TEFL Alhambra California

Less Correcting, More Modeling: Correction Techniques in the esl and efl Classrooms A teacher's choice in correction techniques can be the difference between student success and student failure when teaching students who are learning english. english Language Learners (ELLs) may feel anxiety or develop low confidence if their teacher does not choose an appropriate correction technique. This is an especially important consideration when teaching speaking and writing skills. Over the past decade, many schools are placing more of an emphasis on communication rather than more traditional language teaching methods that focus on strict accuracy and correct understanding of grammar structures. A comparison between these two methods can be seen in english as a Second Language (esl) classes in the united states and english as a Foreign Language (efl) classes in japan. esl classes focus on teaching communication, while efl classes focus on teaching accuracy and understanding of grammar structures. esl classes in the long run prove much more successful at increasing student language proficiency despite less influence on accuracy, while efl in japan do no produce as many proficient students who not only struggle with the grammar they are expected to learn, but also with communication. Looking at correction techniques in the esl classroom vs the efl classroom it is clear that those techniques contribute to student success and failure. tefl teaching methodologies are the norm in the united states when teaching ELLs and the correction techniques focus creating a low stress environment for the students. The idea is that students will feel comfortable trying to speak and communicate in english both verbally and with through written language. In 2011 I earned my teaching credential in California where I taught an esl class at a high school in san francisco. Many of the esl teaching techniques I learned in my credential program and as outlined by the State of California coincided with tefl teaching techniques (ITTT, 2011, p. 16). For example: When students are speaking do not overtly correct their mistakes, instead model give verbal hints and clues such as stating a misused word as a question, “Hmmm? Dog? Hmmm? I like dog?” Make the corrections of spoken language subtle of fun for the students give students time to respond and also time to self-correct Correct by modeling. Listen to common mistakes and incorporate model language habitually into the lesson rather than directly pointing it out For written language do not correct everything. That will overwhelm the students and actually not help them learn. Focus on one to two items that the students are studying in their current unit and correct those items. When common mistakes are seen do a special lesson plan to review that grammar point rather than correcting on the students work give assignments that are given points for completion and trying rather than for accuracy And do not go crazy with the red ink or any ink while correcting. Use blue, it is less alarming. Although ELL students in the united states are immersed in english, which is a significant advantage, that can also be stressful when they are not only learning a new culture, but cannot express their needs in english yet. The goal is communication and correction techniques are kept to a minimum so as not to overwhelm them which will only interfere with learning english (ITTT, 2011, p. 16). By allowing students to make mistakes while speaking and also writing in english, they are learning through a methods that mimic the way people naturally learn their native language. children are allowed to make mistakes and ELL students should be allowed to experiment with english. Trial and error is important in the ELL classroom and when correcting, one of the best things teachers can do is model correct language (Rothenberg and Fisher, 2007, p.178-180). In fact, when students make mistakes it allows the teacher to analyze why the mistake is being made and gives them time to plan a special lesson that addresses that mistake (ITTT, 2011, p. 16). As part of the learning process, students should be given time to self-correct verbal and written english and they should do peer corrections as well (ITTT, 2011, p. 16). According to ITTT, teachers should correct in the following situations: 1 The mistake is with the language point we are teaching. 2 The mistake is being regularly repeated either by the student or other class members and so risks becoming ingrained. 3 The mistake seriously impedes understanding. (ITTT, 2011, p. 17) These are good guidelines for correcting mistakes that still allow students to experiment and figure out english on their own. In japan, english is taught as a foreign language, but over the past decade japan is making an effort to move away from efl and move towards esl. In japan, english has been taught through the Grammar Translation method which continues to be a popular method today. Students translate from japanese to english and commonly make mistakes in sentence structure and word choice. Also, students are expected to be accurate in their usage of english and on the spot correction is common for spoken english and many teachers correct everything on written assignments. This is largely due in part to extensive testing in japan and students must do well on their english exams which test grammar accuracy to get into a good college. However, in japan there is a long going national debate on the effectiveness of the employed english teaching methods due to the fact most japanese people who studied english in high school still feel like they cannot communicate effectively in english and also they continue to misuse language. Furthermore, this method does not encourage experimentation with english and students often memorize phrases rather than speaking and listening to a variety of language (CLAIR, 2012, p. 42-46). japan's government and Ministry of Education have recognized these barriers to learning english and over the past decade have made changes which include recommendations on how to change correcting students. The Ministry of Education now sets forth many tefl correcting techniques and urges teachers not to correct everything, focus on a few items at a time, and to correct spoken language through modeling (CLAIR, 2012, p. 42-46). It is also interesting to note that in japan, teachers circle answers that are correct rather than mark answers that are wrong. This gives students a chance to focus on what they did right and then reevaluate what they did wrong. This helps students learn self correction and if they are still not sure teachers give verbal hints or underline what part of the answer the student made the mistake rather then just give the correct answer. teachers also give assignments that are given points for completion and trying. In an interview with Setsuko Hamai, an english Language teacher in Shizuoka City japan, who has taught at the Junior High School and high school levels, she explained that many teachers still grade everything because of the exam system, but many teachers choose to focus on just a few specific points to grade. She also explained that over the past decade teachers now award students grades for attitude, which is based on how hard they tried in class and on how much they participated. The idea is to create a grading element that motivates and encourages the students, something that is important in any english Language classroom (Hamai, 2013). japan is slowly transitioning toward more tefl and esl teaching techniques and as more emphasis is put on communication, correction techniques are changing as well. As seen in the united states and increasingly in japan, the belief is that language teaching needs to mimic naturally ways of learning and acquiring a language. Mistakes are ok and part of the learning process and correction techniques need to be productive and not interfere with language acquisition. Bibliography CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities and International Relations)(2012). ALT Handbook,42-46.Hamai, Setsuko (2013). Interview conducted on November 23, 2013, Shizuoka City, japan. ITTT International TEFL and TESOL training (2011). Unit 3: Theories, Methods, and Techniques, 16-17.Rothenberg, C. & Fisher, D. (2007). Teaching english Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach, 178-180.