Methodology L7

1. Methodology L7 Lecture Error Correction and feedback Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

2. Mistakes, Errors, and Feedback --Mistakes --------- are slips which students can correct themselves once the mistake has pointed out to them. They are not common among most students. --Errors ----- mistakes which students can not correct themselves and which need explanation. --When responding to errors teachers should be seen as providing feedback, helping students to reshape their knowledge rather than telling students off because they are wrong. --Teachers’ reactions towards their students’ errors (you are not a bad teacher). Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

3. Causes for the errors which most students make at various stages: 1- (Interlingual transfer)L1 interference ----------Students who learn English as a second language already have a deep knowledge of at least one language ------there are confusions between the two languages. Fluent knowledge of the learners’ native language will the teacher a lot. Examples ------ the sounds \f\ and \v\ in English and Arabic ------------- In grammar when the two languages use different systems Ex. Girl beautiful 2- (Intraligual transfer )Over-generalization--------- Developmental errors Examples--------she is nicer than him. Here the acquisition of more for comparatives is over-generalized and mixed up with the rule that the student has learnt. The comparative adjectives are formed of an adjective + er. Errors of this kind are part of a natural acquisition process. The early stages of language learning are characterized by a predominance of the interference (interlingual transfer) but once learners have begun to acquire parts of the new language system, more and more intralingual transfer is manifested. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

4. Assessing student performance Teachers can assess students’ performance through: 1- tests-exams 2- comments in and outside the class ------- oral comments, ex. Good and written comments ex. paragraph two is confusing because the sequence of events is not clear. 3- Marks and grades, if we want to give grades, we need to decide on what basis we are going to do this and be able to describe this to the students. 4- Reports, at the end of a term or year teachers write reports on their students’ performance Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

5. Assessing student performance cont. Students assessing themselves, we can ask students at the end of an activity how well they think they have got on. Or tell them to add a written comment to a piece of written work they have completed, giving their own assessment of that work. What do you think, can we use this technique in our classrooms???????????? Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

6. Feedback during oral work Feedback -------- assessment + correction Though feedback can be very helpful during oral work, teachers should not deal with all oral production in the same way. Decisions about how to react to our students’ performance will depend upon - The stage of the lesson - The activity • The type of mistake made and • The particular student who is making the mistake Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

7. Accuracy and Fluency A distinction is often made between accuracy and fluency. We need to decide whether a particular activity in the classroom is designed to expect the students’ complete accuracy, as in the study of a piece of grammar or a pronunciation exercise. Whether we are asking students to use the language as fluently as possible. -There is a need to make a clear difference between non-communicative and communicative activities. Whereas the former are generally intended to ensure correctness, the latter are designed to improve language fluency. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

8. Accuracy and Fluency cont. • When students are involved in accuracy work, it is part of the teacher’s function to point out and correct the mistakes that students are making. • During communicative activities, it is generally felt that teachers should not interrupt students to point out a grammatical, lexical, or pronunciation errors. • Processing language for communication is the best way for processing language for acquisition. Teacher intervention in such circumstances can raise stress levels and stop the acquisition process in its tracks. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

9. Accuracy and Fluency cont. • Nothing in language teaching is that simple, of course there are times during communicative activities when teachers may want to offer corrections because the students’ communication is at risk, or because this might be just the right moment to draw the students’ attention to a problem. • --Do we need to correct all students’ errors???????? • Teachers will not react to absolutely every error that a student makes if this will de-motivate the student. There is a need to judge just the right moment to correct. In communicative activities or fluency activities, it means deciding if and when to intervene at all. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

10. Three techniques for correcting students’ errors 1- Self-correction 2- Student-to-student correction 3- Teacher-correction Correction is usually made up of two main stages: • 1-Teachers show students that a mistake has been made (showing incorrectness) • 2-teachers help students to do something about it Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

11. Three techniques for correcting students’ errors cont. • Showing incorrectness techniques are useful for what we are assuming to be language mistakes rather than errors. The students are expected to be able to correct themselves once the problem has been pointed out. If not, there is a need to use alternative techniques (student-to-student correction or teacher-correction) 1- Self- correction --------there is a need to use any or some of the following showing incorrectness techniques to help students recognize that there is something wrong 1- Repeating--------t. asks S. to repeat------say it again. 2- Echoing-------T. repeats what the S. said pin-pointing the error 3- statement or questions --------T. says that is not quite right. Or do you think this answer is right? Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

12. Three techniques for correcting students’ errors cont. 4-Expressions ----facial expressions or gestures to indicate that something is wrong here. Be careful when using expressions and gestures?????? 5-Hinting---------a quick way to help students to activate the rules they already know. Teacher might say the word ‘tense’ or countable and uncountable. This kind of hinting depends upon the fact that both teacher and students are sharing a metalanguage (linguistic terms) which, when whispered to students, will help them to correct themselves. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

13. Three techniques for correcting students’ errors cont. 2- Student-to-student correction (getting it right techniques) If student is unable to correct him-her self, sometimes we might ask students to correct each other. Student-to-student correction works well in classes where there is a cooperative atmosphere. However don’t forget all about the first student who provide the wrong answer. You need to involve him-her in one way or another. Dr. Hanaa El-Baz

14. Three techniques for correcting students’ errors cont. 3-Teacher-correction If both self-correction and student-to-student correction don’t work , there is a need to correct your student’s error yourself. Remember that your students may well be more capable than you think. As teachers we often feel a desire to rush in with the correct response before students have had enough time to process the information in their minds. The end Dr. Hanaa El-Baz