METHODS OF TEACHING

continued from No. 1

MISTAKES

IN WRITTEN TASKS

SECTION 2

We can roughly divide all the written tasks into three major categories.

1)Examination/end of term/end of the year papers.

2)Writing exercises done as homework.

3)Exercises done during a lesson.

Naturally there are more varieties of written

work that students have to do, for example, tests, letters, essays, e-mails, project work, competitions, et cetera. However, they will easily fall into one of the listed categories. Any examination paper means that students prepare in advance. In effect, they know what to expect, they learn as much as they can, and then they perform the written tasks to the best of their abilities. The same is true about any scheduled tests or competitions. When checking this type of written work, we have to correct every mistake, and to grade the students’ knowledge accordingly. Today, a teacher’s task is greatly simplified thanks to various computer programmes which allow one to put ticks in the boxes provided and tally the results at the end.

Homework means that, ideally, students have the time to think before they write. They may consult textbooks, grammar books, dictionaries and/or any other sources of information. If their homework abounds with mistakes, it shows us teachers that a student is either lazy, or really cannot cope with the task. In each case, we should try to come up with an individual approach. My experience shows that a kind word goes a long way in any case. Good students should always be praised. Sometimes, paradoxically, they are the ones who are left out: if there are no mistakes, what is there to talk about? Students who usually struggle with any task may be praised for something they managed to do right. When handing back graded papers, one can mention, for instance, that “Kate” or “Nick” has no mistakes, as usual, and produce the tag line, “Keep up the good work!” “Bob” or “Mary” may begin to cringe even before they get back their homework. You can help them by saying, “You have done the modals quite well, but you still need to work on your conditional sentences”. It goes without saying that weak students should never be ridiculed or scolded in front of the class.

It is important to remember that young people need our praise and support, regardless of how good or how bad they are!

It is very useful to work out your own system of marks and notes which you can use when you grade students’ papers, and to familiarize your students with it. Make sure that they write down the abbreviations which you suggested, so that they can consult their own exercise book

and see what you meant. Never re-write a word or a phrase in a student’s paper. Instead, underline the relevant word or phrase, and leave little marks and signs in the margins:

•Sp = spelling mistake

•Gr = grammar mistake

•WO = word order

•WW = wrong word

•Punct = punctuation

This system actually makes it easier for you.

When you finish grading a paper and glance at it, you may see, for instance, that most of your marks say “Sp” for spelling mistakes. If a student misspells too many words, maybe what you are seeing is a case of dyslexia. Such a student should be treated differently from the one who has an equal amount of mistakes in various categories. If all you see are “Gr.” marks, it may mean that a student needs more grammar practice, or is too lazy to learn some grammar rules!

Naturally there are lots of all kinds of exercises done during a lesson. You may allot a full lesson to writing an essay, in which case you warn your students beforehand, probably give them a list of topics, and advise them to consult several resources. Today, suggesting that students look at an internet site is practically a must. Recently, I have found a question and answer site <http://www.statista.com/ statistics-questions/> that offers a multitude of topics, from “What are the world’s largest diamonds?” to “Which city has the fastest download speed?” We, teachers, know that any written tasks may be met with opposition, or with dejection, certainly not with enthusiasm. Choosing a subject that is close to the students’ interests, and a means of presenting it in a very modern way, all help motivate your students. You may suggest that they browse a site, choose a topic, read what is written, then try to produce their own version. You may get a few faithful reproductions or retellings, several failures, and one or two original essays. It helps when you define the criteria:

•the number of words in an essay;

•the topic(s);

•the grammar theme;

•the time allotted to the task.

When you receive the fruits of your students

labour, you will see what to pay attention to at your next lesson. We shall deal with some typical grammar mistakes, and the ways to overcome certain difficulties, in Section 3.

By Nina M. Koptyug, Ph.D.,

Novosibirsk

to be continued

English

5

February 2013