a response to the Hartwell article

             As I was reading the Hartwell article, I must admit I did feel a vague sense of discomfort. I have spent much of my professional life teaching students the rules of grammar as applies to learning Spanish language. The course I taught, Spanish II, is traditionally the course in which more intense grammar instruction does take place. 
              Immediately apparent to me was the fact that Hartwell does not favor the formal teaching of grammar. As was noted in the article, the bias of the author toward formal grammar teaching can affect how they interpret the results of studies related to grammar. I thus look at Hartwell's comments with a skeptical eye. To the credit of the author, this bias is clearly acknowledged.
              I agree that teaching grammatical structures in isolation from authentic language is a useless exercise. Foreign language teachers have discussed this problem for years. Whereas in days past many grammar exercises featured nonsensical sentences solely designed to showcase the particular grammatical or syntactical form, the current paradigm is that communication of meaning is paramount. Grammar is communication's servant as opposed to its master.
            Where I part company with Hartwell is the implication that formal grammar teaching is completely useless. The one area of the writing process in which these formal rules will be useful is the editing process. Not all intuitive language of grammar, Grammar I as Hartwell calls it, will result in sentences that would be considered grammatical to literate Americans. When I say grammatical I am referring to Standard American English. While there are attempts to bring different types of discourse into the academy, student writing is largely judged by how well the "rules" for Standard American English are observed. The ability to edit prose to meet these standards is critical, and formal grammar knowledge can be invaluable.
             For myself, a fruitful way to deal with grammar is to explain to students how grammar errors will affect the meaning that their readers glean from what they write. This maintains the vital link between grammar and communication. If students understand that their mistakes will affect their ability to express themselves, they may find "the rules" more useful.