Veranderingen in het Schrijfvaardigheids-Onderwijs

For many years there has been a discussion on the role grammar plays, or should play, in the writing curriculum. In spite of this not many changes have taken place yet.This article discusses the effects that traditional grammar lessons may have on the writing skills. The correct use of cohesive ties, of conjunctions, and of gapping might benefit by grammatical instruction, provided the instruction focuses on the interaction of macro and micro elements in texts. However, only a minority of the exercises used in the writing curriculum are focused on these interactional aspects, as is shown by a review of the literature and an analysis of frequently used exercises.It is argued that everyday school practice is first and foremost guided by formal testing. If this holds true, an effective way to curricular change is to develop functional language tests that reflect the social needs of language use.