Correction and Feedback Tecniques

Correcting grammar

Correcting pronunciation

Explanatory note I

Correction and Feedback

TECNIQUES

Correcting vocabulary

Explanatory note II

Feedback tecniques

🔍Correcting grammar on the spot

Many of our students indicated that they like to be corrected on the spot, and they mentioned that it’s ok for them to be interrupted as long as the correction is going help them improve. However, it’s important to define which the best moments to do it are:

• When focusing explicitly on the grammar explanation and practice.
• When developing controlled exercises.
• When students still give their own examples incorrectly after being exposed to the form.
• When having short interactions.
• When detecting fossilization.

Now, on the spot correction doesn’t mean that you just interrupt the student to explain them the correct way to use the grammar. Besides explicit correction, you can use any of the following techniques:

🔍Correcting grammar in a delayed way

Delayed correction for grammar mistakes is also a possibility and, actually, some students prefer this way. However, it’s also important to identify the best moments in class to proceed with this type of correction:

• When having long interactions like conversations, debates, presentations, etc.
• When developing group activities in BORs.
• When shy students or students who don’t normally participate are doing it.

When proceeding with delayed correction you can do it either as soon as one each student finishes their intervention or when the whole group has participated. However, keep in mind the type of activity that is being developed, the error you’re going to correct, the size of the group, and the time management to make the best choice. When correcting grammar in a delayed way, besides the recommendations given at the beginning, keep the following aspects in mind:

🗣️ Feedback techniques

If you have VIP students, you can provide a deeper feedback throughout the class and at the end. If you have a group class, depending on the size, you’ll need to focus on a more general feedback, highlighting what’s more relevant for the session or the whole process. If you have noticed, the class trackers or dashboards that you need to fill out have a “checkpoint” every 4 classes. Those are good moments to provide feedback regarding the learning process in general. Here you have some feedback techniques and recommendations that you should keep in mind:

Motivational feedback

Never forget to highlight and reinforce your students’ strengths and what they’re doing well in class and in their process! This can be done at any time but especially after a challenging task, an exam, whenever you notice a significant improvement, etc.

Elicitation: Repeats what the student said just before the error, giving them the time to complete with the correct form. Example → S: I was born on May. EC: I was born… S: in May.

Explicit correction: Evidences the error and corrects it. Example → S: I was born on May. EC: Not “on May”. We say “in May”.

Recast: Reformulates the error, correcting it but not making it explicit. Example → S: I was born on May. EC: in May.

Feedback for advanced students

We constantly struggle with advanced students when it comes to giving feedback to them. However, keep in mind that feedback is not just about the language correction. Even if the student has an excellent use of grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation, we need to be stricter about their answers’ accuracy, their use of complex structures and the appropriate register, their precision to follow instructions, etc. We need to challenge our advanced students and correct them in those terms.

Error treatment strategies

Vocabulary

Spanish and Portuguese speakers learning English usually face these challenges:

Feedforward

Phrasal Verbs

False Cognates

Delayed correction

Immediate correction

Word Order

Collocations

Strategies

Registers

Overgeneralization

Anticipating our learners' possible errors is key to designing our error treatment strategies since repetition and consistency are essential to helping them overcome vocabulary challenges. Let’s not forget to monitor our students’ participation and jot down their challenges.

In order to provide an accurate feedback and appropriate corrections is important that you take notes of your students’ performance, constantly use your board for this process, and be very visual when correcting, involving your students in the process.

Sandwich feedback technique

You can use this technique either to provide motivational, content or form feedback, or a mixture of them. What’s important here is to start with positive feedback, to continue with the areas of reinforcement, and to finish with another strength. This will reinforce the students’ self-esteem and motivation.

Recommendations and strategies:

Part of giving feedback to our students is providing them with recommendations and study strategies to improve their areas of reinforcement or to continue practicing the language.

As already discussed, correction and feedback aren’t exactly the same. Correction is one of the types of feedback (form feedback) that we can apply in our classes. However, it’s also important to provide our students with feedback not only related to the language, but also to the content and to their general performance.

Pronunciation

Error treatment strategies

Spanish and Portuguese speakers learning English usually face these challenges:

Consonant Sounds

Vowel Sounds

Feedforward

Word Stress and Intonation

Delayed correction

Immediate correction

Linking

Strategies

Pronunciation and speaking are the two language skills that can stress our learners. There is an emotional component to them. That is why we must ensure a welcoming and respectful classroom culture that fosters a growth mindset and makes our students feel safe and valued. Some pronunciation errors and fossilization come from differences in phonetic systems, stress patterns, and sound structures in Spanish and Portuguese. Researching our learners' most common errors depending on their native tongue is a wonderful asset.

Before we begin

Now, let’s detail some of the strategies we can use in our classes. We have compared the Users’ and English Consultants’ survey results to discuss the areas of error treatment. In both cases, we have found that the main ones are:

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Pronunciation

We will also discuss some feedback strategies and share some ideas for advanced groups, as you requested in the English consultant survey.

Monitor

Monitoring your students during group activities is going to give you enough insights to provide your students with feedback. It’s important that you go around the BORs (mic and camera off), taking notes of what you hear from them in terms of language, content and performance to decide what you’re going to remark when the students are back in the main room. Always start with your feedback before the students present their product in the main room, so that they can make the corresponding corrections before presenting.

Reminder

Error treatment involves:- Feedback - Correction - Repair English Consultants have facilitator, motivator, and resource roles in their classroom. Whenever possible, we must elicit the correct answer from our students instead of giving it to them directly.

Repetition: Repeats the error, emphasising on it. Example → S: I was born on May. EC: I was born ON May? S: I was born in May.

Vocabulary is one of the areas where we can find more fossilized errors. The following strategies can help our learners to overcome it.

CCQs

Concept Checking Questions help you to verify the understanding of your students regarding the class’ content or topic. It’s not about asking them “Did you understand?”, but more elaborated questions like for example: “Is this example correct? Why?” or “Is this happening in the past, present or future?”. This type of questions promote active learning and help you to anticipate possible difficulties.

Providing targeted instruction, plenty of practice opportunities, and feedback is essential for correcting pronunciation errors.

Let’s recap some important information that we already reviewed and it’s relevant when it comes to correcting grammar:

• Do not over correct! Keep in mind the students’ level, previous knowledge and class’ content.
• Anticipate possible errors to help the students in advance.
• Identify and focus more on errors than on mistakes, on global errors than on local ones, and on competence errors than on performance ones.
• Try to understand the source of the error to find the best way to correct it.

Peer feedback

In order to promote collaboration and independent learning, always encourage peer feedback, especially during group activities. It’s a way to empower strong students and give extra help to those who need it. However, take into account that peer feedback needs to be built in a framework of respect, safe environment and tolerance. For further information regarding peer feedback, please check this paper.