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A quick technique I would like to share with my fellow teachers
is one that I learned long ago while getting my CELTA, but I still use
in my classes today. When students have a partner/group speaking
activity, I circulate with a small notepad where I have made three
columns headed with the letters P, G, and M. The P
is for pronunciation errors, the G for grammar
errors, and the M for meaning (vocabulary) errors. When a student makes an error in one of those areas, I write that error
in one of the columns. For example, if we have just learned a grammar
point for making suggestions with “Why don’t we…” and I hear a student
use the form “Why didn’t we…” (changing the verb to past tense, and no
longer making a suggestion ), I write the incorrect form the student
used under my ‘G’ column. When the activity is finished, I write all the
errors I heard during the activity on the board and then as a group, we
practice the correct grammar, pronunciation, or meaning. This function
of the columns is to remind myself why I wrote down a specific word(s). I
never specify which student made a mistake, but turn the mistakes into
teaching points for the whole class.
Emily LaRue has taught ESL for more than 10 years in
Asia, Europe, and the United States. She currently teaches at The
Language Company, an IEP, in Fort Wayne, IN. |