Teaching ESL Students to "Notice" Grammar
Francis J. Noonan III

Introduction
Many teachers are confused on how to teach grammar. The form-focused instruction of the audio-lingual method produced students that knew a lot about a language but could not apply what they knew to spontaneous speech. Conversely, the lack of grammar instruction in the Communicative Approach has often produced students who communicate well but lack grammatical competency. Is it possible to teach grammar in a way that will help students develop grammatical competency, even in spontaneous speech? This article explores a possible answer to this dilemma, the theory of noticing, and its application to the classroom.
Why Noticing?
The theoretical basis for noticing centers around the relationship between explicit and implicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is conscious knowledge of grammar rules learned through formal classroom instruction. For example, Li knows every rule about subject-verb agreement but makes frequent mistakes in natural speech. This knowledge is only available to him when he has time to think about the rules and then apply them (i.e. a grammar exercise or a writing assignment). In contrast, implicit knowledge is unconscious, internalized knowledge of a language that is available for spontaneous speech. For example, Jim speaks English with near perfect use of the basic rules of subject-verb agreement. This is despite the fact that he may have no idea what subject-verb agreement is or what the rules are. The question is can explicit grammar knowledge (Li`s knowledge) become implicit knowledge (Jim`s knowledge)? There are two basic answers to the question. The first is the non-interface position proposed by Krashen. In his view, explicit knowledge can never become implicit knowledge because these two types of knowledge are located in different parts of the brain. Li could keep studying grammatical rules for the rest of his life and never speak like Jim. On the other hand, the interface position claims that explicit knowledge can have some impact on implicit knowledge. The interface position is divided into two views, the strong and the weak position. The strong interface position holds explicit knowledge becomes internalized through practice, like the acquisition of other skills. The weak interface position, however, agrees with Krashen that explicit learning does not become implicit knowledge, but that it can aid or foster the acquisition of implicit knowledge (Brook). Proponents of this position acknowledge that there are simply too many linguistic rules for any learner, native speaker or not, to learn them all consciously. Thus, a strong interface is unlikely. Nevertheless, recent data suggests that students who have explicit grammar instruction as part of their study achieve a higher level of grammatical accuracy than those who do not (Ellis, 2002, p19). This suggests a weak-interface between explicit and implicit knowledge. Noticing is based on this position.
What is Noticing?
Noticing is basically the idea that if learners pay attention to the form and meaning of certain language structures in input, this will contribute to the internalization of the rule (Batstone, 1996). Ellis expounds on this idea: ". . . we don`t actually try to influence the construction of the complex network [implicit knowledge] . . . because really learners can only do it themselves. We cannot implant rules into that network. Learners extract from the available information around them the regularities that form into their knowledge system. If this is the case, all that we can do is make them aware of some of these patterns . . . under the assumption that if you have an awareness of them, then ultimately your pattern detector might function a bit more efficiently" (Ryan, 2001, p2). In addition, learners acquiring language through a natural approach often experience fossilization, certain errors do not get better despite a significant amount of experience with the target language. Perhaps once learners develop communicative sufficiency they do not make progress in accuracy. Noticing helps rectify this by helping learners "notice the gap." They recognize that the language features noticed are different from their current language. Remember, according to this theory, the primary nature of explicit knowledge is to develop awareness of rather than production of target forms. Hence, teachers ought not to grade students on accurate use of these forms in spontaneous speech. Hopefully, this awareness will help learners notice target forms in future input and facilitate the eventual acquisition of these forms as implicit knowledge (Ellis, 2002, p 29).
How Do Teachers Help Students Notice?
How can we as teachers help students notice target forms? Cross (2002) summarizes factors that draw attention to certain features in input:
Explicit instruction -- instruction explaining and drawing attention to a particular form.
Frequency -- the regular occurrence of a certain structure in input.
Perceptual Salience -- highlighting or underlining to draw attention to a certain structure.
Task Demands -- constructing a task that requires learners to notice a structure in order to complete it.
Also, Rod Ellis outlines five teaching activities to develop grammatical knowledge of a problematic feature (Ellis 2002, pp. 30-31):
1. Listening to Comprehend: Students listen to comprehend a text that has been structured to contain several examples of the target