The Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar

The First Annual ATEG Conference (1990)

Introduction to the Proceedings

How does one thank the dozens of people who help one’s dream come true? When I founded Syntax in the Schools, seven years ago, it was almost impossible to get an article about pedagogical grammar published in any educational journal. Since then, we have not only had the newsletter, but also a conference (portions of which are also available on videotape). These proceedings include every paper (or a summary thereof) delivered at the conference, except one. My first thanks, therefore, go to the presenters at the conference, and also to the many teachers who wrote articles for the newsletter, thereby keeping it alive. I would like to thank everyone by name, but for fear of leaving someone out, I will limit myself to one, most important person. Dr. Warren DeArment, Dean of Arts & Sciences at Shenandoah College, supported the newsletter through some very lean times. Without his support, the newsletter would have folded, and there would not have been a conference. To him I am sincerely grateful.

I have attempted to thank the presenters by reproducing their papers as faithfully as I could. (I am sure there are still a few errors.) Numerous people have remarked about the amount of "work" that I put into the newsletter, the conference, and the proceedings. Most of this work is done at home, and I want to thank my wife, Toni, who regularly encourages me to "go do [my] work," and also my mother, who, over the years, has assisted me in purchasing much of the computer equipment without which the work could not all get done.

The work is important because educators need to discuss how and why grammar is being taught. When people first hear of Syntax in the Schools, they usually assume that we support "traditional" grammar. Although some members of ATEG may do so, most don’t. Most members are sincerely upset at the way grammar is being taught. They want to see alternatives. But to find and develop those alternatives, we need a free and open discussion -- exactly what we have NOT had for the last two decades. But that is exactly what Syntax supports. I am looking forward to our next conference, which will be held here at Pennsylvania College of Technology on July 15 & 16, 1991.

I am claiming a copyright for these proceedings in the name of ATEG, but the rights belong entirely to the individual presenters. Their addresses and phone numbers are on the last page of the proceedings.

Ed Vavra
Pennsylvania College of Technology
November 30, 1990

Contents of the Proceedings of the First Annual ATEG Conference

Keynote: The Future of Grammar in American Schools, Martha Kolln, Penn State University

Approaches to Grammar: Teaching & Otherwise, Kathy Lyday-Lee, Elon College, N.C.

What Kind of Grammar Should We Teach in College?, Cornelia Paraskevas-Shepard, Western Oregon State University

A Review of Grammar Textbooks, Robert Sirabian, Purdue University

Personal Editing Workbooks for Composition Students, Sally Joranko, John Carroll University, Ohio

Seeing as the Brain Sees: The Cognitive Process of Instruction (CPOI) Applied to Grammar, Madlon Laster, Daniel Morgan Middle School, Winchester, VA

Challenging Misconceptions about Using One-to-One Tutorials to Teach Grammar/Style, Kim Ballard & Linda Haynes, Purdue University

Grammar Competency as Essential Knowledge for ESL Students Entering Professional Discourse Communities, Linda Yost, Purdue University

Blue-Jay Grammar, Jean Murphy, Pierce College, Puyallup, WA

Arguments about Grammar: the Usage Books, Maurice Scharton & Janice Neuleib, Illinois State University

Integrating Grammar into the Process Reading & Writing Approach, Chrystena Chrzanowski, No. Arlington H.S. & Wm. Paterson College

The Role of Grammar Teaching in Higher Education, George J. Oliver, University of Maryland

Arcade Grammar: Grammar & Syntax as a Recreational Activity, Pat Wellington & Charlotte Perlin, University of Miami

Teaching Grammar through Journalism, Tina Lesher, William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ

Quintilian, Syntax & Computer-Aided Instruction, R. C. Hoover, Washington State University

The Effects of Personality Type on Grammar Instruction, Irene Brosnahan & Janice Neuleib, Illinois State University

Communicative Approaches to Teaching Grammar, Macey B. Taylor, University of Arizona

Teaching Grammar without the Grammar Books, Ed Vavra, Pennsylvania College of Technology