogra))e to
(ro!i$eaccess to one of Britain7s &iggest $ata&ases of the
English language+Englicious is (lanning to &e a one6sto(
teaching resource for English gra))ar fro) 5e" Stage3 u( to A6le!el
using English e8(ressions ranging fro) te8t )essages to BB#
&roa$casts+9oe 0alsh, interi) $irector of the 4ational
Association for the Teaching of English, %ho
%or*salongsi$eProfessorAartsonthe(ro:ect, sai$it
%asi)(ossi&letoto)a*egeneralisationsa&out an entire
generation of teachers+1ea$)itte$teachers)a"feel /inti)i$ate$/
&"therene%e$e)(hasisu(ongra))aticalstructure an$ the
/high6sta*es nature of the testing regi)e/+The Plain English
#a)(aign sai$ it %as essentialto &e a&le to e8(lain ho% to
correctl" useEnglish &ut $i$ not nee$ a full gras( of the
ter)inolog"+
