Here we are going to take a look at some issues that arise when teachers correct students in the language classroom. We are going to focus on oral errors. Errors in written work will be covered in another section.

We are going to look at the different types of correction techniques available for teachers:

• self-correction
• peer correction teacher
• correction

We will look at some techniques for self and/or peer correction as well.

Self-correction
If possible, we should encourage our students to self-correct. Self-correction gives the students a sense of achievement and builds confidence. At the same time, students are more likely to remember mistakes they've corrected themselves and therefore, hopefully, they'll be less likely to make them in the future.

Where teachers encourage self-correction, the teacher also gains an insight into the students 'knowledge base' (what the students already know). Self-correction also encourages student independence from the teacher.

Self-correction doesn't always work though! Sometimes students don't recognise the error or can't correct themselves.

Peer correction
Peer correction (or student – student correction) is another way of keeping students involved in the correction process. Students find it easier to accept correction from a fellow student (rather than the teacher all the time) and this in turn builds confidence as students can see it is possible to complete the given task.

Where the teacher encourages peer correction, you'll find that students stay more focussed and involved in lessons as they feel part of the learning process. Peer correction is also a great way of promoting team work within the classroom.

Again, peer correction also gives the teacher an idea of what the students already know.

Teacher correction
As teachers we can use ourselves as the medium through which correction is done. Obviously, if the teacher corrects, it is an accurate and correct correction. Of course teachers can just identify the issue at hand and have students analyse the problem (guided self-correction).

Where the teacher corrects, there is accurate modelling and highlighting therefore minimising the chances of errors being reinforced. Teachers can also focus on group errors rather than just putting individual students on the spot.

Teacher correction can be discouraging for students as it focuses on the negative aspects of learning. At the same time, some students might feel less involved when correction takes place (especially if they haven't made an error).

Some ways of encouraging self and/or peer correction
One of the easiest methods of encouraging self and/or peer correction is to use your fingers – finger correction. This is particularly useful for the following kinds of errors:contraction

• extra word
• omission
• word order
• wrong word

Have a consistent system when finger correcting. Which finger/thumb indicates the first word? Make sure that you actually indicate the error clearly.

Once you have corrected, the students will need to repeat the sentence at a natural speed.

Another technique would be to give a description of the mistake e.g. what tense?, you've forgotten something, we need another word etc.

You could also ask questions that point to the error. These encourage self-correction and peer correction. Examples of the types of questions you could ask are:

• When did this happen?
• A green pencil?
• Only three dogs?
• Could we use another word?

If this doesn't work, you could re-state the question (or re-formulate it) using a puzzled look on your face or questioning intonation. This should at least get the students to realise that there is an error and get them thinking about it.

Where the error is a pronunciation error, use of the phonemic chart or an explanation on how to make the sound can be useful tools. Sometimes exaggerating the pronunciation error can also encourage self-correction.

If none of the above works, you could correct the error yourself and get students to tell you why you made the changes you did.

The key thing with error correction is to build confidence – therefore if we are correcting oral work, we don't want to be stopping the students every time they make a mistake. It is a good idea to make notes (mentally or on a piece of paper) about common errors and come back to them at the end of the lesson or when time allows.