Correcting Mistakes - A Buried Treasure

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery” This is what James Joyce said and it is more than evident that this quote can be applied to almost any sphere of life. When it comes to the process of language teaching and learning, an abundance of mistakes is simply one of the fundamental parts of it, and the one who in most cases ‘takes care’ of mistakes is no one else but – the teacher. The teacher is the one who can actually transform any mistake into a discovery portal. Therefore, it is important to know how to handle mistakes, that is, how to correct them.

Instead of classifying mistakes and then suggesting remedial actions, let’s start with the ways of correcting first, as one way of correcting can be applied to more than one kind of mistake. My favourite is peer correction. There are always some students who know slightly more, or who are more interested in the subject, and the ones who are not. If a peer corrects another peer, it is ‘correcting in a safe environment’, that is, without exposing the mistake to the whole class, and thus getting embarrassed and wanting to run away. Groupwork is the interaction pattern suitable for this way of correcting and the teacher who knows the students very well may form such groups where the students will be at different knowledge levels so as to help each other and advance together – the ones who help will consolidate their knowledge even more, and the ones who listen will learn.

When it comes to writing, sometimes students make so many mistakes that the teacher doesn’t know where to start from. One of the possible solutions is to focus on only one type of mistakes (for example spelling) and, for the time being, neglect. for example, punctuation or tense mistakes. However, the teacher should inform the students about the way he/she corrected their work, so as to indicate that there could be more problems than it seems. If the teacher simply has to correct many things or to grade a paper, using a green pen may help: psychologists have proven that the students whose papers are corrected with a green or a blue pen instead of a red one give a positive and constructive response to the mistakes they have made: they are eager to learn more. On the other hand, we have the ones who get their papers back full of red, annoying signs which do indicate mistakes and things to work on, but also put off. A brief comment next to the number indicating the mark suggests that the teacher has really paid attention to the work and that the teacher really cares about that particular student. It is always encouraging to know that somebody cares about you, so, why not transform the correcting process into an encouraging experience?

Finally, what exactly should the teacher do when faced with mistakes? Asking for clarification is one of the good strategies: if a student makes a mistake, the teacher may pretend he/she hasn’t heard what the student has just said and thus give the student a chance to correct him/herself. The main thing is: don’t just say “No, that’s wrong, anyone else? “ Try to make the student do his/her best to provide you with the correct answer. Correct answers breed confidence, and confidence in turn breeds enthusiasm and motivation which, again, lead to correct answers. Explain why something is a mistake, guide the students to realize the mistakes themselves by asking them well formulated questions or letting them say what they think. The teacher’s feedback is a golden thing, but it is golden only when it is used right.

Written with reference to: How to Teach Grammar, Scott Thornbury

Simplifying Legal Jargon

The importance of simplifying stressed again. Plain English, not unintelligible sentences. The talk says it all.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/alan_siegel_let_s_simplify_legal_jargon.html

Thinking Small - Writing Big

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." By saying this, Elmore Leonard, an American novelist, has merely shown the ultimate goal to us. If you leave out the parts that people skip, the rest should be interesting, amusing, catchy and have the impact we want our piece of writing to have on the reader. Deliberately or not, he 'forgot' to say how exactly we can manage to detect and delete those unnecessary bits. As writing is a great deal a matter of craft, William Zinsser's simple tips are the light for those stumbling in the dark of the writing tunnel.

Think small. Narrowing the topic is hard work, as many writers don't know what exactly they want to write about once they start writing, and tend to generalize in order to be on the safe side. No one is able to do many things qualitatively at the same time: watch TV , study, chat with friends. Actually, it is possible, but all these activities are likely to be done superficially, without enjoying and devotion they deserve. Therefore, choosing one segment of the initial topic is likely to translate into clear thoughts, clear standpoints, and - clear sentences. "A clear sentence is no accident" says Zinsser. It is a consequence of narrowing, simplifying and finally finding out what exactly you want to write about.

If we try to visualise the 'thinking small' process, what we get is short paragraphs, that is, the visual representation of our thoughts. It makes it easier for the readers to follow you. I know a great deal of people who immediately get put off by a long block of text. I belong to the same group, too. However, don't make them too short. This may have a counter effect. Instead of helping the reader to follow your thoughts, you may annoy him with the constant 'chopping' of what should be integrated into one paragraph, into one idea.

Words are the writer's tools and he/she should have a lot of respect for them. Knowing all the shades of meaning and the correct usage of words gives the writer the power to organise his text and express himself/ herself in a much more vivid and original way. In the majority of cases a colourless phrase can be replaced with a single, colourful word. Why say extremely angry, when there is livid, or furious? Words are precious. If you know what to do with them, a whole world of expressing yourself is literally at your feet.

Written with reference to: On Writing Well, William K. Zinsser , Part 1

Writing: The Personal Transaction

One of the aims of the writing process is successful transaction. What kind of transaction are we talking about actually? Above all, the personal transaction between the writer and the reader. Writing is merely another medium of communication. The way you speak and address other people should somehow reflect onto the piece of paper you have in front of you just before merging into the process. Of course, I am not referring to writing newspaper articles and research papers in which objectivity plays the main role ( however, even in these types of writing you should integrate yourself somehow), but to writing for pleasure mainly. One more thing is also important: do not do anything which simply is not you.

Secondly, don't be fooled by the myth that there are born writers and those who are not. Talent really is important, but not to the extent people tend to think. In order to make the transaction natural and find your own style, be prepared to rewrite endlessly, to fight against clichees and clutter, to reach the level of abundant clarity, without any uneccessary symbols and metaphors for the sake of methaphors.

Be yourself. Let your enthusiasm infect the text and the reader. Although words can never tottaly describe feelings, try to do this as best as you can. Therefore, the first step is being yourself. All other issues are to be resolved, sooner ol later.

Written with reference to: On Writing Well, William K. Zinsser , Chapter 1