Филологические науки. / Методика преподавания языка и литературы.

Sikaliuk A.I., Grusha T.I.

Chernigiv State Institute of Economics and Management

Teaching grammar mistakes and their correction

The key problem of grammar instruction is grammar competency formed by itself or should it be formed?

There’s no point in learning to say correct sentences in English if they don’t mean what we want to say. It is more important to correct mistakes that affect the meaning of several sentences than to correct small grammatical points inside one sentence. Being polite is more important than being grammatically correct.

The key notion for estimating whether a mistake is gross or pardonable is misunderstanding. All mistakes are classified into 3 groups: errors, slips and attempts. Errors are mistakes which are regular and manifest a certain stage in mastering this or that grammatical input. Slips are highly individual and are relapses, as a rule, when attention of the speaker is concentrated upon content not form. They can be self-corrected. Attempts are mistakes due to the speaker’s trying to express meaning in patterns not yet introduced. This is the experimentation with the language, when naturally the speaker can be misled by certain tendencies, patterns or Russian-English carry-overs.

The amount and structure of mistakes depends upon the student’s level and stage of language acquisition. To a certain degree all mistakes can be considered synonymous to learning steps. So when a teacher declares: “My students don’t like to make mistakes” it might as well mean: “My students don’t like to take any learning steps by themselves and entirely lack initiative”.

Teachers should build their lesson plans with in-built variety. One of the sources is definitely variety of focus: fluency or accuracy. Students should be allowed to speak for some time fluently without correction. Nevertheless, accuracy is just as important, since regular disregard of mistakes will lead to fossilization.

Has peer-correction any right to exist? Definitely so, since it has many advantages: learners become actively involved in listening and thinking about the language; it gives feedback to the teacher as to learner’s progress: if nobody can peer-correct, the input isn’t mastered; peer instruction ideas can be useful for teachers ; it makes mini group work more productive.

The main thing here is to encourage cooperation, not to put 1-2 students in the habitual place of the teacher.

Grammar Skills are subdivided into receptive and productive, but there is no clear line between the two. What is first receptive is later productive. Naturally when we select, we should select input for productive use from oral sources and for receptive use from written sources. Productive grammar selection principles:

- Stability of use (many sources many times)

- Model character

- Omission of synonymy (this last principle is characteristic of Russian approach only.

Receptive grammar selection principles: stability and polysemy.

How to estimate quality of grammar presentation?

1. Both aspects should be presented at once – form and meaning;

2. There should be enough examples – in written and oral form.

3. There should be no abuse of terminology, at least at the initial stage. Terminology is a case for lexis acquisition, and should deserve a special focus;

4. The language – it is one of the few cases when the teacher can switch to Russian;

5. Comparison with the mother-tongue, if possible.

6. Rules – they can be given but they can be also elicited from students.

If activities are too many, be selective; a good activity should answer one purpose, be illustrative enough, and above all, there should be avoidance of lock-step drill (preference should be given to pair work with keys, marathons, creative tasks, differentiated tasks, etc.).

Learner Activation Techniques:

1. Reception with no overt response.

2. Reception with minimal response.

3. Teacher student exchanges.

4. Student-teacher exchanges a reverse ping-pong where the student initiates the exchange, and the teacher responds.

5. Brainstorm – here it is important to define very clearly type of response required; use some confident and imaginative students to provide some initial examples.

6. Chain – this is a legitimate outlet for passing notes and can be done alongside with frontal work.

7. Fluid pairs.

8. Semi-controlled small group transactions (an effective type for students who are well on the way of mastering the structure);

9. Free group discussion.

Activities Glossary:

1. Association dominos (for both and; either; neither).

2. Circle comparatives and superlatives.

3. Ranking.

4. What will you do with it? ( planned future actions + oral brainstorm).

5. Quotation quiz.

6. Guessing by abilities.

7. Dilemmas.

8. Numbers which are important for me.

9. Matching; finding differences.

10. Describing differences in paired pictures.

11. Nouns for defining.