background preloader

ELT

Facebook Twitter

0209maum. Understanding Learner Errors. Today's article is written by James Trotta.

Understanding Learner Errors

James is a teacher trainer at SMU-TESOL and runs ESL go, a website with free resources for learners and teachers. Many language teachers and learners blame L1 transfer for a majority of their problems with L2 grammar. For example, many Korean learners will tell you that English is hard to learn because the SVO word order is different than the SOV word order used in Korean. It’s true that novice level learners studying EFL in Korea do make word order errors such as ‘He ice cream like’ or ‘I school go’ but as learners advance these types of errors are quickly outnumbered by errors from different sources. One common type of learner error is the natural order error, a missing grammatical morpheme. This natural order is important if we are to have realistic expectations of our learners.

So English teachers need to do a little research. E is for Error. “It’s self-evident,” wrote an MA student of mine recently, in an online forum, “that most learner errors are caused by mother tongue interference”.

E is for Error

Is it really self-evident? It was certainly self-evident in the mid-twentieth century, when the notion of interference reigned supreme. But the advent of interlanguage studies put paid to that. The new science of error analysis (as distinct from contrastive analysis) suggested that many – some would say most – errors are the effect of developmental processes and performance demands, and have nothing to do with the learner’s L1. Deciding What and When to Correct. I live here for five years.On hearing an incorrect form like this, you have to decide what to do about it.

Deciding What and When to Correct

Should it be corrected immediately? Left to form the basis of a remedial lesson? Offered to the student for self-correction? View topic - Feeback and Error-correction. Error Correction - TEFL World Wiki. A well balanced use of error correction - Teacher Articles. Articles about learning, using and teaching the English language, including advice, tutorials, opinions and lesson plans from various authors and contributors.

A well balanced use of error correction - Teacher Articles

Articles cover topics from English grammar, spelling and punctuation, through to language teaching, career development, specialisations, and ideas and suggestions for the classroom. Formal Letter Writing - Help with formal and business letter writing. A summary of writing rules including outlines for cover letters and letters of enquiry, and abbreviations used in letters. Tips on Essay Writing - A selection of tips on writing essays including a number of sample essays. Speaking Out - A collection of thoughts, comments and articles regarding some of the issues and discussion points that have been raised in our ESL Forum. ERIC Digests - The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Digests are short reports that highlight topics of current interest in foreign language education, ESL, bilingual education, and linguistics. Linking,connecting, joining and transitional words:eslflow webguide.

Conjunctions. The ‘Silent Way’ for Dummies  This is a book you just need to read once.

The ‘Silent Way’ for Dummies 

Wake up to your True Self ! Make peace with the POWERFUL YOU ! Download the ebook for easy reference at any time. I wrote these 9 steps to awakening based on my own lessons at each step. These are 9 steps to understanding and aligning our lives with our true self. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Teaching approaches: what is the silent way? By Tim Bowen An article discussing the Silent Way approach to language learning.

Teaching approaches: what is the silent way?

Tell me and I forget Teach me and I remember Involve me and I learn Benjamin Franklin Silent Way originated in the early 1970s and was the brainchild of the late Caleb Gattegno. The last line of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote about teaching and learning can be said to lie at the heart of Silent Way. The structural patterns of the target language are presented by the teacher and the grammar "rules" of the language are learnt inductively by the learners. What is Positive Behavior Support. Student-centred learning. Student-centered learning, that is, putting students interests first, is in contrast to traditional education, by proponents of "student-centered learning" also dubbed "teacher-centred learning".

Student-centred learning

Student-centred learning is focused on each student's interests, abilities, and learning styles, placing the teacher as a facilitator of learning. This classroom teaching method acknowledges student voice as central to the learning experience for every learner, and differs from many other learning methodologies. In a student-centred classroom, students choose what they will learn, how they will learn, and how they will assess their own learning. Teacher-centred learning has the teacher at its centre in an active role and students in a passive, receptive role. In a teacher-centred classroom, teachers choose what the students will learn, how the students will learn, and how the students will be assessed on their learning.

McKay Today News » Blog Archive » Change Student Behavior by Changing Teacher Behavior. Home » Seminars & Research Projects 12 April 20102 Comments The key to improving student behavior is changing teacher behavior.

McKay Today News » Blog Archive » Change Student Behavior by Changing Teacher Behavior

Applied behavior analysis involves acting on lessons learned from behavioral assessments. In a recently published book chapter, Darlene Anderson and Michelle Marchant from the Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department explain that applied behavior analysis is focused on fixing the problem context, not the child. This research-based approach is similar to positive behavior support. Although the chapter is focused on using principles of behavior analysis works for students in special education, Anderson emphasized that the approach is also effective for students with behavioral problems in general education classes. As teachers learn more about the problem context, they can change their own behavior in ways that will influence positive change in their students. Applied behavior analysis requires teachers to practice six steps: The Cambridge guide to teaching ... Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice.

By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs.

Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice

This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching. Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom. Why it is importantBeginning the process of reflection Teacher diary Peer observation Recording lessons Student feedback What to do next Think Talk Read Ask Conclusion Why it is important Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today. " However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. The first step is to gather information about what happens in the class.