Namangan davlat universiteti ingliz filologiyasi fakulteti amaliy ingliz tili kafedrasi

Activity 3 Approaches to error correction
Objective: to introduce some techniques of error correction
Time: 25 min
Materials: video, handout 2 and 3
►Procedure:
- ☺(3 min) Introduce the concept of errors (i.e. ‘regular’ mistakes coming from misconceptions) and mistakes (i.e. occasional ones, which seem to be more random innature). Say that the teacher should focus more on error correction rather than on correcting students’ mistakes. Refer back to the videos.
- ☺(1 min) Say that now you would like participants to watch a clip of an ELT specialist talking about different types of errors and different approaches to error correction. Ask participants to take notes of the talk using a special form and answer some questions.
Distribute handout 2 to each participant.
- (11 min) Play the video fragment of Rod Bolitho talking about errors and error correction.
-☺(5 min) Discuss the questions on the form and participants’ answers. Check whether all participants understood the terms used in the talk.
Suggested answers:
1. Pre-systematic and post-systematic errors.
2. Interlanguage is the language produced by a learner between the
beginner stage and native speaker standard.
3. Interlanguage
I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I
Beginner Native speaker

4. Traditionally mistakes have been perceived as ‘punishable sins’ thathave to be avoided at all costs. This often breeds fear of making mistakes and therefore discourages students from experimenting with language.

5. Teachers should cultivate positive attitude to errors as learning steps and should encourage self- and peer-correction of post-systematic mistakes. However, teachers should recognise that students have no language capacity to correct their pre-systematic mistakes and should help students with recognition and correction of these mistakes.
6. Possible answers: Pre-systematic and post-systematic error; self- and peer-correction; comprehensible input; interlanguage; applied linguistics; second language acquisition; monitoring. See Glossary.
- ☺(4 min) Conclude by saying that irrespective of the approach or error correction techniques, mistakes should not be regarded as punishable sins, and that they are a natural part of the language learning process. Discuss the negative impact of fear of making a mistake. Establish that error correction should really serve only one purpose: to facilitate students’ learning.
- (1 min) Distribute handout 3􀀏 (the transcript of Rod’s talk) to each participant.