Mistakes are part of the language learning process; to identify the type of mistakes, why they occur, and the role they play in language learning is part of the teacher´s task. This is what this unit mainly talks about. Mistakes are useful because they help learners to experiment language and see what they know and do not in order to continue improving. There are two kinds of mistakes, the ones who occur because of learner´s lack of knowledge; they are called errors. Second, the ones who occur because of the learner´s laziness or tiredness, they are called slips. It is important that the teacher identifies the kind of mistake in order to proceed appropriately without affecting learner´s confidence. The reasons why second language learners make mistakes are mainly two: first, because of first language interference. Learners tend to transfer certain words, grammatical structures or sounds that are familiar in their first language into the second language (L2). This prevent from communicating successfully since they are completely different in both languages. Another reason is due to developmental errors, which occur during the language learning process. These errors are common to all learners, including native speakers. One example is when learners overgeneralize a rule; it means they apply a rule too widely. For instance, when they add “s” to all modal verbs when they are conjugating the third person of singular. The good thing of these errors is that they disappear with time while learners develop in their learning process. Nevertheless, there are some errors which are fossilized because they were not treated at the right time becoming difficult to avoid by the learner. For example: the pronunciation of the word “answer”, the learner pronounce it as: /ˈɑːnswər/ instead of /ˈɑːnsər/. In my point of view, I think mistakes should be allowed into the language classroom because they not only help learners to realize of their mistakes and improve, but also they help teachers to see what learners have learned or what kind of help they need in order to look for new strategies. In addition, it is essential to think carefully about whether, when, and how to correct these mistakes. For example, if I notice that a student who never participates, try to say a sentence which has not been correctly formulated, I will avoid correction since confidence could be affected. However, if I notice that a student tends to make the same mistake over and over, I will try to act immediately to help him/her to avoid that mistake. I can use different strategies like: finger correction, reformulation or simply using that mistake for explaining to the whole class. As a conclusion, we have to see errors as a natural part of the learning process and take the best advantage of them, trying to identify their type, the reasons why they occurred and how to help our learners overcome them.
Here I post two youtube videos you can watch to get more information about this topic.
* Peggy, M.(2013). Interlanguage and Error Analysis. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrnYsi6sG8w
* De Mado's, J.(2014). Error in Language Acquisition. Michigan.Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtfVVx-ZaE
Good job Gaby,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote a lot of information about the topic. However, each point you focused on is relevant for learners and teachers. I really like the examples you give, those are helpful for us as future teachers in order to apply it the teaching process.
I love when you write "Mistakes are part of the language learning process" because it is totally true. As teachers we need to identify if our students do error or slips. The purpose is to help and encourage them to improve it. I like when you post about the different strategies that a teacher can use to correct errors. Thanks for the videos, they are great for me.
ReplyDelete