Errors and mistakes
Errors and mistakes
Errors and mistakes
Errors and mistakes
Teachers can be blamed for
causing errors by sloppy or careless
teaching or planning
Teachers blame students, their
accusationsare usually directedat
lack of motivation, self-discipline or
general intelligence
Learning strategies
Learning strategies
Learning a foreign language is
Learning a foreign language is
different from learning mother
different from learning mother
tongue.
tongue.
Human problem-solving ability seems
Human problem-solving ability seems
to consist of capacity to make
to consist of capacity to make
theories of generalization and then
theories of generalization and then
put these to the test
put these to the test
Areas of language:
Areas of language:
phonological items: the sounds of the
phonological items: the sounds of the
language; may be best learned by a
language; may be best learned by a
simple process of repetition and
simple process of repetition and
reinforcement; attitude adopted by
reinforcement; attitude adopted by
most teachers
most teachers
lexical items: can be learned by
lexical items: can be learned by
frequent repetition and exposure;
frequent repetition and exposure;
students are more likely to remember
students are more likely to remember
lexical items which are all thematically
lexical items which are all thematically
related
related
structural items: students are
structural items: students are
adopting hypotheses but it happens
adopting hypotheses but it happens
unconsciously; students’
unconsciously; students’
hypothesesmay not have any
hypothesesmay not have any
connections with L1 – they may be
connections with L1 – they may be
based on the student’s experience
based on the student’s experience
of structures previously taught
of structures previously taught
Competence and
Competence and
performance
performance
Behaviourists regarded the language
Behaviourists regarded the language
learning as the acquisition of skills
learning as the acquisition of skills
The complex skill broken down into
The complex skill broken down into
series of habits, which were drilled untill
series of habits, which were drilled untill
they became authomatic and
they became authomatic and
unthinking
unthinking
Habits were taught in series of small
Habits were taught in series of small
steps to avoid errors
steps to avoid errors
Mentalists say that a speaker knows his
Mentalists say that a speaker knows his
language
language
Distinction between knowledge and
Distinction between knowledge and
performance is a crucial one for
performance is a crucial one for
teachers of foreign language
teachers of foreign language
Noam Chomsky: pointed out that
Noam Chomsky: pointed out that
native speakers make many errors
native speakers make many errors
when speaking even though they
when speaking even though they
have perfect knowledge of
have perfect knowledge of
grammatical rules, lexis and the
grammatical rules, lexis and the
sound system
sound system
- competence – the native speaker’s
- competence – the native speaker’s
perfect knowledge; knowing what is
perfect knowledge; knowing what is
gramatically correct
gramatically correct
- performance – is what actually
- performance – is what actually
occurs in practice; a faulty
occurs in practice; a faulty
representation of competence,
representation of competence,
caused by psychological restrictions
caused by psychological restrictions
Errors – caused by lack of knowledge
Errors – caused by lack of knowledge
about the target language or by
about the target language or by
incorrect hypotheses about it
incorrect hypotheses about it
Mistakes – caused by temporary
Mistakes – caused by temporary
lapses of memory, confusion, slips of
lapses of memory, confusion, slips of
the tongue etc.
the tongue etc.
Analysing errors
Analysing errors
Activities:
Activities:
- correct the mistakes by rewriting each
- correct the mistakes by rewriting each
sentence
sentence
- Compare your reconstructions with those
- Compare your reconstructions with those
of another member of your group
of another member of your group
- single out what you consider to be the
- single out what you consider to be the
least serious mistake and the most serious
least serious mistake and the most serious
- attempt an initial classification of the
- attempt an initial classification of the
mistakes by putting them into two units
mistakes by putting them into two units
- suggest useful labels for the two sets
- suggest useful labels for the two sets
It is necessary to indulge in certain
It is necessary to indulge in certain
amount of guessing when attempting
amount of guessing when attempting
a plausible guessing
a plausible guessing
Teacher are not required to assess
Teacher are not required to assess
and correct language and in a
and correct language and in a
vacuum as it were
vacuum as it were
There are opportunities for teacher
There are opportunities for teacher
and pupils to discuss errors
and pupils to discuss errors
Grammatical and lexical errors
Grammatical and lexical errors
Chain and choice – it is useful to think of
Chain and choice – it is useful to think of
language in term of literal sequencing of
language in term of literal sequencing of
structures and in term of choices or
structures and in term of choices or
substitutions at various points; the learner
substitutions at various points; the learner
who displays the sort of syntactic confusion
who displays the sort of syntactic confusion
needs to go back to basic centence building;
needs to go back to basic centence building;
very useful framework for error analysis
very useful framework for error analysis
One of the most useful things that a
One of the most useful things that a
dictionary does is to give synonyms for the
dictionary does is to give synonyms for the
word we look up, it offers a number of
word we look up, it offers a number of
choices. There is a danger that students
choices. There is a danger that students
may use word inappriopriately
may use word inappriopriately
Implausible reconstructions:
Implausible reconstructions:
- knowing what to correct and when to
- knowing what to correct and when to
leave is often a problem
leave is often a problem
- without knowing the level of the
- without knowing the level of the
class and the teaching context within
class and the teaching context within
which pupils’ responses are made, it is
which pupils’ responses are made, it is
quite impossible to be dogmatic
quite impossible to be dogmatic
- more advanced pupils need to be
- more advanced pupils need to be
aware of language style, less
aware of language style, less
advanced should not be disheartened
advanced should not be disheartened
by over-correction
by over-correction
Causes of error
Causes of error
Mother-tongue interference:
Mother-tongue interference:
Young children appear to be able to
Young children appear to be able to
learn a foreign language quite easily
learn a foreign language quite easily
and to reproduce new sounds very
and to reproduce new sounds very
effectively.
effectively.
Most older learners experience
Most older learners experience
considerable difficulty
considerable difficulty
The sound system and the grammar
The sound system and the grammar
of the first language impose
of the first language impose
themselves on the new language
themselves on the new language
Overgeneralization:
Overgeneralization:
Errors are inevitable because they
Errors are inevitable because they
reflect various stages in the language
reflect various stages in the language
development.
development.
Learner processes new language
Learner processes new language
data in his mind and produces rules
data in his mind and produces rules
for its production, based on the
for its production, based on the
evidence
evidence
Errors encouraged by teaching
Errors encouraged by teaching
material or method:
material or method:
If material is well chosen, graded and
If material is well chosen, graded and
presented, there should never be any
presented, there should never be any
error.
error.
The teacher’s attitude to
The teacher’s attitude to
error
error
The behaviourist attitude – symptom
The behaviourist attitude – symptom
of ineffective teaching or as evidence
of ineffective teaching or as evidence
of failure; being due very largely due
of failure; being due very largely due
to mother-tongue interference that
to mother-tongue interference that
the teacher has failed to predict and
the teacher has failed to predict and
allow for; when errors do occur, they
allow for; when errors do occur, they
are to be remedied by a
are to be remedied by a
bombardment of correct forms by the
bombardment of correct forms by the
use of intensive drilling
use of intensive drilling
The mentalist attitude – error is inevitable, it
The mentalist attitude – error is inevitable, it
is integral part of learning process and
is integral part of learning process and
developing competence, in notto be
developing competence, in notto be
regardedas signs of failure; students learn by
regardedas signs of failure; students learn by
making errors and having them corrected
making errors and having them corrected
The language teacher must be concerned
The language teacher must be concerned
about what is going on in the learner’s mind
about what is going on in the learner’s mind
and must be prepared to discuss language
and must be prepared to discuss language
problems
problems
Grammatical explanation alone is mos
Grammatical explanation alone is mos
unlikely to be effective, it is better used as a
unlikely to be effective, it is better used as a
back-up device or extra strategy at the
back-up device or extra strategy at the
revision stage
revision stage
An eclectic approach – is the most
An eclectic approach – is the most
commonly used in remedial work;
commonly used in remedial work;
structural drills can be usefull in
structural drills can be usefull in
attempting to eradicate error
attempting to eradicate error
Errors of omission – the choices that
Errors of omission – the choices that
students make in free practice can be
students make in free practice can be
very revealing; some student
very revealing; some student
compositions are lacking in linguistic
compositions are lacking in linguistic
ambition
ambition
Remedial strategies
Remedial strategies
There are no exclusive strategies for
There are no exclusive strategies for
the correction of error that do not
the correction of error that do not
exist elsewhere
exist elsewhere
There is nothing more certain to
There is nothing more certain to
produce error than an exercise where
produce error than an exercise where
students are required to write
students are required to write
sentences with newly introduced
sentences with newly introduced
words
words
Errors of syntax – learners can
Errors of syntax – learners can
manipulate coloured cards to
manipulate coloured cards to
practice getting the structures
practice getting the structures
intothe right sequence
intothe right sequence
Other errors in oral practice – when a
Other errors in oral practice – when a
learner makes error in oral work he has
learner makes error in oral work he has
an audience. Some members of that
an audience. Some members of that
audience will not recognize it as an
audience will not recognize it as an
error
error
Errors in written work – it is very
Errors in written work – it is very
doubtful whether written corrections
doubtful whether written corrections
have much effect unless the writer is
have much effect unless the writer is
extremely well motivated
extremely well motivated