Young Learners Course PDF

Young Learners Course Correction Techniques The ability to correct is a skill that takes time and experience to perfect. It is an area in which students are often critical of the teacher. Too much correction can be equally as off-putting as too little. It is also important to note that praising th...

Young Learners Course Correction Techniques The ability to correct is a skill that takes time and experience to perfect. It is an area in which students are often critical of the teacher. Too much correction can be equally as off-putting as too little. It is also important to note that praising the students is equally as important as correcting, if not more so. In teaching EFL, it is usual to distinguish between mistakes and errors. A mistake can be thought of as a slip of the tongue or the pen. The student is able to correct himself or herself, either unprompted or with the help of the teacher or other students. An error is something that is more deeply ingrained and may be made because: The student believes what he or she is saying is correct The student does not know the correct form. The student knows the correct form, but can‟t get it right The positive side of errors At least the student is trying By making errors learners are experimenting with language, which is part of the learning process By noting errors, the teacher can see what needs focusing on in the future lessons. Who corrects? Self-correction This should be the first option as it provides the student with the opportunity to reflect upon what he/she has said and enable them to try again. Before students can correct themselves, they must be aware of the following: Something is not accurate Where the error is What kind of error it is If the student is unable to correct him/herself fairly quickly, then move on rather than 1  humiliating the student by pausing the class when the student is clearly unable to self-correct. Student – student correction If the student is unable to correct his/her own mistake it is often useful to allow the other students to correct the mistake. Students usually like helping each other; however, this method should not be used if the teacher feels that it would make the student who made the mistake feel uncomfortable or confused. Teacher – student correction This should be the last resort. The other two methods allow the students to identify the problem and correct it. If the teacher corrects straightaway, then the students don‟t have to think about the mistake and work out why it is not correct. Therefore, they are less likely to remember it and are more likely to repeat the same mistake in the future. What should the teacher correct? It can be difficult for teachers to know exactly what type of mistakes to correct. Generally, it can be said that for activities where accuracy is the focus (the study stage) correction is more vital than for activities where fluency is the primary objective. That doesn‟t mean that every single mistake/error in the study stage will be corrected and mistakes in the activate stage will not be corrected. Ways and Means (Extract from Smooth Moves by Dave Hopkins) The way a teacher corrects (or doesn‟t correct) depends upon consideration of the above questions. Since in the classroom there is seldom time for detailed analysis, it often comes down to the question of what is the aim of the activity. As a rule, activities may be aimed at “fluency,” – i.e. getting students to speak or try out language – or, “accuracy” – i.e. practicing correct models of language. Also, in general, lower level learners need more encouragement for “fluency” and less focus on “accuracy.” „HOW to correct an error‟ starts with looking at the possible sources of correction or feedback. Self-correction is the most preferable since it strengthens the learner‟s confidence. The important thing is to give the student enough time to self-correct. The teacher‟s very nature to be helpful may get in the way, jumping in to supply an answer before the student has had a chance to respond. Encouraging self-correction might include: Pausing to allow for the response Providing supporting cues – board or pictures Recording student‟s response on paper or tape, and asking them to look for errors Indicate that there is an error, but wait to allow the student to correct in the future 2  Peer correction might include Eliciting responses from the class to the board Students brainstorming responses in groups Giving students cut up sentences to re-assemble Writing incorrect sentences on the board and students correct Tape record student‟s responses, and then the class listens for errors Teacher correction can be effective as long as it is done carefully. Rephrasing the question Asking for clarifications Remodeling T/T Asking the student to repeat the answer Reference resources Look the answer up in the student text Look in a dictionary Look in a grammar book Task Error is a sign that the student didn‟t learn. Error is a sign that learning is taking place. Consider the statements, and think about why you think one, or the other, or both might be true. Observe>Hypothesize>Experiment This is what we want students to be doing. Allowing the students to “experiment” implies that we are willing to accept errors as part of the learning process. Study of learner error and the development of “inter-language” (partially formed language produced during learning) suggests that students may be juggling several intermediate forms at any one time as they try to get a fix on what is correct. A learner‟s awareness of error ranges from: 3  I am aware of the error after I have said it to I am aware of the error as I say it to I am able to correct the error before I say it Let‟s take a look at some examples of error. What is the student trying to say in each of the examples below? I talk to her yesterday. Say this sentence to yourself correctly and incorrectly a number of times. What‟s the difference in the sound production? Can you imagine why students might have a bit of trouble picking up the distinction, and then producing the difference to the satisfaction of a teacher? He borrowed her the book. What do you think the student is trying to say here? Notice that there are a number of possibilities. What would provide the clue to which form is correct in this case? They went there since yesterday. Explore as in the above. My name Emanual Silva. Notice the possibility for L1 interference here, My name “e” Manual Silva. I want red book. What are the possibilities here? TASK. Discuss for each sentence, WHAT error has been made? WHY has the student made the error? WHETHER the error should be corrected? WHEN to correct the error? WHO will correct the error? Guidelines for correction Given that the teacher may or may not know what error has been made, what the student is trying to say, or what would be the best way to correct the error, perhaps the first rule of correction might be “patience.” Inappropriate error correction often leads to learner “shut down” – i.e. stop speaking or participating in the class. We will assume this is not what the teacher intends. While letting errors continue for long periods may lead to bad habits, it is probably advisable to delay correction until the following criteria can be followed. 4 Error should be corrected when the correction is: Acceptable. This means that the correction is not seen as a threat, and the learner is open and ready to adopt the corrected form. This suggests that the correction be done by remodeling with the whole class – on the blackboard, with T/T, T/S or S/S – rather than pointing the correction at an individual student. Understandable. This is a subtler point, but will be well understood by anyone who has been corrected themselves, and not understood the correction. For example, in Thai someone says, “Let‟s go to see Pi El.” Not understanding, one might ask for confirmation by saying, “Oh Pi El?” with a rising tone. Only to be corrected again by the Thai saying, “No Pi.” With a falling or low tone. Since there are seven possible tone combinations here, many indiscernible to the non-Thai speaker, there is a high likelihood here that frustration and shut down will follow. Can you think of examples where this might happen in English correction? Doable. This refers to the situation when the learner knows the correct form, but is unable to produce it. This can happen for two possible reasons. The correct form is known, but not part of the student‟s unconscious production/response system – i.e. When asked in an „on-the-spot‟ class situation: How many boats are there? The student may respond, There are three boat. Leaving the /-s/ off even though the correct form is known. The correct form is known, but the learner is unable to produce the correct form because of unpracticed neural-motor skills. For example, rolling the r‟s in Spanish, or the initial “ng” sounds in Thai. Error Correction and the Order of Acquisition Another factor in error correction that has been addressed in language acquisition research is the influence of the so-called “natural order of acquisition.” In first language acquisition, it is clear that children acquire language features in a discernable order. Word order comes first, and although children do not include all the words, it is clear that Mommy cookie means “Mommy I want a cookie.” While the exact features of language that are acquired at different stages is not a complete picture, it is clear that features like final inflections for plural and past forms, and the proper use of auxiliaries 5 comes much later in the learning process. Whether or not the teacher agrees with the idea of a „natural order of acquisition‟ or not, it is probably reasonable to suggest that the teacher‟s expectations of fixing any particular error at any particular moment should be modest, rather than persistent. In sum, patience with error correction seems prudent. Allow the student opportunities to self-correct, and provide focused activity to “notice” when errors occur. The guideline for correction should be “remodeling” rather than “correction.” Providing students consistently and repeatedly with correct models of the language is essential. Equally important is allowing them time to sort out language forms and usage as they develop competence. This is included in Marc Helgesen‟s ideas on “language planning.” In other words, error correction is involved in the process of allowing students time to reflect upon what they are going to say or write before they are required to do so. This leads naturally into the next topic, „noticing grammar.” Evaluation Techniques As teachers we have the responsibility of setting up conditions which enable students to learn effectively. But how do we know whether learning is taking place and how do we measure progress? Monitoring‟ means keeping in touch with your pupil‟s learning, the difficulties they are experiencing and the progress that they are making. The term also summarizes the various procedures used by any organization responsible for education, from schools to local and national government, to check, on standards and progress (The term „audit‟ is also used in this latter connection.) „Assessment‟ refers to any process, which gives information about pupils‟ learning. Informal classroom processes include observing pupils tackling a task, questioning them about their work, looking at their written recording of their work or listening in on their discussion. More formal processes include testing and setting assignments for making, and the national system of tests and examinations. Assessment processes usually include the stages of tests and examinations. Assessment processes usually include the stages of recording and reporting and also have an important role in accountability. „Recording‟ means maintaining up-to-date records of the classroom experience and achievement of individual pupils, relating these systematically to the agreed curriculum and assessment framework laid down by the National Curriculum or the corresponding requirements of upper secondary courses and qualifications. „Reporting‟ means preparing a summary overview of the performance of individual pupils. Intended both for official purposes and to advise pupils and their parents, pupil reports must relate achievements to the standards defined by national frameworks for curriculum and 6  assessment, but also convey this and broader information about the pupils‟ learning in a way that pupils and parents can understand. „Accountability‟ refers to the important part that formal assessment plays in evaluating the performance not just of the pupils but also of their teachers and schools. Through the processes of recording and reporting, teachers and schools demonstrate their seriousness of purpose and their success in promoting pupils‟ learning. The result of public examination for schools are usually published in local newspapers and, more controversially, scores based on these results, are calculated to provide national local „league tables‟. We need feedback on our teaching and students need feedback on their learning. This can be done through assessments or evaluation. In this chapter we will look at: What is assessment? Reasons for assessment Continuous assessment Self-evaluation What is assessment? Assessment is something that teachers spend a lot of time doing. The term „assessment‟ is used in different ways in different situations, but broadly one may refer to it as a way of providing feedback on learning and teaching. Why do we assess? We use assessment to identify student‟s progress, to check on achievements and will be influenced by our particular teaching situation and school policies. If the school requires the teacher to give regular reports for parents, then it will be necessary to monitor and record pupil‟s progress frequently. Where the requirement is to move the children to the next level, the teacher may have to assess them term wise based on a particular set of criteria. How do we use the information obtained from assessments? If our purpose is to check achievement, the information may be in the form of test results. If the aim is to monitor progress, then the information may be in the form of comments or samples of student‟s work. The decisions you will make will be based on your knowledge of the students, your aim, and the context. PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT: Much of the debate about assessment, whether at national or at school level is concerned with „How‟? questions, with techniques of testing and interpretation and reporting of results. There is another debate, usually less public but hardly less important, about the „Why‟? questions, the nature of 7 assessment and its purposes. Analysis of thinking and performance: Assessment can give insights into very specific aspects of the thinking and performance of pupils. How are they thinking about a particular situation? Where and why is skilled performance on some task breaking down? Using assessment to ask and answer such questions improves the information available to the teacher and makes it possible to identify and address learning difficulties. Feedback to pupils, teachers and parents: Feedback should be the most important use of assessment. The procedures may range from informal „impressions‟ to formal written tests but the main purpose is to keep pupils and teachers informed about the progress and achievements during the course. This is known as formative assessment, as it guides the ongoing processes of teaching and learning and is integral to the4se processes. Formative assessment is in contrast to summative assessment, which attempts to summarize and evaluate the outcomes of pupils‟ performance at the end of a course of study but is unlikely to help change their performance. Formative Assessment and EFFECTIVE TEACHING: Research into the use of formative assessment in the classroom settings has confirmed the important contribution that it can make to effective teaching and learning. Formative assessment helps the teachers to match the planning of future lessons more effectively to the learning characteristics and needs of particular groups of pupils. It also provides the basis from which teachers can give pupils constructive oral and written feedback, and helps them set appropriate targets for the development of their work. The research we mentioned also indicated approaches to assessment, which are particularly helpful and unhelpful. The studies indicate that teacher assessment which diagnoses pupils‟ difficulties and provides constructive feedback and leads to significant learning gains, particularly for lower-attaining pupils. The effect is to reduce the attainment in a group while at the same time raising performance overall, so tackling what is often seen as an intractable- and inevitable- modest improvement found in these studies raises the performance of the average pupil to the level previously achieved by only one in three. So what exactly are teachers doing in classroom where formative assessment procedures such remarkable effects? Black and William‟s 1998 survey identified five factors seemingly crucial for successful learning, and a further five factors that hinder it. 8 STANDARDS ARE RAISED BY: Regular classroom testing and the use of results to adjust teaching and learning rather than for competitive grading. Enhanced feedback between teacher and pupils, which may be oral, or in the form of written comments on work. The active involvement of all pupils. Careful attention to the motivation and self-esteem of pupils, encouraging them to believe that they can learn what is being taught. Time allowed for self-assessment by pupils, discussion in groups and dialogue between teachers and pupils. STANDARDS ARE NOT RAISED BY: Tests which encourage rote and superficial learning, even when teachers claim they wish to develop understanding. Failure by teachers to discuss and review testing methods between themselves. Over-emphasis on the giving of marks and grades at the expense of useful advice to learners. Approaches which compare pupils in a way which persuade them that the purpose is competition rather than personal improvement, and which de-motivate some pupils. Feedback, testing and record-keeping which serves a managerial rather than a learning function. In a further study on learning gains produced by enhanced formative assessment; the research team reported in more details the positive effects of: Careful framing of teachers‟ questions to encourage active participation pupils. Increasing „wait time‟ after questions to give pupils time to think and contribute. Comments on written tasks, which identify what has been done well and what still needs improvement. Making the criteria for evaluating any learning achievements transparent to the pupils. Teaching pupils the habits and skills of collaboration in peer-assessment. Encouraging pupils to keep in mind the aims of their and assess their own progress to meet these aims. The formative use of summative tests. 9  Reasons for Assessment Reasons for assessment How to use information obtained To identify progress in learning English. -Adjust learning tasks. -Move from a child to another group. -Give feedback on strengths and problem areas to work on. -Help the child make an action plan. To identify what pupils have learned -move pupils to the next class. over a term or year -Adjust yearly teaching plans -Change learning materials To check use of a particular skill or -Give further practice. language structure -Change your lesson plan. -Give special help to some pupils To find out whether teaching objectives -try out new methods or techniques. have been met -Adjust future teaching plans. To find out whether pupils like/ dislike -make changes particular activities and why -involve pupils in choosing activities To diagnose problems or strengths in -prepare learning materials based on particular language areas. the problem areas. -Give individual help to pupils. 10  Continuous assessment system The difference between On- going assessment and Overall assessment: It is done on daily basis, to check how It is done only periodically, at the end far the student is making progress of the term or year, to check whether according to the set objective. pupils have achieved certain goals through a test or exam. It is a feedback both to the teacher and The feedback does not always benefit the pupil. the pupil or the teacher, but it may affect them. There is always a chance to improve and Sometimes it is a decisive factor in the see further progress. promotion or failure of the student at the end of the year leaving no scope for improvement. 11  Maintaining Student's Language Profile: Collecting and recording a pupil‟s progress on a continuous basis will help the teacher evaluate not only the student‟s progress in language learning, but his/ her own teaching goals. Name: Class: Date: Term: Attainment Targets Excellent Very Good Good Average Needs Help Listening recognizes rhythms and patterns can grasp overall meaning of simple 12  messages. can follow simple oral instructions. can identify simple details in oral texts. can grasp the overall senses of less contextualize d messages. Speaking can produce brief messages with appropriate pronunciation. can use simple social expressions. can produce short, modeled oral messages. can produce original oral messages. Reading/ Writing can interpret the written code at word 13  level, at simple sentence level. can grasp the overall sense of brief written text. can extract specific information from brief written text. Can follow simple written instructions. can produce modeled written information. can produce original written messages. Learning Skills can work independently of the teacher. can select and carry out own work activities. can reflect on 14  and assess own performance and progress. can make use of reference sources. Social skills shows interest in English lessons. is able to cooperate with others in group and pair work. shows leadership skills in group and pair work. The teacher collects information by observing and listening to children while they are doing their activities, by keeping notes of how children respond in class. Alternative sources of information could be children‟s written work, information from other teachers and parents. The profile enables the teacher to assess different aspects of the four language skills. for each individual skill the teacher has to decide at what level the pupil is performing. There are four main levels: Not yet covered. Child needs more experience in this skill area. Has secure understanding. Can apply and extend his/ skill or knowledge. 15 It is clearly not easy to decide the level at which a pupil is performing on the basis of one observation. However regular notes over a period of time will support a more formal observation for the profile. Organizing assessment: Divide the class into groups. Observe one group at a time and set written or art work for the other pupils. Example: Day Observation Group Work set for other groups Monday Gold Silent reading Tuesday Pink Crossword/ word games Wednesday Blue Read and draw/ color You might find the profile to be too detailed for daily use. If this is the case, you could focus on those areas that are important for your pupils for a particular period. Encourage children to assess themselves. This can be done through the use of drafting, questionnaires and diaries. The aim is to help children become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and to learn to monitor their own progress. In this way children feel more involved in the learning process and will be more receptive to feedback. Example of questionnaire: Evaluation sheet for the month of: Name: Subject: Materials used: Good things (remember why): Bad things (why): 16 What do I know now that I didn‟t know before? Plan suggestions for the future: Reference: Fanfare 1 Teacher‟s Book by McHugh OUP 17