TESL 110 - Unit 3

One of the most interesting aspects of Unit 3 for me was the discussion of corrective feedback.  I have learned multiple somewhat contradictory things about corrective feedback and its place in teaching English as a second language.  In my opinion, corrective feedback is very important to the teaching of English but it must be done in such a way as to not demotivate or undermine the learners attempts to use the language.  When discussing speaking, it is important to not interrupt the learner when they are attempting to use the language but instead provide them the necessary scaffolding they need to complete their ideas.  After they have completed their idea, it is important to then help them work through some of the difficulties they had. In writing, it is important to correct mistakes that the learners make without filling the paper with ‘red-marks’ indicating they struggled with certain aspects of the language.  Given that grammar is present and important in both spoken and written English, it is difficult to give particular rules of thumb for making corrective feedback in regards to grammar. Additionally, spoken grammar, while expected to be the same, is very different from written grammar. As such, it is important to look at the needs of the learner and decide if the grammatical mistakes they made are easily remedied and if the mistakes hamper the listener’s ability to understand the speaker.  These types of differences make it difficult to prescribe a particular approach to corrective feedback for grammar in general.

 Resources:

Harmer, J. (2001). Mistakes and Feedback. In Harmer, J. (Ed.) The Practice of English Language Teaching (pg. 99-104 & 109-113). Essex, England: Longman.

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