Dealing with errors
Why should the teacher correct?
Making errors is a necessary part of the learning process. Students expect to be corrected, they may not
always like it, but if handled sensitively this should become a natural occurrence in the classroom and
an opportunity for all students to progress their understanding.
What errors do students make?
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Form e.g. What you do last weekend?
Meaning e.g. Sorry I’m late, I lost the bus.
Pronunciation e.g. My husband is ‘ berry lacy’.
Slips e.g. He work in an office.
Why do students make errors?
Student generated
 Overgeneralisation of rules.
 Misapplying/misunderstanding a rule.
 L1 interference / translation.
 Student is guessing, may be trying to
express a concept s/he doesn’t yet have
the language for.
 The student’s neurological pathways are
as yet unconstructed.
 Poor memory.
 Affective factors: tiredness, stress, lack
of concentration.
Teacher induced
 Teacher’s own inaccuracy in English.
 Inadequate clarification of
form/meaning/pron.
 Inadequate materials.
 Language/task is pitched too high for the
level.
 Poor instructions.
Note: some knowledge of the student’s own language will help with your understanding of why the
student has made the mistake and therefore how best to correct it.
When should the teacher correct?
This will depend on our aims at the time the error is made.
During a phase where the focus is on accuracy i.e. presentation/drilling/controlled practice correction
needs to be immediate (although a mistake outside the target language may be allowed to pass.)
During a phase where the focus is on fluency errors may be collected by the teacher whilst monitoring
and dealt with in delayed feedback.
How?
Student makes an error → T. indicates error has been made,
“mm...err”, gesture/or some other
technique→ St. self corrects → If st. can’t self correct, T says, “Can anyone help?”→ Peer correction →
T. returns to st. who made original error and st. repeats correct utterance.
(Obviously if no one can correct the teacher will correct)
Methodology: Dealing with error (FH)
Dealing with written errors
One of your students has handed in a written task. What do you do? Underline and correct every error in red and
write a mark or grade at the end? (No) Why not? (Demotivating)
What do you need to know before marking the text? (St.’s level; what they’ve studied to date; purpose of writing
task.)
Which errors do you focus on? Again this depends on the purpose of the piece. Ask yourself the following
questions: Does the writing answer the question? Is it generally comprehensible? Is there anything that impedes
comprehension? Language / legibility/ spelling? Is the layout appropriate? Are there errors in grammar /register /
vocabulary / punctuation? Depending on the level of the student, you may choose to correct only a certain
number of what you consider to be the most important errors.
Writing in the corrections is not the most helpful approach since it is akin to spoonfeeding and students may
glance at the corrections but not learn from them. This is why many teachers prefer to use a correction code for
marking students’ work. This encourages students to self-edit their work and develops student autonomy. A code
will indicate where the error is and what type of error it is, and thus enable the student to self-correct, much in
the same way as we deal with oral errors. If using a code, don’t forget to provide a key!
Further points to consider
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Use a green rather than a red pen.
A comment at the end will personalise your feedback, and remember to comment on the content as well
as the language.
Do mark written work promptly.
Keep a ‘hot card’ of students’ typical mistakes.
Make a composite worksheet with errors from all your students’ work, to review areas of difficulty.
Alternatively exploit these in a game (grammar betting / mistakes maze etc)
Example correction code
Symbol
/
Meaning
Unnecessary word
Example
I come from in Mexico.
^
Word missing
I born in 1985.
Sp
Spelling
I stoped learning English a year ago.
P
Punctuation
I speak french spanish and german
Gr
Grammar
I like watch TV.
T
Tense
I’ve arrived here last year.
WO
Word order
I always am hungry.
WW
Wrong word
He made his homework.
Agr
Agreement
He like swimming.
Prep.
Preposition
She arrived to Edinburgh.
Good use of English
It was bucketing down with rain.
Methodology: Dealing with error (FH)