The Role of Mistakes in Teaching Young Learners

The Role of Mistakes in Teaching Young Learners

Tukhlieva Shoira

Group: 323

Nowadays learning the English language is becoming one of the requirements of time. According to researches¹, young learners achieve more success in this field than adults or older ones. However, teacher comes across with some serious problems while working with young learners such as word choice, word order, writing problems and others like these. Generally, all of them are called mistakes. Why do language learners make these kinds of mistakes? Is making mistakes good or bad? In this article, the author will discuss the role of mistakes during the learning process.

Most of the linguists² say that mistakes or failures should be welcomed in the classroom. They can help to improve learners’ interest, motivation for learning the language. The result of correction of mistakes pupils try and try again and are convinced they can do it, maybe not yet but after enough practice. Also, the result can encourage pupils and next time they try to do task better than before.

Pupils may make mistakes for many reasons such as shyness, mixed levels, class environment and others. One of the most important aspects of learner training is that encouraging the right attitude to any kind of error. It is essential to create an atmosphere in which errors can be accepted as a necessary step and the teacher should show that the mistakes play an important role in the learning process.

Correcting mistakes is also important while learning. Errors should be corrected in the appropriate time and place. Most teachers correct their pupils among other learners. This is probably true in the large mixed ability class, where teachers often feel insecure about discipline and control. However, in a mixed ability class students are often tongue-tied not because they have nothing to say, but because they are afraid of being made to look foolish in front of other students by teacher’s correction. Teacher should take into account that there are different types of students (some of them are very shy; some of them have lower level in contrast with others, etc.). Not all children were born with the same skills and abilities, or raised in the same environment. Their knowledge of the world may vary from one another, so teachers should be open and patient to the ones who are asking questions or doing something that seems less than intelligent, and help them to solve their problems.

Teacher can use different types of methods in order to correct their pupils. Drawing pictures, charts or diagrams will not be just effective, but also more interesting than ordinary correction. For examples, teachers can use different faces in order to show his feelings to students.

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Teacher’s correction is very important during this process, however sometimes teacher should give a chance to pupils to correct themselves. Most researchers³ consider that pupil can learn from another pupil better than teacher because they have similar ability, outlook and others by correcting each other. As a result, both children’s knowledge will be improved. Also teacher can use such kind of games which is related to correction. Here is an example for it: