Teaching languages is a challenging task in which the teacher should consider many variables that have significant effects on learning outcomes. One of those significant considerations is how to respond students’ errors. One important point that is needed to be mentioned here is that errors are natural parts of acquisition. Learners might make mistakes at all stages and this happens no matter how able or perseverant the teacher is (Thornbury, 1999). Therefore, it should be kept in mind that learners’ making errors is an inevitable part of language learning. However, this does not tell us that errors can be ignored; instead it tells us that approaches toward error correction is supposed to consider this basic fact. After internalizing this, teachers have to focus on some other issues about error correction. That is to say, just spotting the error and correcting it directly will not help much. Firstly, teacher has to classify the error (grammar error, pronunciation error etc.). Secondly, s/he has to decide whether to handle it or not. Thirdly, teacher should decide when to correct the error (immediate-delayed). And finally, s/he should determine the appropriate technique to correct the error made (Scrivener, 1994). In the present paper you will find information about useful techniques to handle errors on-the-spot (immediately) especially the ones made by young learners.
One of the error correction techniques that is mostly used by teachers is recasting the incorrect statement in the correct manner. Recasting or with another name “rephrasing” is an immediate type of feedback. It is believed to be a gentle way of offering correction. However, one possible defect of this type of feedback is that learners may not notice that they made an error and it was corrected by teacher; this is true especially with young learners since they pay more attention to meaning than on form. Yet again, this method is favored over many others as it presents a more indirect approach which does not lead to offense or humiliation on the part of the learner.
Another technique that is used to correct learners’ errors is to “echo the error”. In this technique teacher literally repeats the erroneous utterance made by students. In this way teacher can attract leaner’s attention to the sentence s/he formed and make him/her feel that there is something wrong with the utterance. Nevertheless, it is possible to have the same problem of meaning versus form focus distinction here. A similar technique to this is echoing up to the error in the utterance and letting student to complete the sentence. Differently from the previous one this technique is more possible to be successful in attracting learner’s attention to the error.
The last immediate error correction I will mention in this paper is peer correction. In this technique, error made by a student is asked to be corrected by other students in the class. This can be implemented in route following manner, for example starting from the student closest to the teacher to the farthest one. Every student in the line is given a chance to correct the error made. The procedure is followed until one of the students presents the corrected form. Once again teacher mat come across the possibility of humiliation of the student who made the error in this method. Therefore, teacher needs to be especially careful with tone and approach s/he has towards students.
It is never possible to mention the ultimate best technique of error correction. Actually sometimes teachers do not even have to correct errors. Before taking a step toward error correction teacher has to answer certain questions: 1) Which learner errors should be corrected? 2) When should errors be corrected? 3) Who should correct learner errors? 4) How should errors be corrected? (Hendrickson, 1978) For the correction to be efficient and to serve its goals teachers should firstly answer these questions. I believe it is important to note that there are various kinds of handling error only three of which are covered here. However, as stated above, there is never the best one. The most appropriate technique varies according to the answers that can be given to the questions above. It should also be noted that correcting more does not guarantee that students will make fewer errors. Therefore, teachers should be careful about these considerations that will help them shape the correction technique they can make use of.
REFERENCES:
Cohen, Andrew D. (1975). Error Correction and the Training of Language Teachers. The Modern Language Journal. 59: 414-422.
Fanselow, John F. (1977). The Treatment of Error in Oral Work. Foreign Language Annals 10: 583-593.
Hendrickson, J. (1978). Error correction in foreign language teaching: Recent theory, research, and practice. Modern Language Journal, 62, 387–398.
Sanavi, R. Mirsaeedi, K. (2008). Error Treatment Predicament: Negotiated Corrective Feedback English. Language Teaching Conference. Iran.
Scrivener, J. (1994). Learning Teaching. Heinemann: Oxford.
Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Harlow: Longman.
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