CORRECTION TECHNIQUES

Remember that it is very hard to be accurate and fluent at the same time.

*Often at the beginning of a grammar lesson, for example, we want the students to concentrate on accuracy. We help them to be accurate by drawing their attention to all their mistakes.

*At a later stage in the lesson we may want learners to have ago at getting more fluent in their speech, without worrying too much about being very accurate.

*In a fluency activity, you should just listen to the class, and note down any common mistakes you hear. Do the corrections at the end of the lesson.

* Too much correction can be as bad as too little correction. If we over-correct or correct too severely, learners will be reluctant to open their mouths and try out the English they know.

* Teachers need to be aware of who to correct, how to correct and when to correct.

*All these principles of correction apply to both spoken and written correction.

*Giving back written work covered in red ink corrections can be demotivating for the student.

*We must be supportive and encouraging in correction.

*Guide the learners to find the right words for themselves.

*When someone makes a mistake, give them a prompt. For example "Are you sure?" or "Try again".

*Then ask if anyone else in the class can offer a correction. This is called peer correction. If no-one gives a right answer, you can give the correction.

* First teach the class a code that you will use when correcting their writing. For example, /T/ for wrong tense, or /G/ for wrong grammar, or /WO/ for wrong word order. Then in class the learners try to correct their own work.