In all feedback on written work, you should include a positive comment. For example, “your use of linkers was excellent”; “you used the tenses well”. Positive feedback is
arguably more important on written work than in others areas because the student will retain a record of what was written as well as your comments. However, we also need
to give students pointers on how to improve, one or two will be enough. For example, “think about linking paragraphs and work on punctuation for your next piece of writing”.
9.2.2 How to correct
Consider very carefully how you will correct errors in a piece of creative or communicative writing letter, essay, etc. It can be very disheartening for students to
have their work returned to them covered in corrections. One way to avoid covering students’ work in red ink is to use symbols to indicate to the students that something is
wrong. For example:
sp = spelling; p = punctuation;
wo = word order; t = tense.
When marking, indicate the spot at which there is a mistake and put the corresponding symbol in the margin. The students can attempt to correct the errors themselves. For
higher-level students, or for errors which lower level students should be able to correct easily, you could put the symbol in the margin without indicating exactly where the
error is. This shows the students that something is wrong without telling them where. Students go through that particular sentence to identify the error and correct it
themselves. These approaches are more encouraging as students are usually able to correct themselves. It also supports the learning process by getting students to think
for themselves and by getting them into the habit of reviewing their work.
An important comment about the use of symbols is that students must know what they mean. Keep your list of symbols on view in the classroom and spend some time
explaining to students what the symbols mean and by doing some work to practise them. Invent some incorrect phrases, write them on the board with the corresponding
symbol and ask students to make suggestions as to the correct form.
9.3 A final word on error correction
After correcting work, you should allow time in class for students to review what they have done and to consider your feedback. Feedback works best when students spend
time reflecting on it. This will also give students the opportunity to ask you questions if they are unable to find the correction themselves.
In all, it is essential to get the balance right as to how much we correct. We also need to deal with errors sensitively and in a supportive way.
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CHAPTER 10: PRONUNCIATION
Pronunciation is an essential aspect of learning to speak a foreign language. If a student does not pronounce a word correctly, it can be very difficult to understand
himher. On the other hand, if students make grammatical mistakes e.g. in a verb tense, the listener still has an idea of what is being said. So, it can be seen that good
pronunciation is vital if a student is to be understood.
It is essential to work on pronunciation regularly. I always suggest that new teachers work on pronunciation through short tasks on a regular basis. It is easy enough to
incorporate some sort of pronunciation work into every lesson. Whenever you present new language, you should also work on its pronunciation.
You will need to decide whether to introduce your students to the phonemic alphabet. The phonemic alphabet is a series of symbols that represent the sounds of English.
You can find a copy of the phonemic alphabet in any good book on pronunciation, e.g. Sound Foundations by Adrian Underhill. One drawback of teaching the phonemic
alphabet is that it can be daunting for students to learn all these symbols especially if they use a non-Latin writing system. That makes just too many new symbols to learn.
However, if a student knows the phonemic alphabet, they can use that knowledge to check the pronunciation of words in a dictionary. If you don’t want to present the
phonemic alphabet to your students, I suggest that you at least introduce the phonetic symbols for the letters that your students find difficult to pronounce.
This brings me neatly to another point: which sounds do students find difficult and which should we focus on? Unfortunately, there is not one answer to this; it will depend
very much on your students’ mother tongue. Many students have difficulty pronouncing “th” but this is not a problem for most Arabic speakers who have the sound in their own
language. Speakers of some Asian languages find it difficult to differentiate between “l” and “r”. Some languages don’t have the “h” sound at the beginning of words and will
need to work on its production. I suggest you consult a copy of Learner English by Michael Swan. He gives very comprehensive coverage of problems encountered by
speakers of various languages. If you cannot get hold of a copy, I suggest you speak to some people who have been teaching in your particular setting for some time and
ask them which sounds the students find difficult. You’ll also notice it yourself in the first few lessons with your students.
Apart from the difficult sounds specific to certain language groups, students will need to know about the aspects of pronunciation that are described below.
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