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    Unit 4 - How To Deal With Grammar Errors

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    This document provides guidance on dealing with grammatical errors in student writing. It discusses how grammar instruction has been shown to be ineffective, and recommends providing targeted lessons and having students focus on ideas and sentence structure rather than sounding correct. It also covers types of errors, decisions around correcting, techniques for indicating errors, using the student's first language, and tips for oral correction including not overcorrecting and balancing interaction and feedback.

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    Unit 4 - How To Deal With Grammar Errors

    Uploaded by

    mac
    57 views13 pages
    This document provides guidance on dealing with grammatical errors in student writing. It discusses how grammar instruction has been shown to be ineffective, and recommends providing targeted lessons and having students focus on ideas and sentence structure rather than sounding correct. It also covers types of errors, decisions around correcting, techniques for indicating errors, using the student's first language, and tips for oral correction including not overcorrecting and balancing interaction and feedback.

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    Unit 4_How to deal with grammar errors

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    This document provides guidance on dealing with grammatical errors in student writing. It discusses how grammar instruction has been shown to be ineffective, and recommends providing targeted lessons and having students focus on ideas and sentence structure rather than sounding correct. It also covers types of errors, decisions around correcting, techniques for indicating errors, using the student's first language, and tips for oral correction including not overcorrecting and balancing interaction and feedback.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    57 views13 pages

    Unit 4 - How To Deal With Grammar Errors

    Uploaded by

    mac
    This document provides guidance on dealing with grammatical errors in student writing. It discusses how grammar instruction has been shown to be ineffective, and recommends providing targeted lessons and having students focus on ideas and sentence structure rather than sounding correct. It also covers types of errors, decisions around correcting, techniques for indicating errors, using the student's first language, and tips for oral correction including not overcorrecting and balancing interaction and feedback.

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    of 13

    Unit 4 – How to Deal with

    Grammatical Errors

    Prof. Ignacio Fdez Portero (PhD)


    English Grammar – Facultad de Formación del Profesorado
    1. Instructing Grammar

    1984: Hillocks finds grammar instruction to be ineffective.

    1985: National Council of Teachers of English: “the use of


    isolated grammar and usage exercises… is a deterrent to
    the imporvements of students’ speaking and writing.”

    2012: Graham, McKeown, Kiuhara and Harris proved it


    again.

    2
    1.1 The Wrong to Teach Grammar

    https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/the-wrong-way-to-
    teach-grammar/284014/

    3
    “We know that grammar instruction that works includes
    teaching students strategies for revising and editing,
    providing targeted lessons on problems that students
    immediately apply to their own writing, and having
    students play with sentences like Legos, combining
    basic sentences into more complex ones. Often,
    surprisingly little formal grammar instruction is
    needed. Researcher Marcia Hurlow has shown that
    many errors “disappear” from student writing when
    students focus on their ideas and stop “trying to ‘sound
    correct.’” (Michelle Navarre Cleary, my bold)

    4
    2. Types of Errors
    1 Alice like this school
    A pronunciation (/i/ vs. /i:/
    2 Where you did go yesterday?
    B pronunciation (/ʃ/ vs. /ʧ/)
    C pronunciation (word stress)
    3 The secretáry is in the office
    D grammar (wrong tense)
    E lexis (incorrect collocation)
    4 Give me one boscuit!
    F grammar (verb-noun agreement)
    G grammar (word order)
    5 I eat shocolate every day
    H lexis (incorrect word) – and rude!
    6 After three years they made a divorce

    7 I am here since Tuesday

    8 I’m going to heat you.


    5
    2.1. Decisions to be made

    1. What kind of error has been made?


    2. Whether to deal with it (is it useful to correct?)
    3. When to deal with it (now? End of activity? Later?)
    4. Who will correct (teacher? Student? Self-correction?...
    5. Which technique to use to indicate that an error has
    occurred to enable correction?

    Scrivener, Jim. Learning Teaching. 3rd edition, Oxford, MacMillan 2011

    6
    2.2 On-the-Spot Correction
    Focused immediate correction

    Accuracy
    later Not at all

    Brief, unobtrusive, immediate


    correction (scaffolding)

    Fluency
    later Not at all

    7
    2.3 Who Corrects?

    8
    2.4 Indicating that an error has been made

    Write the
    Use the problem sentence
    phonemic on the board for
    chart discussion
    Gesture + facial
    Draw spaces or
    expression
    Exploit the
    boxes on the humour in the
    board to show the error
    error in the
    sentence

    Facial Repeat the


    expressions sentence up to
    Tell students the error
    there is an error

    9
    2.5 Extra ideas

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvLTT3U2Rro

    10
    3. Using the learners’ first language

    “My students always talk in their own language. I can’t get them
    to use English.”

    Why?

    11
    3.1 Fear of making mistakes: solutions

    • English-language posters on the wall


    • Respond positively to every effort of using of English.
    • Don’t tell learners off for not using English, but keep
    operating in English yourself.
    • Only ‘hear’ English
    • Communication is your priority, rather than accuracy.
    • Create lots of pairs and small groups activities
    • If it becomes a big problem stop the activity and negotiate
    again.

    12
    4. Tips for oral correction and feedback

    1. Try not to use negative correction

    2. Think about the ability of individual students you're about to correct

    3. Don't overdo it!

    4. Aim for a balance between student interaction and correction.

    5. Make mental or actual notes to help you feedback during or at the


    end of class.

    Spacey, Andrew. “How to Correct Errors EFL/ESL Teachers”.


    Academia, Owlcation, 14 July 2017,
    https://owlcation.com/academia/How-To-Correct-Your-English-
    Students-EFL-Teachers 13

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