Thursday 19 September 2013

Session 4: Learner errors. To correct or not to correct.

Session 4 objectives: Learner errors.  To correct or not to correct?
By the end of this session you will be able to:
  • reflect on the nature of error and its impact on language learning;
  • analyse why learners use language inaccurately;
  • examine who can correct learners’ errors;
  • identify categories of language errors;
  • correct errors using a correction code.

Download handouts to help you work through the session.

Before you begin, consider your responses to the following questions.  Make a note of them somewhere and return to them after you have listened to the audio.

Task 1a: True or False?


a) I don’t bother to correct because it’s demotivating for the students.

b) It’s important to correct because students expect it.

c) I don’t really know what to correct and what not to correct.

d) I always use the same correction technique.

e) I don’t correct as much as I should because I don’t have enough confidence.

f) Even when I correct a mistake, the student makes the same one later on in the
    lesson.

g) I usually only correct grammar mistakes.

h) Students don’t like being interrupted when they are speaking so I try not to correct them when they are doing a fluency activity.

i) I always correct everything the students say.

j) Students can correct themselves or each other so they don’t need me.


Task 1b: Listen to these ESOL teachers talking about the issues above.  How do their answers compare to yours? Make notes in the box below.
listen to ‘Errors1’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Errors2’ on Audioboo
Vidjea and Karolina raised a number of interesting issues one of which included the use of ‘delayed’ correction.  This means that if learners are engaged in a speaking task, the aim of which is fluency practice, then the teacher shouldn’t interrupt the activity when learners make mistakes - instead, these can be dealt with after the activity has finished, perhaps in class plenary (when everyone is paying attention to feedback/the teacher).

Why do learners make mistakes?

Task 2: Read the introduction and summarise the main points in sections 1 and 2.  Check what you’ve written with our answers.  

Who corrects errors?

Task 3a: Before you read the following statements, think about who corrects the language in your classroom? You? The students? Their peers?
So we can see that there are a variety of reasons why learners make mistakes.  By understanding the causes, we can empathise with them and choose the most useful strategy to help them.


Teacher
Pros
  • The correction is quicker and more efficient.
  • The students expect the teacher ‘to do their job’.
  • Correction is handled sensitively.
Cons
  • Learners become too dependent on the teacher.
  • It can be demotivating.
  • Learners may feel embarrassed.
Peer
Pros
  • It encourages collaboration and a feeling of ‘working together’.
  • Learners can find it easier to be corrected by a peer rather than the teacher.
  • It builds learners’ confidence.
Cons
  • The learner doing the correction might get it wrong.
  • The learner being corrected might not understand the learner doing the correction.
  • It can be slower and less efficient.
Self
Pros
  • Learners are involved in the process.
  • Learning becomes more memorable and therefore more meaningful.
  • It allows the teacher to assess knowledge and progress.
Cons
  • It can be time-consuming.
  • Learners might not be able to correct themselves and become demotivated.
  • Learners might feel pressurised or embarrassed.

Task 3b: After having read through the statements, what changes might you make to your teaching? Why?

Types of error

Task 4a: Look at the sentences below, each of which contains a mistake.  Make the necessary corrections then check your answers.  6, 7, 9, 10 and 14 are most likely to be oral errors; the others can be either oral or written errors.


Now, check your answers.

Task 4b: Look again at the corrected sentences.  Try to identify whether the error is a grammatical (G), vocabulary (V), pronunciation (P) or appropriacy (A) error.  Mark your answer on the handout.

Now, check your answers. 


As you will see from doing the exercise, language errors can be broadly divided into 4 main types: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and appropriacy. To support our learners’ language development, it helps us to be able to categorise the type of error with a view to dealing with it effectively.


Task 4c: In this exercise, you will focus on the language we use to talk about language.  Look at the sentences from the previous exercise again.  Use the grammar reference books suggested below to help you do some research into language.  This will equip you with the knowledge you need to give feedback to your learners. 

Example
He speaks very well English is a word order error; learners need to know that the modifier and adverb (very well) come after the main noun (English).
These books and websites will help:

  • Grammar for English Language Teachers Martin Parrott
  • English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy
  • Teaching Tenses by Rosemary Aiken




Task 4d: Look at the letter written by a learner, which has been corrected by his/her teacher using some of these correction codes. Note which ones have been used and how they have been used.

[ ]
missing word or letter
BL
big letter
P
punctuation 
SL
small letter
Sp
spelling
WW
wrong word
//
new paragraph                    
WO
word order
T
tense
rep
repetition
G
grammatical error              
?
I don’t understand
Prep
prepositional error
√
good point/neatly put

Task 4e: Using the code, now correct this learner’s writing. Try to give a positive overall comment as well as correcting the language errors.

Now look at our suggestions. 

Top tips when doing error correction!
1
View correction as part of the learner’s language learning journey and treat errors in a positive way.
2
Vary who does the correction; use teacher, student and peer correction.
3
Help the learner to see what the error is.
4
Use different strategies for correction both verbal (word prompts and questions) and non-verbal (facial expressions, gesture).
5
Be positive and praise good work.
6
Focus on what is correct as well as what isn’t.
7
Don’t interrupt fluency work – do delayed correction.
8
See error correction as a valuable learning opportunity and don’t shy away from it.
9
Use a code to correct learners’ written work.
10
Don’t correct everything – try to prioritise.

Now over to you:
Considering what we’ve covered in this session, consolidate your learning by reading around the area of error correction.  Next time you teach, think about how you are correcting your learners’ errors and if your strategies are successful.  The next time your students give you some written work, correct it using the code. 

Show a colleague and see if they want to use it too. Good luck!

Further reading



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