Formative feedback as grammar teaching

The aim of this paper is to discuss how formative feedback (FB) on written language production can complement and at times replace grammar teaching in the context of a communicative foreign language (L2) classroom. This is illustrated with results from two research projects where formative FB contributes to developing the L2 learners’ grammatical awareness. In the communicative approach to language teaching, grammatical awareness is a necessary component for achieving communicative competence, but grammar is not a goal in itself. In this approach, the teaching of grammatical items is planned according to communicative needs and can either be chosen in advance, as preparation for a task (a pre-emptive approach), or take place as a reaction to production (a reactive approach). Formative corrective FB can be considered as a reactive approach to grammar teaching.