Teach English in Dongjiahe Zhen - Tongchuan Shi

This essay begins by describing and showing the difference between error and mistakes that happened in the classroom. Moreover, the essay will show the corrections techniques (CTs) and its importance to both teachers and students in the classroom. CTs have been well known in the education communities. This essay will shed light on some of the CTs use in the class and its types. CTs as a part of the teaching and learning process is used to show the correct use/usage of language for the students to promote their performance in the language skills (productive and receptive skills). Mistake and error happen unintentionally. For instance, errors happened as a result of a lack of knowledge. On the other hand, mistakes are products of the learner’s efforts to produce language such as generalized the rules, (such as adding (ed) to all verbs to form the verb in the past), their interference of the mother tongue or over-enthusiasm. Some Educationalist uses error and mistakes interchangeably because both reflect students’ problem whether it happened as a result of the learning or teaching process. CTs are divided into three categories. written, verbal and nonverbal. Written techniques are symbols which is the teacher use as a code to tell the student about their problem areas and write it on the students’ work. Verbal when the teacher correct students’ mistakes through speaking skill. Nonverbals techniques such as using hand movement, gestures and nodding heading etc. to correct students speaking skill either in fluency or accuracy skill. There many types of mistakes which students make when learning is happening in the classroom. For example, a lexical, phonological, syntactic, interpretative, semantic and pragmatic mistake. Nonetheless, choosing CTs and decide which would be appropriate for your student depends on the aim of the task the teacher would like to achieve by the end of the lesson or course. Mistakes are corrected either immediately or carryover at the end of the lesson or unit/course. Correcting mistakes depends on the aim of the task/ lesson the teacher wants to achieve. For example, when the teacher wants to develop/promote students' fluency the correction will be later to give students space to talk rather than stopping the flow of the speaking. Once the aim of the lesson/ unit is accuracy, the correction will be immediately in order to give students a chance to produce the correct language use. There are three techniques we can use in correcting students’ writing skills mistakes. Firstly, we can use code symbol in the margin of the paper, for example when we use (WO) which mean wrong in word order, (SP) spelling mistake, (WW) wrong word, (WF) wrong form, (P) punctuation marks and (M) missing word etc. These symbols can be written either above the mistakes on the margins. In addition to that, before you write these symbol on the students’ work you need to explain the symbols to them in order to know the types of mistakes they did. Secondly, we can use a color pen and a shade on the mistake. The most common color pen use in the correction is red and green each color gives students a specific message and after you mark the mistakes let the students spot and correct the mistakes themselves. Thirdly, correcting the mistake by writing the correct sample on the mistakes; the level of the students in this way supposed to be a beginner in order to learn from their mistakes. There are three techniques are used to correct speaking mistakes, either the aim of the task to develop fluency or accuracy. Firstly, body language such as (gestures, head nodding, and fingers points) each one of these can be used to correct the mistakes without stopping student flow of speaking, so that body language is preferred with fluency skill. Nonverbal communication is used in the class to indicate a student has made an error without using a word. Secondly, we can repeat the students’ performance with stress on the problem and give the students a chance to spot the mistakes. Finally, I suggest the teacher writes down the student’s mistakes while the student is talking and does not interfere in the speech because this may confuse the speaker and stop him from going on. Later when the speaker finishes put the mistakes on the board and ask the students to correct it. To sum up, the way we go for to correct our students’ performance effective their reaction towards the correction. To make students love learning always be positive, choose the ways they like to be corrected their mistakes. The way and techniques we use effective the ways students perceive/accept our correction. Always remind our students that ‘we learn from your mistakes’.