This presentation accompanied a webinar on November 2 and 4, 2011. An archived version of the webinar can be found at http://lima.usembassy.gov/webinars.html.

1. (A) Room for Error Regional English Language Office, U.S. Embassy, Lima http://lima.usembassy.gov/relo2.html http://reloandes.com [email_address] RELO Andes on

6. Error Correction and Feedback in the EFL Writing Classroom by Rula Diab, in ET Forum , 2006 … if teachers and students both understand the purpose of certain correction techniques and agree on their use, feedback is more likely to be productive.

7. Error Correction Ideas by M. Simpson in ET Forum , 1996 Eavesdropping While students are working in groups or pairs, circulate and note mistakes heard. Then at the end of that class, write the sentences on the board to be corrected as a class discussion. Variation 1: Have the students correct the mistakes in small groups and compare their answers with other small groups. Variation 2: have each small group work on two or three sentences, and then present and explain their corrections to the class. Variation 3: Make a worksheet from the mistakes to be used in any of the above ways or given as homework.

9. Teresa The jungle is dangerous. I am afraid. There are many big animals. Lions and tigers are big. I like city. There are no big animals. I go to the jungle and I am very afraid. In the city I am not afraid. The city is not dangerous. It is big and safe. I like safe city. Juan Many time ago family with me go up to ceja de la selva. I walk and walk and lost. I see snake near tree and I afraid. But man come and save. He hit ground with palo. Jungle maybe same but more more animal. I very afraid but maybe person help. My grandfather say we afraid, but animal always more afraid.

10. A Guest in Class S = students, T = teacher, G = guest S1: Where are you from? G: The United States. S2: Do you like the food? G: The food here? (silence) G: In Peru? Or in the U.S.? (silence) S3: What is your hobbies? G: I like to bi, er, ride bicycles and swim and read. S4: (Pointing at guest) My name is? G: My name is John. T: (Visibly upset) What is your name? What is your name? T: Now, we have been studying personal pronouns. Ask the guest questions with personal pronouns. (Silence)

11. Error vs. Mistake Mistake – “a performance error that is either a random guess or a ‘slip,’ in that it is a failure to utilize a known system correctly.” Error – “a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner.” H.D. Brown (1994) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching

12. Julian Edge, in Mistakes and Correction (1989), talked about… Slip – what a learner can self-correct Error – what a learner can’t self-correct Attempt – a guess, or when neither the intended meaning nor the structure is clear to the teacher.

13. What would you tell these teachers? My students still do not know 3 rd person singular –s. Should I begin the past tense? Of course I tell my students right away what their mistakes are. I am paid as a teacher to do this. I would like to let my students spend more time correcting their errors. But I have to finish the unit.

14. Gary Larson’s Far Side

15. (A) Room for Error Regional English Language Office, U.S. Embassy, Lima http://lima.usembassy.gov/relo2.html http://reloandes.com [email_address] RELO Andes on