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