My 9th CELTA day

Hi guys,

Today, I'd like to talk about one of the relevant things in teaching a second language: how to handle correction. It's recognized that the best way to do it is by student's self-correction. It means, teachers no longer have to correct students or give them answers, but rather rely on their capacity to do it themselves. Teachers can give them clues, by using body language, short questions with special intonations, gestures, etc, but never give the answers. Besides, self-correction demonstrates comprehension of and responsibility for the language. It builds awareness of the language, in turn leading to more self-sufficient speakers. It makes students more confident speakers too.
Students who can self-correct obviously understand the mistake, catch it, and make the necessary adjustments to their language production. It thus allows the teacher to gauge understanding and application of the target language. If a student can make the necessary correction to newly taught information, then it demonstrates he has absorbed the information. Next he needs to apply the target language in real conversation.
Students accept responsibility for their language production too. They rely on current skills to correct the mistake. Yet they also further hone their skills to produce the language more accurately. They become less reliant on the teacher when self-correction gets employed, which in turn develops self-sufficiency skills for use in the real world beyond the help of the teacher and classroom.
With self-correction, there also comes an increased awareness of the language. Students can better notice and correct problem areas, whether these problems result from personal weaknesses or ones connected to their L1. For example, Portuguese speakers often drop articles (a, an, and the), as well as confuse verb tenses. These sorts of mistakes occur not only with beginners, but with advanced-level students too. In fact, self-correction and increased awareness work in tandem, as consideration of one activates the other. In other words, if students focus on accuracy and correction, perhaps in an activity or exercise set by the teacher, then they monitor their speaking. This improves awareness. If students become more aware of the language, remembering the right grammar, vocabulary, and so on, then they have a greater chance to notice mistakes.

Talk to you next,

Cheerio

Flávia Chiacchia