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ACCURACY AND CORRECTING

MISTAKESPenny Ur

ETAI Mini-conference, 2011

Ohalo College, Katzrin

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A. How important is it to be accurate?

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What do you think?Would you agree or disagree with the following

statements?

1. It’s not important for students to spell English words correctly, as long as their meaning is clear

2. It’s not important for students to pronounce like a native speaker, as long as they are easily comprehensible.

3. It’s not important for students to use correct grammar, as long as they are getting their message across

If you answered ‘disagree’ to any of the above – can you say why?

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Accuracy is important because…

…From the point of view of the hearer/reader, inaccuracy, even if it doesn’t affect meaning, is

– distracting

– ‘uncomfortable’

– may lower respect for the speaker/writer

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And because…

… from the point of view of the speaker/writer, inaccuracy may

–lower self-respect as a language user

–lower prestige in eyes of others

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And because…

…from the point of view of the teacher, professionalism means teaching the language as best we can, not compromising on careless or unacceptable usage.

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B. Achieving accuracy(Prevention is better than

cure)

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Research indicates that to achieve accuracy, learners need...

communicative language use

+

some explicit discussion of form or rules

+

practice

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There are various theories about how accuracy is achieved

a) Comprehensible Input (Krashen, 1982)

b) Rule-based practice (traditional, e.g. Murphy, 1985)

c) ‘Consciousness raising’ (Ellis, 2001)

d) Task-based learning (Skehan, 1996)

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Probably the optimal answer is a combination of these:

• Communicative tasks, with ‘time out’ for focus on form, including practice exercises

• Rule explanation, leading into both ‘mechanical’ and communicative practice

But also time for:

• Communication on its own

• Focus on form on its own

• Language play (songs, chants, rhymes)

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1. Communication (+ accuracy):

Task-based instruction

The basis of the lesson is a communicative task.

We may teach bits of grammar / vocabulary / spelling before, during or after: but the focus is always on the communicative task.

Example:

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A communicative task

Discuss how far you agree with the following statements

1.The teacher should correct me when I make a mistake.

Agree …………………………………………….Disagree

2.The teacher should ask other students to correct me when I make a mistake.

Agree …………………………………………….Disagree

3.The teacher should get me to correct myself.

Agree …………………………………………….Disagree

4.The teacher should make me rewrite essays after she’s corrected them.

Agree …………………………………………….Disagree

5.The teacher should not only correct me, but also explain why what I said was wrong.

Agree …………………………………………….Disagree

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Meaning-focused:

Pair/group work

Full-class summary and discussion

Form-focused:

modal should

object / reflexive pronouns (correct me/myself)

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2. Accuracy (+ communication)

We start with a grammatical rule or set of vocabulary items, or spelling rule or whatever …

We do some ‘mechanical’ exercises, then progress to more communicative work.

We assess the learning of the language items through a test.

Practice activities move from attending to accuracy towards

attending to fluency

form-focused-----------------------meaning-focused

‘make sure ‘make sure you it’s correct’----------------------------------communicate’

controlled---------------------------------------------free

decontextualized ---------------------contextualized

Example:The Present Perfect

Conventional form-focus

1. Nina is looking everywhere but she can’t find her keys. She ………………… (lose them)

2. Peter weighs only 50 kilos. Last month, he weighed 60. He …………… (be on a diet)

Example:The Present Perfect

1. Focus on meaning, but controlled form

Find someone who...

...has slept in a cave.____________ ____________

... has eaten caviar ____________ _____________

... has visited India ___________ ____________

... has been in a car accident ________ _________

2. Focus on meaning, semi-controlled form (sentence completion):

Since this time last year, I have ….

3. Focus on meaning, free sentence-making

Think of a situation (using the present perfect) that would produce the reaction…

1. Oh dear! 2. Wonderful! 3. What a surprise!

4. Congratulations! 5. Help! 6. What a relief!

7. What a pity 8. Thank you! 9. What a pity!

10. I’m sorry! 11. Oh no! 12. (sigh)

4. Focus on meaning, full paragraph writing:

Today is picture B. What has happened since yesterday (picture A)?

5. Focus on communication

Group discussion:

You are a committee of experts who have to interview candidates for a specific course or profession.

Your candidate is requesting:

to become a marriage counsellor

to become a kindergarten teacher

to join the police force

to work on a summer camp for teenagers

to become an ambulance driver

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3. Communication only

Just getting learners to use the language for understanding or conveying messages.

No following language work.

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Receptively:•listening to stories, •listening and responding, •reading stories, •reading and responding, •watching movies…

Productively:•talking, communication games•exchanging information, •creative or transactional writing…

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4. Accuracy only

Talking ‘about’ the language or doing activities that focus on ‘getting it right’:

Examples:

‘Tip of the day’ – isolated language points.

Grammar explanations

Learning lists of vocabulary for a test

Dictations

Drills

Pronunciation work

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5. Language play

Language work based on learning things by heart and performing or reciting

May or may not be ‘communicative’

The learning is based on ‘chunks’.

Examples: chants, dialogues, songs

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Interim conclusions

If we wish our learners to become both accurate and fluent in English, we need to provide

1.explicit and implicit teaching/learning;

2. meaning- and form-focus;

3. unthinking and cognitively demanding language production;

4. serious transactional language and language play.

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And we need to organize these within a balanced methodology that includes

different teaching processes because

1.Learners are different

2.Language items are different

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C. CORRECTION: WHENPREVENTION HASN’T WORKED!

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Various issues

1.Does it help?

2.What different kinds of correction are there? And which is the most effective?

3.What are learners’ preferences?

4.When should we NOT correct?

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1. Does it help?

Truscott (1999, 1996) claims that correction in both oral and written work does not work:

–teachers correct inconsistently, sometimes wrongly

–students are sometimes hurt by being corrected

–students may not take corrections seriously

–correction may interfere with fluency

–learners do not learn from the correction

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But …

–teacher intuitions

–learners themselves claim it does help (Harmer, 2005)

–there is some empirical evidence in support of the hypothesis that learners do learn from being corrected (Doughty and Varela, 1998)

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2. What different kinds of correction are there? And which is the most

effective?

Which types of correction, on the whole, lead to better uptake? (Lyster and Ranta, 1997; Lyster, 1998)

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Types of correction:

Recast

Elicitation

Clarification request

Metalinguistic feedback

Explicit correction

Repetition

Frequency of use:

55%

14%

11%

8%

7%

5%

Uptake:

18%

46%

28%

45%

36%

31%

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RESULTS

Simple ‘recast’ was most often used, but least ‘uptake’!

Recasts may not be perceived as correction at all!

The best results are gained from corrective feedback + some negotiation.

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Further thoughts

Within communicative interaction, we try to make our corrections unobtrusive because we don’t want to disturb the ‘flow’ – so we use quick ‘recasts’, and don’t demand self-correction

But many of these may not be perceived as corrections, or even noticed, so may be a waste of time!

If we correct, we need to make sure ‘uptake’ has occurred, even if this slows things down a bit.

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What are learners’ preferences?When I make a mistake in oral work I think it's very good / good / not very good / bad if the teacher...

Very Good

Good Not Very Good

Bad

... doesn't correct me at all.

… tells me there's a mistake, but doesn't tell me what it is, so I have to correct myself.

..tells me a mistake and also tells me what the correct form should be.

…tells me there's a mistake, tells me the correct form, and makes me repeat it.

…tells me there's a mistake, and gets another student to correct me.

…corrects my mistake and also explains why it was wrong.

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What are learners’ preferences?When I make a mistake in written work I think it's very good / good / not very good / bad if the teacher...

Very Good

Good Not Very Good

Bad

…doesn't correct me at all.

…indicates there's a mistake, but doesn't tell me what it is.

…indicates there's a mistake, and gives me a hint what kind of mistake it is.

Indicates there's a mistake and writes what the correct form should be.

Corrects me in any of the ways indicated above, and doesn't make me rewrite.

Corrects me in any of the ways indicated above, and makes me rewrite.

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Oral mistakes

0100200300400500600700800900

.. doesn'tcorrect me at

all.

… tells methere's a

mistake, butdoesn't tell

me w hat it is,so I have to

correctmyself.

..tells me amistake andalso tells me

w hat thecorrect formshould be.

…tells methere's a

mistake, tellsme the

correct form,and makes

me repeat it.

…tells methere's a

mistake, andgets another

student tocorrect me.

…correctsmy mistakeand also

explains w hyit w asw rong.

yes

no

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Written mistakes

01002003004005006007008009001000

…doesn'tcorrect me at

all.

…indicatesthere's a

mistake, butdoesn't tell

me w hat it is.

…indicatesthere's a

mistake, andgives me ahint w hatkind of

mistake it is.

Indicatesthere's a

mistake andw rites w hatthe correctform should

be.

Corrects mein any of the

w aysindicated

above, anddoesn't makeme rew rite.

Corrects mein any of the

w aysindicated

above, andmakes merew rite.

yes

no

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Main points:

• Learners want to be corrected.

• Learners feel corrective feedback is valuable (Harmer, 2005).

• Learners prefer explicit correction (but maybe not adults and more advanced learners, Harmer, 2005).

• Learners understand the value of repeating / rewriting the correct form.

• Learners do not, on the whole, like to be corrected by peers.

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When should we NOT correct?

Perhaps we should not correct when a learner is focusing on communicating?

Because:

– non-communicative, inauthentic!

– not appropriate to the aims of the task.

– distracting, disturbing

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But…

– Some evidence that learners want to be corrected at the moment they make the mistake (Harmer, 2005)

– We need to balance the benefit against the damage: which is more important:

• preserving the fluent process and communicative nature of the interaction?

or• providing corrective feedback where it is needed to

help learners improve their accuracy?

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No easy answer to this one!

But it is clear that:

– there is no absolute ‘rule’ about when not to correct

– our decision will involve a lot of different considerations specific to the learner

• the importance of encouraging fluency• the importance of encouraging accuracy• the confidence and self-image of the learner• the sheer number of mistakes

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D. Summary and conclusions

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Accuracy-oriented as well as communicative teaching of language

We need to do all we can to make sure that as students are learning new language they learn it correctly; so we should provide opportunities for students to:

learn rules

talk about the language (language awareness), including contrast with L1

practise accurate as well as meaningful production

learn chunks by heart

… as well as lots of communicative work:

exposure to (correct) spoken and written language

communicative speaking and writing tasks

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Effective corrective feedback

If after all this learners are still making mistakes, corrective feedback can help improve accuracy.

Corrective feedback may be provided during communicative tasks.

But ‘recasts’ on their own are probably ineffective.

The most effective corrective feedback occurs when learners actively participate in negotiation of the correction, to make sure that there is uptake.

Thank you for listening!

pennyur@gmail.com

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