Job Discussion Forums

[asromacalcio]

One of the snags of TEFL is that often students expect to be corrected when you know better.

Although I have found my usual answer to the occasional question, "why don't you correct me/us?" to be not only effective but actually convincing, I was wondering how some of you dealt with it.

Thanks

[coffeedrinker]

I often find it good to discuss this at the start when I meet a new student or group - I explain my reasons briefly for not doing as much correction as they may expect and also often give them some alternative, like for the last 10 minutes of each class we can discuss a few common mistakes (or specifically their mistakes if they really want that) on the board. I also say that some on-the-spot correction may be possible after I get to know them better and have a sense of what they already know.

I was recently pressed by a one-to-one student to correct her and after a few classes of humoring her - she didn't want it anymore! I think when people realize how much they gain by just being able to express their ideas in English - perhaps with the occaisional mistake - without stopping for correction, they do value it.

[Glenski]

To be honest, I have never had a student ask me that question. One or two told me to correct them before our very first class ever started, and I did. However, as you might imagine, I couldn't correct every single mistake because there were too many and it would be embarrassing and demoralizing for the students. If they know the teacher is making some effort to correct them, that seems to appease them enough to want to continue.

[zorro (3)]

nice post.
I've had students asking for me to correct all of their mistakes before, but as coffeedrinker said, I did this and they didn't like it after a few minutes! I guess it shows the level of students I was teaching.

I think that it depends on the stage of the lesson and the objectives. In the freer activities I tend to not correct as much, but if we are focusing on accuracy then of course it's important to let the students know their mistakes. It does also depend on how well you know the students. I've found that some Japanese students don't like to be corrected too much because of their perfectionist nature.

Sometimes I make them wear a dunce cap for mistakes aswell. It really shows them up!!

[furiousmilksheikali]

[SueH]

I tend to correct after an activity, but here in Italy if I do correct at the time a mistake is made it's normally something the student well knows but isn't aware they're doing:
walk/e/ - adding a vowel on the end of a word or
walk/id/ - mispronouncing the regular past

I just repeat the word or raise an eyebrow and a correction follows, but getting them out of these habits is difficult.

[Jizzo T. Clown]

I usually only correct if other students start adopting the same mistake. I tell them within the first couple of classes that I'll only hot correct if their mistake impedes communication.

Sometimes if I'm running long, I'll note some errors during group work and write them on the board, allowing them to self-correct. As stated, they usually know their mistakes once you ask them.

Fluency or accuracy? That's an age-old question I guess.

[denise]

I also do what Jizzo T. Clown does. At the end of an activity, I'll write common errors on the board and say something like, "I heard a lot of people making this mistake..." The class will then correct it, without me even having to ask them to.

If students ask why I don't correct everything (it rarely happens, but it has at least once or twice), then I simply explain that in general conversation getting their message across is more important than speaking flawlessly. I explain to them the whole accuracy vs. fluency thing (in simple terms, of course).

d

[asromacalcio]

We all seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Thanks for the response.