Title: English Grammar Instruction and the Problem-based Learning Approach: A Multiliteracies Perspective

Abstract

This article centers on the first presentation of a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum on English grammar instruction that aims to foster a multiliteracies pedagogy in second-language education. Considering the future of literacy teaching in the context of the rapid advancement of language education technology, the educators of the New London Group have advocated a multiliteracies pedagogy emphasizing that literacy can be administered through multiple modes. In this study, the author intended to design an English grammar instructional curriculum from the perspective of multiliteracies with an emphasis on the conception of multiple dimensions. Some studies on the PBL approach feature leading the students to complete problem-solving tasks by using different formats of information resources. A general PBL curriculum starts with the teacher proposing a problem, followed by the students setting up their learning goal, and ending with the students presenting their solutions to the problem. From the reviewed literature, the author found that PBL has not been widely used in English education in the EFL context, and so integrated it into English courses in Taiwan. This article reports essential conceptions of applying PBL to teaching English, the principles of developing a PBL grammar instruction curriculum, and further presents a PBL instructional framework composed of three vital dimensions, namely teaching and learning activities, instructional materials, and assessment. These curriculum elements feature a multiliteracies pedagogy. To exemplify how to integrate PBL into an English course, the PBL teaching scheme is presented.