Selective Correction - Unit 3

In a quiz, I took there was the statement that teachers should be selective when correcting mistakes and it was false. Honestly, this really surprised me, I thought it should have been true. Perhaps this statement should be better clarified. I assumed that it was speaking about one student’s work and I also assumed that this was an assignment or activity run during class. If this statement had meant that teachers should be selective when correcting mistakes on a test was false or if a student was asking for complete feedback specifically, then, of course, a teacher should not be selective in correcting mistakes. That being said, in accordance with my assumptions about the statement I think it may be wise at times for teachers to be selective in their correction. Especially for beginners, to correct every mistake they make can be overwhelming and downright discouraging. “Sometimes, teachers refine the choice by choosing to let beginners make many mistakes while correcting advanced students often” (Beare, 2017). Being selective with the most dramatic and consistent mistakes, in my opinion, would be a better option.

Some teachers feel that if mistakes are not corrected immediately students will become stuck in a rut with those errors (Beare, 2017). To some extent that is true but that definitely does not mean you bombard a student with corrections for every tiny mistake. I would argue that leaving some mistakes to be corrected at a later date is not so harmful. Think of a grade 1 kid, you do not expect them to be able to dialogue with an adult fluently about a complicated topic. We must remember our benchmarks (https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/pub/language-benchmarks.pdf), CLB1 in speaking is not asked to speak with “excellent control over an expanded variety of complex grammar structures” ("Canadian Language Benchmarks") instead they have almost “no control over basic grammar structures and tenses” ("Canadian Language Benchmarks"). In this example, it would be ridiculous to correct every error a CLB 1 would make. Although this example is dramatic, I think the point is still true, teachers should be selective when correcting mistakes.

Feedback should serve “as a guide for the students to work a way out of their mistakes on their own and to attempt writing an improved version. Only then can writing knowledge emerge” (Mukhopadhyay). This applies beyond just writing knowledge. As teachers, we should be seeking to better our students not just make perfect robots out of them. By being available and involved with our students we can teach them how to identify errors and how to correct errors. 

I am not saying all this to say that we always correct mistakes selectively. There can always be exceptions within this depending on the person, their level, the activity etc. but for the most part, it might be wise to give corrective feedback step by step. Consider your own classroom, the students you work with, their personalities and their level. What would benefit them the most? This question should always be by your side.

Beare, K. (2017, March 27). Student Correction During Class - How and When? Retrieved November 21, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/student-correction-during-class-how-when-1210508

Canadian Language Benchmarks [PDF]. (n.d.). Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Mukhopadhyay, L. (n.d.). How ESL Teachers can Give Feedback to Treat Writing as a Process? Retrieved November 21, 2018, from http://fortell.org/content/how-esl-teachers-can-give-feedback-treat-writing-process