Teacher´s resource: Error correction (III)

Other possible signs that you haven't got the balance right

* 1. The amount of error correction you do does not depend on the class
* 2. The amount of error correction you do has not changed over the years
* 3. You don't consider which errors could lead to miscommunication before correcting them
* 4. You never experiment with different amounts of correction



Ways of making sure you use the right amount of error correction

* 1. Think about all your classes and put them in order of how much error correction you think they need, from the class most in need of error correction (e.g. students stuck on the Intermediate plateau or ones who will be writing dissertations in English) at the top of the list to the class that least needs it (students who pause for a long time before they speak or students who had lots of grammar but little speaking practice in their previous English lessons) at the bottom of the list.
* 2. Write error correction stages on your lesson plan
* 3. Have a gap at the top of your lesson plan that says "error correction stage(s)"
* 4. Set a target for how many errors you will correct, how many error correction stages you will have and how much time you will spend on error correction and write it at the top of your lesson plan
* 5. Make a list of error correction techniques you would like to try, e.g. getting students to bet on whether each sentence is right or wrong
* 6. Always monitor for student errors and write them down, especially during pairwork and groupwork when you are more free to do so
* 7. Write down your personal criteria for when you will correct errors
Copyright © 2008 Alex Case. Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com