Unit 11

THE ROLE OF ERROR

Mistakes are and important part in language learning, they allows learners to experiment with the language and measure their success in communicating. Students make errors when they are working on the language unconsciously and they cannot correct themselves because they do not understand what is wrong. A slip is the result of tiredness or worry, and learners can correct themselves. There are two main reasons to make errors: 1) Interference.-influence from the learners´ first language on the second language. I.e. lexis or grammatical structures. 2) Working out. - Learners are unconsciously. I.e. developmental errors: learners overgeneralize rules for one item of the language to another item.Fossilised errors are errors which a learner does not stop making and which last for a long time, even for ever, their foreign language use.  

Here we have some tips to correct learners:

• Do not correct them in public or with negative expressions. I.e. that is not correct!. Instead model the correct usage of the word.
• While introducing new vocabulary, drill and model them the correct pronunciation, also practice choral repetition.
• Let students to correct themselves, or peer correction could be fine. 

Watch the video for further information:

The importance of making mistakes 

See more in these links:

• I-to-i.com, (2014). Correcting Errors | i to i. [online] Available at: http://www.i-to-i.com/correcting-errors.html [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
• BusyTeacher, (2014). How to Correct Mistakes. [online] Available at: http://busyteacher.org/3723-how-to-correct-mistakes.html [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].