In this talk, Scott Thornbury reviews some of the main models of grammar—often couched as metaphors—and looks at their implications for classroom practice. Thornbury is a faculty member in MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at The New School (http://www.newschool.edu/matesol) and an author whose work has been published by Oxford University Press.

What is grammar, and how is it internalized in the mind? Is it made up of symbolic code or of neural connections? Is it a sedimented trace left by previous conversations or an innate human capacity? Our answers to these questions obviously shape the way we go about teaching second languages.

THE NEW SCHOOL | http://www.newschool.edu

Location: Wollman Hall, Eugene Lang Building, 65 West 11th Street, 5th floor. July 16, 2009 6:00pm