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acwilliams · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 am Post subject:

I find that going over to the classroom wall and beating my head against it for a while gets the message across. But if I wanted to be more direct, I could try beating my students' heads against the wall instead, I suppose.

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

You'll always find at least one of these in my classrooms ... it fits in rather well with the communicative approach as well ... if, like me, you happen to value silence as being a major part of 'communicativITY' ...

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

Perhaps this thread would be more appropriate in the Applied Linguistics forum, but...oh well... Confused

What I found funny is that the author of the article argued, at the conference, that error correction should be explicit and use the word "wrong." And what is funny is that the others at the conference adopted a different strategy when correcting her: they took her simple suggestion as a joke and it was discarded. Therefore the author didn't quite understand that she was indeed "wrong." Laughing

I guess she needed to actually hear the word! Shocked

Unfortunately, she continued to make such an error and even wrote an article to The Guardian about it Embarassed

Perhaps we should write her an email and tell her explicitly that she is "wrong." Perhaps, upon hearing this magical word, she will see the light. Wink

Atassi · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 128 Location: 평택

Wilderson, good post! Laughing

There is a balance. The author of the article is correct that explicit correction can be quite alright when it's humorous and the students don't raise their affective filters. But, this does not mean that implicit error correction should be dumped. Both should be used, to varying degrees, based on the effect it has in the classroom.

Implicit error correction is a British thing? Honestly, she seems completely unaware of the world around her when she talks about adopting the "Dutch system" of error correction. Not scholarly talk at all, but she was speaking at a conference? I hope you are right that her audience "discarded" her suggestion.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject:

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:23 pm Post subject:

POLL:

Have you ever banged your head against the classroom wall in an attempt to convey meaning to students?

I have a headache,

Justin

Atassi · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 128 Location: 평택

To teach students the meaning of "bang" and "head" and "wall" in the same sentence? Well, I try not to demonstrate every word they learn in class Wink

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:28 pm Post subject:

Our walls are concrete so I lean aginst the wall and bang my head on my arm...same effect, though. The wooden/paneled walls are the best!

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:07 pm Post subject:

It's not about demonstrating the words- it's non verbal correction!

A student, I'll call her "Lorena," which is in fact her name, has a habit of using several tenses that she made up herself when she was learning by "self study." I have explained that these tenses do not exist, and she is well aware of which ones she should use.

But, old habits are hard to break, and sometimes she slips. When she does, I simply bang my head against the whiteboard until she self corrects.

If this sounds innefective to you, try it some time!

Justin

PS- You get the best sound effects with wooden panelling walls, but a wall mounted white board is a good second. Cheap formica tables also work.

guangho · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 476 Location: in transit

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

We might even ask the students how they would prefer to be corrected Very Happy

Sample survey:

When you make a mistake or error in class, would you prefer that I ____________.

a.) Interupt you, say that you are wrong and proceed to model the correct form.
b.) Bang my head on the wall until you divine your error.
c.) Allow you to continue, make a note of the error, and perform a mini-lesson at a later time.
d.) Other, please specify: ________________.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 10:09 pm Post subject:

E) Pretend that you have done nothing wrong, as you are paying me for this.

F) Have long debates about why something is wrong.

G) Take you by the shirtfront and SHAKE the right answer out of you.

H) Call the Language Police from my cell phone, and have them carry you away to...

What I like about this thread is what it says about teacher creativity, in an area where creativity is rarely discussed: Error correction.

What the author of the original article fails to see is that there is no ONE way to correct errors. Doing it the same way, regardless which way, all the time loses their attention in the same way that repeating anything many times does.

Good teachers have a toolbox of many ways to let students know they are wrong...and while some of you may think we're being silly, students REMEMBER being corrected in creative ways. (The 100 won notes out the window is classic! But how much is 100 won?? I'll bet they'll remember it, but doubt I could afford it...)

How about creative positive reinforcement? How do you all praise your students?

Thanks,
Justin

guangho · Joined: 16 Oct 2004 Posts: 476 Location: in transit

100 won is 10 U.S. cents or so. Not much except that it was coming from money they were not paying me.
Praise? I once had a billboard of student work put up. They hated writing but this was a great motivator. Who doesn't want to be up on the billboard?

Other teachers like giving candy but I didn't because those teachers often depended on candy for classroom control.