Limiting beliefs come in two basic forms
First, negative self-talk: “My grammar isn’t good.” Second, negative ideas about grammar: “It’s boring. It’s not really important.”
As teachers, we share the responsibility to help challenge our students’ limiting beliefs. We must help them unlock their potential by building a healthy learner mindset in two main ways:
- We need to encourage a healthy way of thinking about themselves and their abilities.
How? We can share positive affirmations, not as a trend but as a tool. Positive affirmations can replace negative thoughts. We must also teach students to celebrate their small wins, for example, by complimenting them when they express something well. Finally, we can integrate uplifting content into our lessons. The meaningful context makes the target language more memorable and the motivational message creates a positive learning experience.
- We need to cultivate a positive view of the subject matter: grammar. To do this, we must address myths such as “Grammar is boring.” We can show students that grammar materials can be engaging, presentations can be relatable and the practice can be meaningful. As for the fallacy, “Grammar isn’t important,” we must show how standard, recognizable patterns facilitate communication. The onus is on us teachers to explain how to use the grammar we teach. What is the value? How does it help us communicate?
Some recognize the value of grammar but not of its direct study. They believe, “I don’t have to study grammar. I can pick it up, enough to communicate what I need.” There is definitely a benefit from regular exposure to good models, but let’s recognize some truths:
- Students do not need perfect grammar; they need high enough accuracy to avoid miscommunication.
- Inaccurate grammar patterns become fossilized without correction, feedback, and guided practice.
- Direct study of grammar allows students to become aware of common mistakes so that they can self-correct.
As often said, grammar is the backbone of language. It provides the structure we need to support and organize our ideas. It facilitates clarity and accuracy in communication. The ultimate goal is to communicate confidently and effectively. Is there any language learner who does not wish to communicate confidently and effectively? No.
For those who head in the opposite direction and obsess over grammar, we must stress that the goal is not perfect grammar but rather high-enough accuracy for successful communication.
What can unite us is acknowledging what matters. Clear communication is essential in every profession, and confident, effective communicators are valued. We can guide learners to see that studying grammar is a worthy investment – an investment in themselves.
Once united in our common goal, we must also work together to overcome some hurdles. Today, there are three major obstacles to the direct study of grammar:
Challenge 1: Tool dependence
Dependence on AI tools. We need a guiding principle, and we can find it in the value of building language competency. Confident, effective communication should come from the learner’s language competency, not AI. Our students need the foundational skills so that they are not blindly dependent on what AI tells them to say or write.
They should use their critical thinking skills to judge what is produced by AI. Beyond our critical thinking skills, our strengths lie in our humanity, our relationships, our five senses, our intuition, and our people skills. AI can guide us in using correct grammar but, as strong communicators, we need to understand how to read a situation and gauge the tone being used. The practiced combination of grammar and people skills is what we can offer as part of the classroom experience.
Challenge 2: Lack of motivation to research and explore
The age of fast information. Why labor over any task these days? My answer: for the pleasure and the experience, for the subtleties and for the mental exercise. A guiding principle is to trust yourself and your abilities. Students must develop the skills so that they do not blindly trust AI. We must convey that there is joy in being competent; there is confidence in mastering a skill.
Challenge 3: Overwhelming amounts of information
Information overload. With thousands of English language learning channels on YouTube alone, learners can be overwhelmed by the resources available. The number of books may be far less by comparison, but that does not mean that the task of selecting a textbook is any less daunting for the learner. Another guiding principle is called for: Seek the human who puts their name and/or face on their work. Quality video lessons and quality textbooks go through a process.They are not generated in a matter of seconds by AI!
The bottom line for us authors and creators who put our names on books or videos is credibility, reliability and trustworthiness. We stand behind our work, and the audience expects to be guided towards the ultimate goal: confident, effective communication.
Embracing our human skills
In this fast-paced digital world, we teachers need to remember this: AI has information. Humans have that and more – we have love and other emotions. We can celebrate our love for language learning. We can empathize with our learners because we know the joys and challenges of learning a language.
We can teach students to embrace their humanity as their strength: critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, creativity and humor. All of that can be and should be integrated into language learning. In this way, grammar is not boring. It is meaningful and practical. Good grammar strengthens our communication and, therefore, our human experience.
On a personal note, I have been on YouTube for over 18 years. If I had had access to AI from the start, maybe I could have avoided many mistakes. Instead, I have had a bumpy ride. And you know what? I would not trade it for anything. It is my journey and that is what language learning is too. It is a life experience. Proficiency is not supposed to be handed to us within seconds after typing in a prompt. It comes through an ongoing chain of events and interactions. We grow through our learning.
Let me shout my conclusion from the rooftops: Studying grammar can expand our learning potential and strengthen our ability to communicate and connect with other people. Doesn’t that make grammar both valuable and beautiful?
