Correcting learners
статья по английскому языку (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 класс)

Correcting learners

We correct learners sometimes when they have made a mistake and we want to show them that something is wrong. There is a range of correction strategies and techniques we can use to indicate that there is a mistake, and the ones we choose depend on a number of different factors, for example the   aim of the activity, the age of the learners and the language level of the learners.

One of the main dilemmas for teachers giving conversation groups is error correction. It’s always tricky to know when and if to correct students and how to go about it. The danger of over-correcting is that students will lose motivation and you may even destroy the flow of the class or the activity by butting in and correcting every single mistake. The other extreme is to let the conversation flow and not to correct any mistakes. There are times when this is appropriate but most students do want to have some of their mistakes corrected as it gives them a basis for improvement.

So, the question is when and how should you correct your students?

Every teacher will have different views on this and different ways of correcting their students and it’s a case of finding out what both you and your students feel comfortable with. I would like to offer several ideas of how to go about it.

Oral correction

Here are some ways that we can correct oral mistakes:

Finger correction. This shows learners where they have made a mistake. We show one hand to the class and point to each finger in turn as we say each word in the sentence. One finger is usually used for each word. This technique is particularly useful when learners have left out a word or when we want them to use a contraction, for example:  I'm working rather than  I am
working. We bring two fingers together to show that we want them to bring the two words together.

Gestures and/or facial expressions are useful when we do not want to interrupt learners too much, but still want to show them that they have made a slip. A worried look from the teacher can indicate to learners that there is a problem. It is possible to use many different gestures or facial expressions.

Phonemic symbols. Pointing to phonemic symbols is helpful when learners make pronunciation mistakes, for example using a long vowel /u:/when they should have used a short one /u/, or when they mispronounce a consonant. You can only use this technique with learners who are familiar with the relevant phonemic symbols.

Echo correcting means repeating. Repeating what a learner says with rising intonation can
show the learner that there is a mistake somewhere. You will find this technique works well when learners have made small slips which you feel confident they can correct themselves.

Identifying the mistake. Sometimes we need to identify the mistake by focusing learners' attention on it and telling them that there is a problem. This is a useful technique for correcting errors. We might say things like ’You can't say it like that' or 'Are you sure?' to indicate that they have made a mistake.

Peer and self-correction. Peer correction is when learners correct each other's mistakes.

Ignoring mistakes. In fluency activities we often ignore all the mistakes while the activity is in progress, as the important thing is for us to be able to understand the learners' ideas and for the learners to get fluency practice. We can make a note of frequent mistakes and correct them with the whole class after the activity. We often also ignore mistakes which are above
the learners' current level. For example, an elementary learner telling us about what he did at the weekend might make a guess at how to talk about past time in English. We would not correct his mistakes because the past simple is a structure we have not yet taught him. We may also ignore mistakes made by a particular learner because we think this is best for that
learner, e.g. a weak or shy learner. Finally, we often also ignore slips as learners can usually correct these themselves.

Written mistakes

Can you remember how you felt as a learner when your teacher returned a piece of written work? Many learners say they want to have all their mistakes corrected, and some teachers still believe it is a good thing to correct every mistake. But it can be very discouraging for your work to be covered in red marks, with corrections written in between the lines, and a single word at the end, or maybe just a tick.

The key question for teachers to ask themselves is what students learn from this kind of total correction. The answer is probably very little. If everything is corrected, learners will probably look over their work without thinking enough about any individual mistakes. Even if they do pay more attention to the corrections, this method does not involve them in any kind of learning process - they simply look at the corrections and teachers hope this means that they will not repeat the same mistakes.

So, what alternative methods can we use?

Selective correction. With this method the teacher still gives the correction, but focuses on one or two areas (e.g. verb tenses, use of prepositions) while ignoring other mistakes. The students are told in advance what the correction focus will be, which should make them think more carefully about those particular aspects when they are writing.

Correction code

The teacher has used a correction code to indicate the types of mistakes that the learner has made. This enables learners to make their own corrections. Here is an explanation of the letters and symbols:

Gr = grammar
P = punctuation
V = vocabulary (wrong word)

Pr = preposition

? = I don't understand what you have written. Please explain.

Sp = spelling

WO = word order

T = wrong verb tense

WF = wrong form

N = number / agreement (singular vs. plural)

л= something missing

0 = not necessary

How can self-correction be managed in the classroom?

Individual self-correction

Students attempt to discover the problems, make their own corrections (perhaps using a different coloured pen) and return their work to the teacher. This gives the student the opportunity to reflect on their mistakes and make improvements to their writing. It also shows the teacher what the learners are able to do and what still remains difficult or unknown. The teacher now has to check the corrections, and give the student feedback on anything that is still wrong or that the student has been unable to improve.

Peer correction

Students work in pairs, or in small groups. They exchange their papers and attempt to correct each other's work. Again, the teacher has to build in an extra checking stage, as students will often not be able to provide appropriate corrections. But as with individual self-correction, the students have to go
through a process of reconsidering what they have written.

Teacher correction. The teacher corrects the learners’ mistakes by writing the correct words on the learners’ work.

Ignoring the mistake. As in 9 above, sometimes we choose to ignore mistakes that learners make in their written work.

How can the teacher deal with items that students are unable to correct for
themselves?

One of the ways that you can help students improve their written work most effectively, is to take a short part of what they have written, and rewrite it yourself, as you would have written it, without regard to what they have actually written linguistically, taking only the content of what they say. Just going back over their mistakes is likely to be less effective than looking at a simple short piece of language well-constructed which they can compare with their own.

Remedial teaching

If students repeatedly make the same mistakes, or are unable to correct
themselves, the best response from the teacher may be to use these items as the
basis for planning remedial teaching in future lessons.

Teacher feedback

Once the students have corrected as much as they can, the teacher can concentrate on the remaining problems. Rather than just correction, students need to understand why they have made the mistake and how to put it right. At this stage students need feedback from the teacher - some kind of explanation of the particular language point and perhaps one or two examples to show them how the language should work. Ideally, feedback would take place in a one-to-one tutorial session, but with a large class this may not be practical, and feedback can take the form of written notes at the end of the student's work.

Conclusion

Whichever way you go about correcting your students, try to keep the experience positive for the learner. Being corrected constantly can be a really de-motivating, as every language learner knows. As you are listening out for your students’ errors, make sure you also listen out for really good uses of language and highlight these to the group too. In the case of language learning I really do believe the classic saying, ‘you learn from your mistakes’.