Chapter 7: Giving Correction and Feedback 105
If the student needs to extend the whole sentence, you can use both
hands, pulling them apart from a ‘praying’ position. At the same time,
draw out the last word of the student’s sentence as you say it.
✓ Reducing a word: Sometimes students attach endings to words unnec-
essarily. They say, for example: I might watching a film.You may not need to speak at all if you can quickly make a gesture like a
pair of scissors cutting while the student is saying the word. If you miss
your chance, say the word again yourself along with the gesture.
✓ Re-ordering: When students get their words in the wrong order, try to
get them to do a reshuffle without interrupting by using a quick mime of
shuffling little boxes around in a straight line on a table in front of you.Teaching with body language
You can give a lot away with your body language, but it isn’t necessarily just
an unconscious form of communication. In the classroom you can use it like
this:✓ Smiling and frowning: Your face is a strong indicator of approval, or
not, as the case may be. When you smile a lot, students feel encouraged
and comfortable. On the other hand, you can use a frown to show that
something is not quite right. Hopefully the student then starts to tread
more carefully and possibly self-correct.
✓ Nodding: When you do this, people want to continue speaking to you.
They know that you’re listening and interested. In this case of students,
they know that they’re doing well and that real communication is taking
place because you understand. When they make an error, a confused or
quizzical expression is less off-putting than shaking your head.
✓ Hums: In English hmmm can mean yes, no, I’m not sure or score of other
things. It’s a good way to show your opinion unobtrusively.
You can take it a step further by humming a whole sentence to demon-
strate the right intonation.
✓ Pointing to clues: If you have charts and instructional posters up in
your classroom, you can point to the one that indicates the nature of the
student’s problem. For example, if you have a verb table up, point to the
past participle column when your student says ‘He had often sang’.
Gestures aren’t universal so students learn the body language of English
speakers by watching you.