Chapter 7: Giving Correction and Feedback 107
Examining echoing
A tendency for some teachers is to just say the correct version of what the
student wanted to say, but this isn’t usually an effective correction technique.Giulia has pronunciation difficulties:Giulia: I leave in Hackney.
Teacher: You live in Hackney.
Giulia: Yes, I leave in Hackney.Clearly Giulia doesn’t even realise that a correction has taken place. She can’t
actually hear the difference between ‘live’ and ‘leave’ because the distinction
between long and short vowel sounds doesn’t exist in her language. Unless
the teacher makes her focus on the error, Giulia’s oblivious to it. She hears
it as an echo with no particular connection to an error and she’ll probably
repeat the mistake next time. The teacher needs to recognise that Giulia
needs more help to sort out the different sounds by using the phonology of
the words and writing the two sounds on the board. In this case /i/ and /i/.
Now she can both see and hear the difference. At the very least it’s better to
say, ‘Not leave but live’ and ask her to repeat.Encouraging Peer Correction
Peer correction is asking students in the class to correct each other’s errors.
This very practical technique has several benefits:✓ It reduces the pressure on the student who made the mistake, especially
if the teacher’s attempts to prompt self-correction are unsuccessful.
✓ The other students are involved in what’s happening rather than just
observing.
✓ The teacher can tell how widespread the problem is.
You can make use of various techniques in employing peer correction:✓ Put the error on the board. Monitor silent work, pair or group activities
and make a note of the errors. Then, during the feedback session, you
can put the error up on the board.
It’s considerate to conceal the identity of the student who got it wrong,
so tweak the sentence a bit in order not to give it away. Then consult the
class and ask what’s wrong with the sentence on the board.
Some students have visual memories and may recall the error rather
than the correct version. It’s important to cross the wrong version out
and put the correct word on the board.