Error correction
is a term in SLA which refers to correcting the errors learners make while
acquiring the target language. The term
is divided into two: "error" and "correction" and I'll
start by looking at each.
Error is an
instance of the learners language that does not conform to accepted norms of
usage, and which is attributed to incompetence- when a learner is in the early
stages of acquiring a language or simply lacks aptitude, or in case of faulty learning.
Errors and
mistakes are often distinguished, when errors are caused by lack of competence
and mistakes from demands of performance. In other words, errors occur when the
learner doesn’t know a particular rule, while mistakes caused from lack of
attention or speaking too fast, and can be self corrected (VanPatten and
Benati, 2010).
Errors can be categorized
in a number of ways:
1. An error of
omission- when an obligatory element is left out as in Is very hot.
2. An error of
addition- when a component of a
sentence is added unnecessarily as in He made us to go.
3. A miss
selection- where a wrong item has been used as in Men like fairs (for
Gentlemen prefer blondes).
4. A miss
formation- wrong form of the right word as in He is a good cooker.
5. A miss
ordering error- when sentence components are in the wrong order as in I
like very much football.
6. Transfer
errors- as a result of the influence of the learners first language.
7. Errors due to
the natural order of acquisition and overgeneralization- the application of the
past tense- ed ending to verbs that are in fact irregular as in
She buyed.
8. Global errors-
an error that affects the overall intelligibility of the message.
All of the above
refers to pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and discourse (VanPatten and Benati, 2010).
In the context
of L2 learning, correction is a form of feedback when the teacher or another
student provides the correct version of an error, spoken or written (VanPatten and Benati, 2010).
Feedback can be
explicit, involving overt correction or comments about the general function of
the learner, or implicit, using recast (Thornbury, 2006).
There are
different strategies to correct students; teachers usually choose the way to
correct students according to their error.
Many teachers
often see errors as a result of bad habits, that's why they tend to correct
them immediately (VanPatten and Benati, 2010).
A common
strategy of correcting students is recast, which is repetition of the error back to the learner in a
corrected form. Though it's very common, many studies have shown that it's
usually not effective. Having said that, it's very hard for a teacher to hear a
mistake and not correct it, and this strategy, though not as effective as
teachers would like it to be, is good because it's non- threatening (Sheen,
2004).
Other strategies
are self correction or peer correction. Teachers use it when an error is
natural in the development of the learner and where learners are credited with
having the capacity to work things out themselves.
Other teachers
feels like correction is de-motivating, therefore, they give feedback only when
the learner is right (positive feedback) . This kind of feedback may be a contributing
factor to errors because correction of some kind is necessary for accuracy and
the development of language (VanPatten and Benati, 2010).
In view of what
I wrote above about errors and mistakes, and error correction, what do you
think?
Do you understand
the difference between errors and mistakes?
Do you think
that teachers really apply different strategies of correction in class?
Should teachers
use recast in class?
Share your
thoughts!
Het Reut ,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your part,you gave me very interesting information about the error correction .this topic is very important to us as a future teacher to know about it ,for example we have to know about the errors that can be categorized in a number of way such as: an error of addition ,an error of omission ,transfer errors so we as a teachers can know which errors our students have help them .In addition every teacher must know all the strategies of correcting students ,for example: recast, peer correction. It's important to know many strategies so teachers can choose the way to correct students according to their error.
Hi Reut,
ReplyDeleteI read your explanation and I understand all of the reasons which you described, I also enjoyed reading the examples that you gave us, and it helps me to understand the mistakes that our pupils does while they are learning L2.
Hi Reut
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. You really clarified this subject. This is a very important topic for us teachers, and we must know when and how to correct our pupils. You gave some really good and interesting examples.
As future teachers, we need to know how to access our pupils, especially when they make mistakes and we need to correct them. Your examples were very helpful and this topic made think about how and when to correct my pupils.
ReplyDeleteReut,
ReplyDeleteRegarding your question about recasts, even though there was a very influential study (Lyster & Ranta 1997) that showed that recasts were not effective - because they resulted in the lowest number of 'repairs' (i.e. students correcting their own utterances) I still think we shouldn't abandon recasts altogether.
Recasts can be effective when learners are made aware that they are being corrected. Also, recasts are more "humanistic" (Michael!), often more natural and not very intrusive as do not interrupt the "flow" of a communicative activity.
L
Reut,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your examples are very clear and explicit, that helps those who find it hard to understand the meaning of errors and mistake. I wasn'ft aware to the fact that erors can be divided into varied types so I can definitely relate it to my class now that you made it very clear.
The issue of correcting your pupils can be a very problematic situation when you are a teacher in your very first years and especially when you are still a student because you cannot tell whenever it is offensive or not, it can affect the strongest pupils and of course the weakest ones.
Moreover, I also like the fact that the kinds of errors refer to pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and discourse.
Well done, Insightful.
Shir
Reut,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post; it is very organized and informative.
The most common errors I see in my classes are transfer errors and errors due to the natural order of acquisition and overgeneralization. But the most common one would definitely be "transfer errors". I have tried different ways of correction for that specific type of error but with no luck. It's hard for them to change their way of thinking into thinking in another language and not in their first language.
How can you correct efficiently this type of errors? And by doing that, can you teach pupils to think in a second language?
Shirley
Hi Reut,
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is very important and you summarized it very well and easy to follow.
You gave a lot of errors examples and it's important for all of us to be aware to it. I think that the most common is "an error of omission", lots of pupils forget how to build correct and full sentences and they having hard time with this issue, especially in grammar. As teachers, we have to choose the right strategy to correct them and you gave some wonderful strategies.