What is the best way to correct errors when teaching a new language?

In my experience, when correcting errors we should be very careful, first not to cause trauma or make the student uncomfortable because this can make him or her stop participating or even quit. When correcting if it a class setting with more students we should correct the mistake by having everyone repeat together. Also if it’s an individual class and a student is speaking we should wait for him or her to finish and after we can give our feedback. And also give positive feedback afterwards and encourage to continue learning and trying and how proud you are of their progress!

As with everything, it's important to strike a balance. Some frequent errors require immediate correction, which helps make sure the student doesn't develop wrong reflexes. On the other hand, allowing the student to speak without interruption for a few minutes helps them find a rhythm in the language, which is essential for fluency. It's very important to do this in an encouraging way, though. If a student tries out a construction that is "too" advanced for their level, they will probably make mistakes, but that's okay - because it's a sign that they're willing to try things and play with the language. I always welcome this kind of experimentation, because what is the language classroom if not a safe playground to try new things?

When it comes to correcting errors, I usually let my students finish their speaking and then give feedback. Interrupting can be frustrating in so many ways. It can be disruptive in the learning process making the language learners afraid of expressing their ideas and also making them fixate on grammar vs gaining fluency. The feedback should be given the same way as when children learn their first language naturally with trial and error.

Correcting every error in every paper just wearies the student, who is not in a position to know which errors are most important. Important errors are those that cause the reader to be confused about the meaning of a sentence or paragraph. Defining the most important errors takes time for the teacher, but saves time in later papers, because the student can target those errors (whether errors of spelling, or of verb form, or syntax, or of usage when a word means different things according to context, or of prepositions -- the frequency and importance of error types does vary among language groups). Lesser errors tend to self-correct as the student works on the bigger ones—and also learns to organize well, which aids good language choices.

I am trilingual, and each of these three languages belongs to a distinguished language family, such as Indo-European, Dravidian, or Austroasiatic. I am a teacher, and most of my students are scared to try new phrases because they are afraid of embarrassing themselves or being mocked by the listener. Personally, I think that when teaching a new language, correcting faults is an important part of the process since it helps students develop their language skills and accuracy. However, in order to foster learning and improve learners' confidence, It is necessary to do so in a constructive and supportive manner. Keep in mind that the purpose of error correction is to encourage learning rather than discourage or demotivate students.

When the goal is to increase communication and fluency among students, don't interrupt to immediately correct their error. This can be a huge self confidence killer and students may be hesitant to speak if they keep getting corrected every time they open their mouths. As you monitor the exercise, make not of common errors. It's helpful to board these errors and ask students to help correct them after the exercise is complete.

What outcome do we expect as a result of the correction? In communicative speaking activities, immediate correction might resolve confusion or prevent communication breakdown, but it may not have any long-lasting effects. Krashen's 'natural order hypothesis' suggests that grammatical forms are acquired in a set order, which means that correction has little or no effect; the learners will use the correct form when they reach that developmental stage. This is quite an extreme view, but some grammatical morphemes, such as the third person 's' seem immune to correction, as many a frustrated teacher will attest:)

For a start, I avoid using the word "error". English being a language tolerant of abuse and with such variation of usage, I don’t find the term helpful. Instead, I divide phrases used by students into three groups: Normal – phrases that would be considered as natural and "correct" by an anglophone. Abnormal – phases that communicate the desired sense and meaning but do so in a way an anglophone would find odd. Defective – phases that cannot be understood. From there I can either confirm the choice made by the student or I can suggest changes as needed.

One thing that’s always helped me to support language learners is celebrating what they’ve done right. Focusing on those elements helps them to see that progress is being made, which then helps them to become more open to any conversation around error correction. When correcting, though, it is important to find balance. Choose one or two specific goals to work on and then review their progress. Building upon their written accuracy helps them to feel that their language skills are developing in a meaningful and measurable way without making them feel stressed or focusing on areas where they are lacking. I hope this helps and happy teaching!

Fluency happens when a language learner feels secure. Error correction should only occur after a language learner has expressed themselves fully and in such a way that they are made to feel positively about the interaction. This encourages more language development.

I think error correcting depends on the kinds of learners you have. With young learners I usually use implicit correction (I call it modeling) where I say correctly what the learner tried to say. Oftentimes they repeat after me without prompting, and then the conversation continues. With older learners, and especially learners who are always asking "why?" I'll explain what the rule behind the correct form is. Asking learners to find their mistake and correct it is great for those learners who take an analytical approach to language. For me it's very important that learners don't feel ashamed by their error, so I always try to remind them that errors are a part of learning and that I'm here to help them, not judge them.

It's good to correct students in a playful manner. The students should be able to laugh at their own mistakes, not feel self-conscious about them. There are times when it is necessary to drill certain sounds to ensure correct pronunciation, as it has a ripple effect on other words. A common example is R & L. For sounds that are distinct in English, it is vital that they can hear and understand the difference. There are times when you need to be willing to let things go, so as not to be too hard on the student. As important as good diction is, discouraging the student from trying is the last thing one wants. Never let the students be afraid of making mistakes; but rather encourage them to be okay with making many mistakes.

Error correction in speaking needs to be done at the end of each learning session, as correcting each error immediately tends to result in a lack of fluency and speed in speaking in the long run. By dedicating 10 minutes of a 60-minute session to correcting errors, the instructor can ensure that: 1) The student keeps track of his/her mistakes, 2) The student can change his/her focus on learning from the mistakes, rather than jumping back to the conversation in case it's done immediately.

Another approach, particularly with younger learners is to show them that you, as a teacher can make errors too and that it's okay to ask for help. Ask them what a particular word or phrase is in their native language, and try and follow their pronunciation. You will most likely, get it wrong, but being able to laugh at yourself and try again will encourage your students to adopt the same attitude to their own mistakes.

Instead of using "correct", I'd like to use "modify". No one likes errors and is mostly afraid making mistakes, resulting in being scared of being told that something they have done is wrong. However, we don't deny correction. We need that but change the way to do so. Helping someone self-recognize their mistakes sensibly and modify to be in standard can motivate them to keep improving little by little.

Over-correcting is the biggest danger and it is crucial to understand the students competence level. Not only in frequency, but also in content. If you have a lower level student, they you should not correct them for grammar structures that are far out of their capabilities (I.e advanced level grammar like the 3rd conditional). For advanced level students, under-correcting can also make huge difference in how much they improve over time.

There is a fine line in terms of the amount of correction that you should do. I noticed when teaching in Austria that there was a fear of speaking in lessons among the pupils as they were so scared of making mistakes. They had a teacher who was very quick to jump on every mistake. Having a couple of sessions at the start of the year telling the pupils that the emphasis was on speaking and not worrying about making mistakes was a useful tactic. It also provided me with an insight into what they needed to focus on in terms of grammar and to then work on correcting errors by reinforcing their grammar and raising their level of language by encouraging them.

I rarely correct the errors of my students. Instead, I help them to correct their own errors by guiding them slowly through what we learnt or by helping them to see a pattern in the grammar which can show them the error. And sometimes, I just ask them to first guess what the "correct answer" should be. You will find that a good number of students usually know what is correct but they just don't trust themselves.

I actually have been researching this topic for a while and found that direct corrections are pretty much useless. The students are focusing on what they are saying and just get disturbed by the teacher correcting them. Asking back using the correct word/grammar helps a bit, but in my 15 years+ teaching experience I had the most success with taking notes of the mistakes and summarizing them after the exercise is done. Everyone knows that and everyone is listening.

Tout en écoutant un élève parler, je recense ses erreurs récurrentes sans lui couper la parole. Je lui fais un petit bilan en fin de cours et lui annonce ce qu’il va falloir travailler plus précisément lors des cours suivants …

When the focus is on writing or grammar practice, individual attention can be a powerful tool. I've found it useful to point to the sentence or section with the error rather than the error itself, let's say for example, a word or two have been left out, and give the student a chance to re-read and identify the error for themselves and correct it. It helps boost their confidence in their grasp of the language when they succeed, and if they don't succeed, gently guiding those students toward the correction builds rapport and trust between you and your students.

Error correction is all about timing and clarity and encouragement. If we as teachers are positive and helpful and clear in our corrections, the student will happily work through their errors as the lesson progresses, and gradually will begin to catch themselves making some of those errors and will self-correct when speaking. That’s one of my favourite things to hear and I always praise it! I can’t stress enough the importance of building a good rapport with your student and being friendly, rather than over-professional. In my experience, students who relax and have some fun in the lesson do far better than students who are tense and self-conscious.

Prior to jumping into correcting errors, we should make it clear that students can feel safe and not judged because of the errors they make. Furthermore, we shouldn't shy away from showing we make mistakes as well (however minor they are, we're human too). Our students will appreciate both of these.

Model error correction: Model error correction by acknowledging your own mistakes and correcting them in front of your students. This can help to normalize the process of making mistakes and encourage students to do the same. Use error correction activities: Incorporate activities that focus on error correction, such as proofreading exercises or error correction games. This can help students to practice identifying and correcting errors in a fun and engaging way. Encourage self-reflection: Encourage students to reflect on their own learning and identify areas where they need additional support. This can involve providing opportunities for self-reflection, such as journaling or self-assessment activities.

It's a gradual change of the mindset. Students come into lessons with loads of uncertainty so it's up to the tutor to encourage the capability of self correction. What I've found useful is that frequent tools I use for correction or reminders of different methods, they observe and adapt to wanting to correct themselves via the same tools.

In the interest of space, I'd just like to mention three important considerations. Some have mentioned that correction is the responsibility of the learner and the instructor. That is true, but the instructor should keep an eye out for the ability to recognize mistakes and the ability to self-correct. Both of these are steps on the path of competency. Also, be purposeful in correction. You should have a learning goal in the lesson. Focus correction on that aspect (and let some other things go). Finally, allow for time and situations that allow free speaking without correction. Allow for exploration. Allow time to figure out how to say things. Think about how L1 acquisition can apply to L2 instruction.

I know a bit of my learners' native language and can understand how many errors come from an insistence on translating from their L1 to L2. One persistent problem is conflating "will" with the "future" and never failing to put it in the "If" clause when forming conditional sentences. This is due in part to how similar constructions are put together in Russian. Simply understanding the source of their errors gives me the ability to respond to them (the goal, of course, is to stop translating and learn English on its own terms).

One thing I've found helpful is to encourage students to self correct, obviously depending on their skill level. The teacher can use a signal to highlight that the student made an error, the student in turn thinks back and tries to restructure their sentence. Students who learn to self correct show progress in their understanding of the language and how they use the language, and learn to identify errors with more ease. Creating, through encouragement, a self correcting culture in learners over time is beneficial as it will instill independence, confidence and produce more effective language users.

If you look at the learners: their age, their reason for learning the language and what they are going to use it for, it will tell you how to proceed. If they just want a basic communication to get by on holiday then it is a different way of teaching and correcting than it would be for someone wanting to, say, study at masters degree level in a university. When I taught business English to adults I would ask them how they wanted to be corrected (e.g. immediately or at the end of the exercise). Most wanted to keep talking and be corrected at the end rather than being stopped at every mistake which hampered fluency and certainly seemed to hit their confidence levels. As with any feedback, you sandwich the correction between good points.

Understanding WHY students make errors is just as important as understanding HOW to correct them. If you speak their native language, you're able to see that sometimes (from a grammatical perspective) their errors are based on structures they already know and use in their L1. For example, in Spanish, "explícamelo" (explain it to me) has the "to" part included, so when they learn "explain it to me" they may drop the "to" because it feels unnatural. In Russian, it is similar because it is included with the dative case usage which implies "*to* me," мне (кому?). This is important to know and will alert you of what you need to focus on in the future.