Error Correction 1 - TeachingEnglish - British Council - BBC
Error Correction 1 - TeachingEnglish - British Council - BBC
Error Correction 1 - TeachingEnglish - British Council - BBC
Help
Log in
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction-1
LearnEnglish Kids
LearnEnglish
LearnEnglish Teens
Error Correction 1
Submitted 12 years 11 months ago by admin.
1 of 5
17/06/2016 20:39
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction-1
Attitudes to error correction vary not only among teachers but also
among students. A teacher may be influenced by:
The fact that English is their second language and great emphasis
was placed on correctness at their teacher training college.
The fact that as a native speaker they have never had to worry
about their English.
A particular methodology / approach. In the 1960s a teacher
using Audiolingualism would have adopted a behaviourist
approach to error. More recently a teacher following the Natural
Approach (influenced by second language acquisition theory)
would have adopted a wholly different approach. Other
methodologies / approaches, such as Suggestopaedia and Total
Physical Response, highlight the psychological effects of error
correction on students.
As for students, we not only have to consider their age but also their
approach to learning. Some students are risk-takers, while others
will only say something if they are sure it is correct. While being a
risk-taker is generally positive as it leads to greater fluency, some
students only seem to be concerned with fluency at the expense of
accuracy. The same can be true when it comes to writing. Some
students take an eternity to produce a piece of writing as they are
constantly rubbing out what they have written while at the opposite
extreme the writing is done as fast as possible without any planning
or editing.
Categorising errors
We can categorise an error by the reason for its production or by its
linguistic type.
What's the reason for the error?
It is the result of a random guess (pre-systematic).
It was produced while testing out hypotheses (systematic).
It is a slip of the tongue, a lapse, a mistake (caused by
carelessness, fatigue etc.) (post-systematic).
To be sure about the type of error produced by a student we need
to know where the student's interlanguage is (the language used by
a student in the process of learning a second language).
What type is it?
We can classify errors simply as productive (spoken or written) or
receptive (faulty understanding). Alternatively we can use the
following:
A lexical error - vocabulary
A phonological error - pronunciation
A syntactic error- grammar
2 of 5
17/06/2016 20:39
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction-1
3 of 5
17/06/2016 20:39
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction-1
4 of 5
17/06/2016 20:39
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction-1
Ta g s
Methodology
(/category/articles-site-structure/articles
/methodology)
A d d n ew c o m m e n t
Log in (/user/login?destination=comment/reply
/397%23comment-form) or register (/user
/register?destination=comment/reply
/397%23comment-form) to post comments
Terms of Use Privacy Freedom of information Frequently asked questions Accessibility Cookie policy
Site map Contact us
British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, UK
BBC World Service, Bush House, Strand, London WC2B 4PH, UK
5 of 5
17/06/2016 20:39