Approach Grammar with Ease

This course aims to help teachers approach grammar with ease in their classrooms. With a focus on language awareness, what grammar is - and what it isn’t - and a reflective approach to grammar, this course will help teachers be more confident and comfortable approaching grammar in their classrooms.

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Introduction to the Course

Here, Mike introduces the first module and gives an overview of the course


What is language awareness?

How would you assess your current level of language awareness?

Is it important for teachers? For students? 

What are the advantages and limitations of language awareness?

"Advanced Grammar for Teachers" delves into all of these questions and more. Throughout, we ask you to reflect, design, and apply what you learn.

*You have unlimited access to the course for 6 months.

This PRACTICAL course will show you a NEW way to approaching grammar

It examines:

  • the importance and relevance of language awareness for both language teachers and learners

  • the difference between language analysis and language awareness

  • the role of corpora in language teaching and learning

  • the relationship between grammar and meaning

  • the association between grammar and function

  • how the verb system works

  • two approaches to grammar: grammar as process and grammar as product

  • the difference between time, tense, and aspect

  • the notion of ‘distance’ in grammar

  • the meaning and use of "voice" (active and passive)

This Course Has Five Modules

Each with tasks, reflection, videos, and more

  • 1

    A Welcome Message from LYE & Complementary Material

    • Welcome to 'Advanced Grammar for Teachers'!

    • Complementary Materials
  • 2

    Module 0: Language Awareness

  • 3

    Module 1: What is Grammar?

    • Welcome to Module 1 & Introduction

      FREE PREVIEW

    • 1. Aims & Objectives

      FREE PREVIEW

    • 2. Background Reading

      FREE PREVIEW

    • 3. Sources of Knowledge

    • 4. Authority in Language Description

    • 5. Empirical Evidence: Corpora & Corpus Studies

    • 6. From the top to the bottom: Texts, Sentences, Words, Sounds

    • 6.1 Texts, Sentences, Words, and Sounds

    • 6.2 Task 4 Feedback

    • 6.3 Reflective Task

    • 7. What does that mean? Grammar and Meaning

    • 7.1 Representational Meaning

    • 7.2. Representational Meaning - Task 5 Feedback

    • 7.3. Interpersonal Meaning

    • 7.4. Task 6 Commentary

    • 8. Grammar and Function

    • 8.1 Grammar and Function Pre-Task Video Feedback

    • 8.2 Grammar and Function - Task

    • 9. Spoken Grammar and Written Grammar

    • 9.1. Case Study Task

    • 9.2 Elements of Written and Spoken Grammar

    • 9.3. Elements of Written Grammar

    • 9.4 Task 8 Feedback

    • 9.5 Punctuation & Linking Sentences and Cohesion

    • 9.6 Feedback for Task 9

    • 9.7 Cohesive Devices: Pronouns

    • 9.8 Feedback for Task 10

    • 10. Formality & Register

    • 10.1. Task 11 Feedback

    • 11. Elements of Spoken Grammar

    • 12. Aspect and the Future

    • 13. Written and Spoken Grammar: Implications for Teachers

    • 14. What is Grammar?

    • 14.1 Discussion & Reflection on What Grammar is

    • 14.2 Curriculum and Syllabus (Answers to Question 4)

    • 15. Grammar Syllabus

    • 15.1 Grammar Syllabus Task

    • 15.2 Answers for Task 13

    • 15.3 What to Include in a Syllabus? Selection and Grading

    • 15.4. Task 14 Answers

    • 16. Module 1 Summary
  • 4

    Module 2.0: Tense & Time

    • Introduction to Module 2.0 - Tense & Time

    • 1.0 Aims & Objectives

    • 2.0 Background Reading

    • 3.0 Why Grammar?

    • 3.1 Which Grammar and Task 1

    • Task 1 Comments

    • 3.2 Task 2

    • Task 2 Comments

    • 3.3 Task 3

    • 3.4 Task 3 Comments

    • 3.5 Why Grammar? A Summary

    • 4.0 The Issue of Overgeneralization & Task 4

    • Task 4 Comments

    • 4.1 The Idealization of Grammar & The Airplane Window

    • 4.1A Task 5

    • Task 5 Comments

    • 4.2 From the Top to the Bottom: Grammar, Meaning, and the Problem of Idealization

    • Reflection Task Comments

    • 4.3 Prescriptive Idealizations about Grammar in the Classroom & Task 6

    • 4.3A Reflection Task

    • Task 6 Comments

    • 4.4 Task 7: Misleading Idealizations

    • Task 7 Comments

    • 5.0 The Notion of Time

    • Reflection Task Comments

    • 5.1 Task 1

    • Task 1 Comments

    • 5.2 Reflection Task

    • 5.3 Task 2

    • Task 2 Comments

    • 5.4 Task 3

    • Task 3 Comments

    • 5.5 Module Recap: Parts 1-5

    • 6.0 Understanding Verb Tenses - Focus on Form

    • Tasks 4 & 5 Comments

    • 7.0 Understanding Tense - Focus on Meaning

    • 7.1 Task 6

    • Task 6 Comments

    • 7.2 Past Tense: The Remote Tense & Task 7

    • Task 7 Comments

    • 7.3 Past Tense or The Distant/Remote Tense?

    • Reflection Task Feedback

    • 7.4 Task 8

    • Task 8 Comments

    • 7.5 Grammar & Distance in Review

    • 7.6 Questions for Reflection
  • 5

    Module 2.1: Aspect

    • Module 2.1 Introduction: What is Aspect?

    • 1.0 The Role of Aspect

    • 2.0 The Two Aspects of English

    • 3.0 Recognizing Aspects in English and Task 1

    • 4.0 Bringing it all Together

    • 5.0 Addressing Common Errors & Review of Aims

    • 6.0 Questions for Reflection

    • 7.0 Homework
  • 6

    Module 3: Voice

    • 1.0 Aims & Objectives

    • 2.0 Background Reading

    • 3.0 Pre-task: Identifying Voice

    • 4.0 Introduction to Module 3: What is Voice?

    • 5.0 Be, Get, and Have

    • 6.0 Agents and Prepositions in Passive Structures & Task

    • Task Feedback and Comments: Agents & Prepositions

    • 6.1 Reflection Task

    • 7.0 Voice in Discourse: The End-Focus Principle

    • 7.1 Task

    • 8.0 Common Problems for Learners

    • 8.1 Reflection Task

    • 9.0 Review of Aims

    • 9.1 Homework
  • 7

    Module 4: Thank you for Learning with Us

    • 4.1 Course Finale

    • 4.2 Next Steps for Continuing your Development

    • 4.3 Feedback

    • 4.4 Course References

Continue Your Development Journey

Re-think and re-enforce your approach to grammar

Get Started Now

Course Details & Design Principles

We adopt a bottom-up and reflective approach to CPD

  • Self-Study Course

    Work through the courses on your time and schedule to learn at a pace that's comfortable for you. Use the concepts in your classrooms and report back what did and didn't work.

  • Forty Development Hours in 6 Months

    As it's designed, this course is approximately forty hours. We ask you to reflect, design, and apply what you learn in your own contexts. This is in addition to video, audio, materials and everything else included in the course platform. You have unlimited access for 6 months.

  • Bottom-up, Task-based, and Reflection-driven

    For far too long, CPD has been prescriptive in nature and thus not applicable to many teachers' contexts. CPD should give teachers agency and authority to learn new concepts, filter what's necessary, and design & apply that to their own classroom. We use a task-based approach to our programs with many points of reflection to accomplish this.

Design Principles

We design our Teacher Education courses blending a bottom-up and task-based approach. We ask teachers to reflect on their practice, aim to empower them to design materials for their own context, and be informed on SLA research.

What the Teachers Say

5 star rating

loved it!

Monika Novta

it's a fantastic course. even though many concepts were familiar to me from before (I'm a trained teacher), this course was an amazing and much needed refres...

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it's a fantastic course. even though many concepts were familiar to me from before (I'm a trained teacher), this course was an amazing and much needed refresher and it game me tons of new ideas on how to approach grammar in teaching. I highly recommend it.

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5 star rating

An excellent professional development opportunity for any...

Bistra Borissova Maugeri

One of the best online courses I have taken so far! Well-rounded, straight-to-the-point, relevant and theory-light content, focused on the most problematic g...

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One of the best online courses I have taken so far! Well-rounded, straight-to-the-point, relevant and theory-light content, focused on the most problematic grammar areas for students (tense, aspect, and voice). Clearly structured units, easy-to-complete bite-sized sections, ranging from short video presentations to practical tasks. Plenty of opportunities to personalize the knowledge and deepen understanding through reflection tasks and reference to your own teaching context. This was definitely a very enriching and positive experience. It made me realize how inadequately Grammar is represented in mainstream EFL coursebooks and the negative effect this has on both teaching and learning. It helped me readjust my focus from the form to the use when teaching grammar and definitely raised my language awareness as a whole.

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5 star rating

What an amazing course!

Sandra Lencioni

I've just completed the Advanced Grammar For Teachers and all I can say is: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. The course has led me to extensive reflection on everything I thou...

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I've just completed the Advanced Grammar For Teachers and all I can say is: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. The course has led me to extensive reflection on everything I thought I knew about grammar and filled me with hunger- for more knowledge. Thank you for such an inspiring course. I can't wait for more.

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5 star rating

Totally worth it.

Ana Vitti

This is a comprehensive and thorough course. It encompasses very important points of English Grammar, explained in clear language. It also brings many points...

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This is a comprehensive and thorough course. It encompasses very important points of English Grammar, explained in clear language. It also brings many points for reflection. A must take course for teachers who want to "refresh" and improve their knowledge.

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5 star rating

Advanced grammar - what you need to know

erwin v hopwood

I found the course both challenging and rewarding. Challenged my learned concept of what grammar is and presented some new ways of seeing and presenting thi...

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I found the course both challenging and rewarding. Challenged my learned concept of what grammar is and presented some new ways of seeing and presenting things. The pace was good as was all the material, both within the course and also the external references that were recommended. Would highly recommend.

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Instructor(s)

Michael Landry

Mike has worked as a language instructor, teacher trainer, and director of studies in East Asia and Canada. Mike began his ELT career in South Korea as a business-English, exam preparation (TOEFL/IELTS), and EAP instructor. He then moved on to China and Japan where he assumed a variety of ESL teaching and administrative roles. Since returning to Canada, he has taught EAP at universities and continues to develop curriculum for a variety of English language programs. He has also served of provincial and national professional bodies. In addition to his ELT interests, Mike enjoys being outdoors and taking in some sports.

Leo Gomez

My name is Leo Gomez and I’m the CVO and a founding member of Learn YOUR English. I have devoted my life exclusively to education and a substantial portion of my work in English Language Teaching has involved, teaching, educating, and developing language teachers both in pre- and in-service capacities. I have an MA in TEFL and Corpus Linguistics (University of Birmingham) and a Delta (Cambridge University). My research interests include humanistic education, philosophy of education, psychology of learning, critical pedagogy, task-based learning, podcasting as a tool for development, and learner-centered education. Leo’s 20+ years of teaching experience overseas include 6 countries and a broad spectrum of classes, ranging from general English, exam English, ESP, to teacher education courses; the last 6 years of my teaching have been devoted solely to English for Academic Purposes at universities and colleges in Canada.. As an EAP instructor, I employed my experience with data-driven learning and task-based education to promote agency, awareness, and authenticity in the learning process. Leo has developed a process for growing audiences and building authority, both from his work with universities and colleges and @Teachertalkingtime podcast interviews with leading thinkers, such as Scott Thornbury, Jane Willis, Patsy Lightbown, Susan Hunston, and more. I am excited to have you on this journey with us!

Andrew Woodbury

In his career, Andrew has worked as a language instructor, teacher trainer, and director of studies. Over that time, he has delivered a wide variety of courses both in Canada and abroad. He started teaching in Costa Rica, where he lived and worked for over three years. In his time there, he delivered business-English and teacher-training courses, and would later become the director of studies of two separate institutions. In Canada, he has worked at a variety of language schools, colleges, and universities teaching EAP Foundation Courses and continuing his teacher-training responsibilities. When he is not teaching, Andrew loves travelling, reading, and pretending that he’s a writer.

Ready to Get Started?

You are a few clicks away from a reflective course that will provide you with a better understanding of the descriptions of language commonly found in published materials. You will not only be able to explain these concepts better to your students, but also adopt a critical stance towards them.
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