Oral Corrective Feedback: Teachers’ Concerns Vs. Researchers’ Orientation Sajjad Sepehrinia Mostafa Mehdizadeh Kashan Language Academy 05/02/1393.

Oral Corrective Feedback: Teachers’ Concerns Vs. Researchers’

Orientation

Sajjad SepehriniaSajjad SepehriniaMostafa MehdizadehMostafa Mehdizadeh

Kashan Language AcademyKashan Language Academy05/02/139305/02/1393

• A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.

David Brinkley, American Newscaster (1920-2003)

Agenda

• Preliminaries: feedback, definition and classification

• Part 1: Negative feedback

• Why, when and how to give feedback

• Group discussion

• Feedback in the post-method era

• Part 2: Positive feedback

What is an error?

The use of a linguistic item in a way which a fluent or native speaker of the language regards as showing faulty or incomplete learning.

Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics

Richards,J, Platt,J, Platt,H.

Longman 1993

The most important errors / mistakes are

the ones that lead to misunderstandings,

that affect meaning and communication.

Error Vs. Mistake

Error• Language not internalised

yet

• Incomplete knowledge

• Occur when learning

• Student cannot correct even when error is pointed out

Mistake• Language has been

internalised• Carelessness • Lack of attention • Fatigue• Student can self-correct• T thinks student can self-

correct

John Hattie reviewed thousands of studies on learning and

instruction and concluded that

“The most powerful single moderator that enhances achievement is feedback.”

Two General Types of FeedbackTwo General Types of Feedback

Negative or Corrective Feedback

Vs.

Positive Feedback

Three Modes of CorrectionThree Modes of Correction

scxc

Self correction

Peer correction

Teacher correction

The Most Common Types of The Most Common Types of Corrective FeedbackCorrective Feedback

• Recast

• Clarification request

• Explicit correction

• Metalinguistic

• Repetition

• Elicitation

RecastRecast

Teacher reformulates student’s error, providing correct form (subtle).

Example:

S: I go to park yesterday. T: Oh great, you went to the park

yesterday.

Clarification RequestClarification Request

The teacher indicates that the message has not been understood.

Examples:

Sorry, I’m not quite sure I understood what you’re saying.

When you said….. what did you mean?Could you repeat……. ?

Explicit CorrectionExplicit Correction

Teacher provides correct form and clearly indicates that student’s word / sentence / utterance was incorrect.

Example:

S: I didn’t washed my shirt. T: No, Look! When we have “did” we

use the simple form of the verb.

MetalinguisticMetalinguistic

Teacher makes comments and/or ask questions that refer to the nature of the error.

Example:

S: what is the people like there?T: do we say “what is the people like?”

or “what are the people like,” we don’t say “what is the people like” because it is plural.

RepetitionRepetition

Teacher repeats the error, using intonation to draw attention to it.

Example:

S: The party very good.T: The party VERY GOOD???S: The party WAS very good.

ElicitationElicitation

The teacher repeats the error, using intonation to draw attention to it.

Example:

S: They don’t pay attention about money.

T: pay attention…..S: Pay attention TO moneyT: Yes, TO money

Let’s discuss some key issues…

1. To correct or not to correct?The Central Dilemma

• If teachers don’t correct errors, learners miss opportunities to connect form to function; if they do correct errors, they risk interrupting the flow of communication”. Lyster & Ranta, 1997

2. Most students expect to be corrected

3. Teachers should never tolerate error or else students will not know what is right

and what is wrong.

4. Mistakes/Errors provide the teacher with important information about the

student’s linguistic problems.

5. There are certain moments during the lesson when no correction should take

place.

6. The teacher is the only person that should correct

7. Errors are ominous signs and should be avoided at all costs

Feedback in the Post-Method Feedback in the Post-Method EraEra

1. Particularity

2. Practicality

3. Possibility

Feedback Practice Informed by Feedback Practice Informed by Learning TheoriesLearning Theories

Teachers in the post-method era are independent decision

makers who evaluate their particular context and make

decisions.

Feedback giving in light of the ‘socio-cultural theory’

Part 2Part 2Positive FeedbackPositive Feedback

Positive FeedbackPositive Feedback

• It is used to reinforce students’ correct responses

• The most common examples are very good, right,

excellent, etc.

• Teachers generally use them to mark “sequence

closing” or “case closed.”

A Concern Voiced by A Concern Voiced by Wang and Waring (2008)Wang and Waring (2008)

• Much of the literature on feedback has focused on

Negative feedback

• The use of ‘very good’ may inhibit learning

opportunities in particular pedagogical contexts.

• Of pedagogical contexts of interest are “form-focused,

check-homework” and “ meaning-focused, open talk”

contexts.

Let’s examine some classroom Let’s examine some classroom transcripts… transcripts…

Use ‘very good’ sparingly Use ‘very good’ sparingly

• especially with higher-level learners

• Oftentimes, the absence of positive reinforcement is

interpreted by students that everything is OK.

• We might save some classroom time this way.

Produce ‘very good’ with ‘non-final’ Produce ‘very good’ with ‘non-final’ intonation intonation

Teachers might say ‘very good’ using a mid-rising

intonational contour, which has the effect of

functioning as a continuer, soliciting ‘more’ or

Further responses from the students.

Accept with less evaluative tokensAccept with less evaluative tokens

• Less evaluative tokens such as ‘okay’, ‘alright’ and

the like.

• There is some research evidence that when ‘okay’ is

used instead of ‘very good’, students may proceed to

ask follow-up questions about the just-completed

item.

Ask ‘permission’ to move onAsk ‘permission’ to move on

1. Give a quick, simple nod of the head up and down.

2. Ask the original respondent, “Okay to move on?”

3. Now ask the whole class, “Okay to move on?”

This way you can give more interactional space to those who

are reticent to speak up, and also opportunity to other students

to put forth ‘unmentioned mentionables.’

Problematize correct responsesProblematize correct responses

• Try to help students become more actively engaged

with the learning by problematizing a correct answer.

• We can use the same responses to incorrect answers

like hesitation, silence, or asking for repetition or

clarification with correct answers.

• So, we can hope students will try harder to reach an

understanding of not just what a correct answer is, but

why it is correct.

Ask pursuit questionsAsk pursuit questions

• Why do you say that?

• How did you arrive at that answer?

• Can you explain?

• Explain why this is correct based on what we have

just learnt.

Elicit peer contributionElicit peer contribution

• After a correct response, turn to other students and

ask:

Do you all agree?

Does anyone have a different answer?

• This way you can help your students change this

perception that such questions are only asked in

response to incorrect answers.

Use whole class ‘feedback signs’Use whole class ‘feedback signs’

Engage in self-reflectionEngage in self-reflection

Do your own researchDo your own research

• Videotape or audio-record one of your lessons and

analyze its transcripts to understand your positive

feedback giving behavior.

• Teacher observers and supervisors can develop a

‘coding scheme’ for positive feedback and add it to

their observation checklists.

ConclusionConclusion

“Foreign language teachers should expect errors from

their students and should accept those errors as a

natural phenomenon integral to the process of learning

a second language […] Teachers are reminded that

people make mistakes when learning any new skill, but

that people learn from their mistakes when they receive

periodic, supportive feedback.”

Hendrickson, 1978

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