11.Mistakes and their correction

There’s no point in learning to say correct sentences in Eng if they don’t mean what we want to say. It is more important to correct mistakes that affect the meaning of several sentences than to correct small grammatical points inside one sentence. Being polite is more important than being grammat-lly correct.

The key notion for estimating whether a mistake is gross or pardonable is misunder-ing. All mistakes are classified into 3 groups: errors, slips and attempts. Errors are mistakes which are regular and manifest a certain stage in mastering this or that grammatical input. As a rule, they can be pee-corrected. Slips are hihgly individual and are relapses, as a rule, when attention of the speaker is concentrated upn content not form. They can be self-corrected. Attempts are mistakes due to the speaker’s trying to express meaning in patterns not yet introduced. This is a certain experimentation with the language, when naturally the speaker can be misled by certain tendencies, patterns or Rus.-Eng. carry-overs.

The amount and structure of mistakes depends upon the student’s level and stage of language acquisition. To a certain degree all mistakes can be considered synonymous to learning steps. So when a teacher declares: “My students don’t like to make mistakes” it might as well mean: “My students don’t like to take any learning steps by themselves and entirely lack initiative”.

If you value accuracy above all, you’ll get at the expense of fluency and content. Sometimes mistakes should simply be ignored. Students should be listened to as individuals with things to say. (My mother has been taken to hospital... – Good!)

Teachers should build their lesson plans with in-built variety. One of the sources is definitely variety of focus: fluency or accuracy. Students should be allowed to speak for some time fluently without correction. Nevertheless, accuracy is just as important, since regular disregard of mistakes will lead to fossilization.

Has peer-correction any right to exist? Definitely so, since it has many advantages: learners become actively involved in listening and thinking about the language; it gives feedback to the teacher as to learner’s progress: if nobody can peer-correct, the input isn’t mastered; peer instruction ideas can be useful for teachers too, since we are overfond of theoretizing; it makes mini group work more productive.

The main thing here is to encourage cooperation, not to put 1-2 students in the habitual place of the teacher.

Can lack of intonation be disregarded in grammar drills? Absolutely not, since it is our paramount objective to turn even the most primitive grammar dills (repeat, imitate types) into initial steps for communicative practice. Students must not be allowed to sound lifeless!

Correction techniques: 1. Delayed correction (= “collecting mistakes” after group work - works for errors); 2 observers (special students whose task is to write down things, then after the communication activity – fluency focused – reads out what he has got, in order for slips to be self-corrected.) 3. Marking but not correcting written work. Next lesson for 5 minutes students are given a chance to self-correct their grammar tests. If notified, students will very productively revise the material all over again. 4. Teacher mistakes: it takes a certain effort to make mistakes, but students listen for a bonus. 5. Correction groups: if there is some frontal test-work to be corrected, a teacher might simply provide keys and check works of 3-4 students, that are nominated to check works of the rest and count points.

How to estimate quality of grammar presentation?

1. Both aspects should be presented at once – form and meaning;

2. There should be enough examples – in written and oral form.

3. There should be no abuse of terminology, at least at the initial stage. Terminology is a case for lexis acquisition, and should deserve a special focus;

4. The language – it is one of the few cases when the teacher can switch to Russian;

5. Comparison with the mother-tongue, if possible.

6. Rules – they can be given but they can be also elicited from students.

ADVANTAGES: Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the project; All four skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking, are integrated; Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more responsible for their own learning; There are learning outcomes -learners have an end product; Authentic tasks and therefore the language input are more authentic; Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group; Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher and within the group themselves so it is more learner-centered; Learners often get help from parents for project work thus involving the parent more in the child's learning. If the project is also displayed parents can see it at open days or when they pick the child up from the school; A break from routine and the chance to do something different; A context is established which balances the need for fluency and accuracy. Opening: To give learners an idea of what projects are and what they should be aiming to produce, it is good to have examples of past projects; Proposing: What they want to include in the project?;What form it will take; Who will be responsible for what; time it will take to produce each part of the project; Any material or resources they might need. Time: Allocate an agreed amount of time for the project. Space: Show the learners the space they will have for the project, it could be wall space or a corner of the classroom, so they have some idea how much material they should produce and can plan the layout. Materials and resources. Presentation: Projects need to be seen, read and admired so schedule the last project session as a presentation. Ask the group to prepare a task for the others in the class: a quiz with questions for a wall display, a crossword using vocabulary for the project or comprehension questions for a video that learners have made. Evaluation: a project needs to be acknowledged and evaluated. Drawbacks: learners using their own language; Some learners doing nothing; Groups working at different speeds. TYPES: I. domineering method or skill: research, creative, informative, entertainment; 2. content area: mono projects, interdisciplinary (blend of history + handicraft + phys. ed=drama); 3. how they’re coordinated: with open coordination (the advisor is a teacher and they know it), implied 4. size: intramural, regional, international, school, individual; 5. duration: mini projects (1pr), macro projects (up to half a year)STAGES: 1. stimulus2. listening- t. suggest possible reference, instructions, directions 3. data collection 4. design of written materials, presentation 6. group activities 7. organization of mat 8. final presentation 9. evaluation You can’t start a project all of a sudden – bridging activities(conversation). Examples: research project can lead to scientific research (traveling plants); creative project ( wallpaper with photos of a teacher at the age of 5),; info project (marketing – where to buy the cheapest food); statistic project (opinion walls, interview