Correction as a method of improvement language skills in teaching English

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CORRECTION AS A METHOD OF IMPROVEMENT LANGUAGE SKILLS IN TEACHING ENGLISH

teaching english error correction

Довгань Л.І.,

доцент,

Вінницький національний аграрний університет

Власюк О.І.,

магістр Інституту менеджменту, адміністрування та права

Вінницький національний аграрний університет

Correction as a method of improvement language skills of students in teaching English is analyzed in the article. The main types of mistakes are defined and the main benefits of correction for learners are considered.

Key words: correction, method of improvement language skills, error.

У статті проаналізовано виправлення як метод удосконалення мовних навичок студентів під час викладання англійської мови. Виділено основні види помилок, а також розглянуто, яку користь дає виправлення студентам.

Ключові слова: виправлення, метод удосконалення мовних навичок,помилка.

В статье проанализировано исправление как метод усовершенствования языковых навыков студентов в преподавании английского языка. Выделены основные виды ошибок, а также рассмотрено, какую пользу дает исправление студентам.

Ключевые слова: исправление, метод усовершенствования языковых навыков, ошибка.

One of the main dilemmas for teachers of English 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.

A lot of time and effort is spent on training courses and beyond in encouraging teachers to consider whether immediate or later correction of student errors during oral work is appropriate. There are many good methods and techniques suggested for correcting students' errors.

Many teachers have tried try to answer a crucial issue for any teacher is when and how to correct students' English mistakes. Among them are Jo Budden, Chris Cotter, Kenneth Beare, Lindsay Clandfield, Duncan Foord and others. But still there are lots of issues to be discussed and problems to be solved.

The aim of the article is to define the main types of mistakes made by the students, to consider what benefits correction of any kind might have for learners, as well as to present some ideas for conducting later correction (correction slots).

There are several types of corrections that teachers are expected to make during the course of any given class. Here is a list of the main types of mistakes that need to be corrected:

· Grammatical mistakes (mistakes of verb tenses, preposition use, etc.)

· Vocabulary mistakes (incorrect collocations, idiomatic phrase usage, etc.)

· Pronunciation mistakes (errors in basic pronunciation, errors in word stressing in sentences, errors in rhythm and pitch)

· Written mistakes (grammar, spelling and vocabulary choice mistakes in written work).

The main issue at hand during oral work is whether or not to correct students as they make mistakes. Mistakes may be numerous and in various areas (grammar, vocabulary choice, pronunciation of both words and correct stressing in sentences). On the other hand, correction of written work boils down to how much correction should be done. In other words, should teachers correct every single mistake, or, should they give a value judgment and correct only major mistakes.

With oral mistakes made during class discussions, there are basically two schools of thought: 1) correct often and thoroughly; 2) let students make mistakes.

Sometimes, teachers refine the choice by choosing to let beginners make many mistakes while correcting advanced students often.

However, many teachers are taking a third route these days. This third route might be called 'selective correction'. In this case, the teacher decides to correct only certain errors. Which errors will be corrected is usually decided by the objectives of the lesson, or the specific exercise that is being done at that moment. In other words, if students are focusing on simple past irregular forms, then only mistakes in those forms are corrected (i.e., goed, thinked, etc.). Other mistakes, such as mistakes in a future form, or mistakes of collocations (for example: I made my homework) are ignored.

Finally, many teachers also choose to correct students after the fact. Teachers take notes on common mistakes that students make. During the follow-up correction session the teacher then presents common mistakes made so that all can benefit from an analysis of which mistakes were made and why.

As teachers, we must decide whether or not to offer correction in each and every class. Appropriate correction and feedback is a staple of the classroom, just as are drills or speaking activities. But too much correction produces a class of students whose fluency suffers. They become overly concerned with grammatically correct responses. They produce lengthy pauses before answering even the most simple of questions, focusing too much on word order, verb tense, and the like. If the teacher corrects too little, then words tumble out of the mouths of students. Too much and too little correction can hinder communication.

There are three basic approaches to correcting written work: 1) correct each mistake; 2) give a general impression marking; 3) underline mistakes and / or give clues to the type of mistakes made and then let students correct themselves.

There are two main points to this issue:

1. If I allow students to make mistakes, I will reinforce the errors they are making.

Many teachers feel that if they do not correct mistakes immediately, they will be helping reinforce incorrect language production skills. This point of view is also reinforced by students who often expect teachers to continually correct them during class. The failure to do so will often create suspicion on the part of the students.

2. If I don't allow students to make mistakes, I will take away from the natural learning process required to achieve competency and, eventually, fluency.

Learning a language is a long process during which a learner will inevitably make many, many mistakes. In other words we take a myriad of tiny steps going from not speaking a language to being fluent in the language. In the opinion of many teachers, students who are continually corrected become inhibited and cease to participate. This results in the exact opposite of what the teacher is trying to produce - the use of English to communicate.

There is little point correcting learners if they don't have a fairly immediate opportunity to redo whatever they were doing and get it right. Learners need the opportunity for a proper rerun of the communication scenario in which they made the error, if they are to have any chance of integrating the correct form into their English. Whether the error was teacher-corrected, peer-corrected or self-corrected in the first place is of relatively minor importance. So, lots of learners and teachers think correction is important.

Accurate but minimal contributions in speaking activities are unlikely to benefit learning as much as inaccurate but extended participation. Learners can be hampered by their own inhibitions and attitudes to accuracy and errors, the teacher's attitude and behaviour (conscious or unconscious) to accuracy and errors or the restricted nature of the activities proposed by the teacher.

Teachers spend too much time focusing on what students do wrong at the expense of helping them to get things right.

Here is a sample correction slot pro-forma which has been filled in with some notes taken during an English class:

This pro-forma helps teacher and students identify errors. It also helps you as a teacher to listen and give balanced feedback.

It has been divided into several sections. The first two, Grammar/Vocabulary and Pronunciation, are pretty evident and are what teachers look out for as 'mistakes' in most cases.

The third column reminds us to include successful language in feedback. Too often in correction slots the emphasis is on what went wrong. Here the teacher can write down examples of good things that happened. This is especially true if the teacher notices that the students are using a recently taught structure or lexical item, or if they have pronounced something correctly that they had trouble with before.

You can copy your filled-in version and hand it out to groups of students to save writing on the whiteboard. Or simply use it to help you note down language in an organized way.

You can fill out separate sheets for each group of students as you listen or even for each individual student. You can pass them round, have students correct their own, each others, whatever.

The advantage of using a set form is that by doing this, you keep an ongoing record of mistakes that can be stored and exploited for revision lessons, tests or as filler for the end of a class.

Here are some ideas on how to vary your correction slot and make it more effective and memorable for your learners.

1. Rehashing

Write learners' errors on the whiteboard in the usual way. Then ask learners to rehash or summarize the communication using the errors on the board as prompts. For example, learners have been comparing two cities and the teacher has noted down and written mistakes on the board. Students have discussed and corrected the mistakes, so we now have correct vocabulary items and phrases on the board. The teacher then asks a student to report some of the points made, using the bits of language on the board as prompts. This can be done together as a group or in pairs or using both formats. This activity helps learners to reinforce corrected language (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation).

2. The Correction Sandwich

This is a correction slot done in the middle of a communication activity. The advantage is that students actually have a chance to put feedback on their performance immediately into practice. It works particularly well with communication activities that have a rotating element and natural breaks, such as the job interview where a candidate has several interviews, or advice giving, where a student seeks advice on a problem from several other students. The teacher can stop a discussion activity, conduct a correction slot and then allow students to continue the discussion.

3. Grammar gap fill

Teacher writes up some incorrect (and correct) sentences she hears in the speaking activity and deletes a word or words from each one. Students have to fill the gaps. This works particularly well with prepositions.

4. Vocabulary extension

Write some headings on the board relating to lexical areas from the communication activity. If students have been comparing two cities the headings could be adjectives to describe a city, city facilities, climate, for example. Learners make lists under each heading of words and expressions they used and heard used during the activity. Then ask students to add three items to each list, using a bilingual dictionary or the teacher as a resource. Teacher monitors and conducts collective feedback as necessary.

5. Getting learners more involved in correcting each other

Students can take on the teacher's role and be responsible for listening and noting down mistakes. They can use a pro forma such as the one included in this article. This can be especially useful when there is an odd number for pair work or a role play activity. Feedback can be done firstly in small groups, where the student gives feedback to the peers he has been listening to, and then as a whole class to deal with unresolved difficulties.

6. Zero correction

Instead of having a correction slot, the teacher simply uses the errors she has noted down as the basis for language work in future classes.

So, every teacher has 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. Here are several ideas of how to go about it.

Are you working on accuracy or fluency?

Before you begin an activity, bear in mind whether you are concentrating on accuracy or fluency. For a class discussion, for example, fluency would be appropriate. The important thing is that students are expressing themselves and thinking on their feet. However if students have had time to prepare a role-play and are then going to perform it you may want to encourage accuracy. Be clear of the task aims and make sure students are aware of what you expect from them. Don't present an activity as a fluency task and then pick them up on every single mistake.

Self correction / Peer correction

Students can often correct themselves when they realize they've made a mistake. Sometimes the mistake is simply a `slip' and they are aware of the correct version. Give students a chance, and time, to correct themselves. Often by just raising your eyebrows or repeating the mistake students will know what you mean and back track to correct the error themselves. Some teachers create all sorts of hand signals to indicate the type of error. Pointing behind you is a classic to indicate to students that they should have used a past tense. If these work for you and your students, go ahead and create your own correction indicators.

Students can also correct one another. Peer correction often helps to create a positive class atmosphere as students realize you are not the only source of error correction and they can learn a lot from one another.

It is good to remind students that if they are always making new mistakes it's okay. New mistakes are usually a sign that they are exploring new uses of language or experimenting with new vocabulary but if they are always repeating the same mistakes it's not such a good sign! By noting their mistakes students have a record of their progress and can avoid repeating the same mistakes time and time again. It's a good idea to have a set space in their notebooks to write down their errors and the correct version. One way of doing it is to divide a page into three columns:

Sometimes it's a good idea to have little tests based on the classic mistakes students make in class. It encourages students to look over their notes and try to learn from them.

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 we can agree with the classic saying, `you learn from your mistakes'.

References

1. Beare K. Student Correction During Class - How and When? // Beare K. - Teaching Methods and Techniques. - 2002. - № 45. - 241-244.

2. Chaudron C. Teachers' priorities in correcting learners' errors in French immersion classes / Chaudron C. - In R. Day. Talking to learn: Conversation in second language acquisition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House, 1986. - P. 64-84.

3. Hendrickson J. Error correction in foreign language teaching: Recent theory research, and practice // Hendrickson J. - Modern Language Journal. -1978. - №62. - P. 387-398.

4. Lyster R. Corrective feedback and learner uptake: Negotiation of form in communicative classrooms // Lyster R., Ranta L. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. - 1997. - № 19. - P. 37-66.

5. Lyster R. Speaking immersion // Lyster R. - Canadian Modern Language Review. -1987. - № 43(4). - P. 701-717.

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