{"id":1159,"date":"2011-02-25T17:06:09","date_gmt":"2011-02-25T16:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltchat.com\/?p=1159"},"modified":"2011-02-25T17:06:09","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T16:06:09","slug":"how-do-you-deal-with-fossilized-errors-and-help-students-improve-their-accuracy-eltchat-summary-23022011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2011\/02\/25\/how-do-you-deal-with-fossilized-errors-and-help-students-improve-their-accuracy-eltchat-summary-23022011\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you deal with fossilized errors and help students improve their accuracy? #ELTchat Summary 23\/02\/2011"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image Source: http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_eIARuH0-x4Y\/SfnHeTdnxcI\/AAAAAAAAAug\/xIMpbCfRcIo\/s400\/rosaquith09-greengrocer’s-a.jpg<\/p><\/div>\n

Many thanks for tidying up and organising the comments made in the tweets as it was an especially difficult day for Twitter, for Tweetdeck as well as for our transcript aggregator!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#ELTchat 23rd February 12pm<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

by Michelle Worgan<\/p>\n

This afternoon’s\u00a0#ELTchat<\/strong> was on a topic that I thought would be a difficult one to discuss. Before the chat began I tweeted that I wasn’t sure that I had much to say on the topic and would maybe just lurk in the background. Fortunately, everybody else’s comments inspired me and I managed to join in!\u00a0You can now find the transcript\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n

The question was:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do you deal with fossilized errors and help students improve their accuracy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We started off by discussing what is meant by “fossilized errors”. Some made the distinction between an error, a mistake and a slip and it was mentioned that fossilized errors could actually be either of the first two. Errors were not limited to grammar and pronunciation, although these seem to be the most common types.
\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are fossilized errors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A mistake that students know is wrong but keep making.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An error from force of habit which students no longer know they are making.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something that students learnt wrong and now need to change.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An error that students can correct when focused but still make on their own.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A mistake that recurrs despite constant correction.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An error based in L1 interference that is made by many speakers.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mistakes that teachers may not \u201chear\u201d after a number of years teaching in a particular\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 context (and therefore do not correct).
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A mistake that has been repeated so that it sounds right to the learner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some specific errors common to students from different countries were mentioned, such as the use of “I have 20 years” to talk about age.\u00a0 We also came to the conclusion that young learners did not have fossilized errors – yet!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We tried to come up with ideas about why errors become fossilized.\u00a0What actually causes fossilization?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fossilization is due to L1 interference and is a natural feature of interlanguage\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 development.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of correction.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The connection between interlanguage and errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of motion (the reason for other types of fossilization).
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Method of instruction.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Errors that come from previous stages of learning (especially with older students).
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Linear modes of instruction increase the chance of fossilization.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When students realise they can make a mistake and be understood, it can become\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 fossilized.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Biological, social-affective, cultural, pedagogical, cognitive and environmental perspectives\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 of a language can lead to fossilized errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of motivation to correct oneself.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of noticing and discovery and too much presentation, meaning students don\u2019t own the\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 language.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of learner autonomy \u2013 reliance on correction by teacher.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The conversation then turned to how important it is to do something about fossilized errors. Here are some of the more popular ideas, many of them questions to think more about and we didn\u2019t have time to go into too much detail during the chat.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do fossilized errors lead to international English? If so, is there anything wrong with\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 making these errors?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If students communicate meaning, are fossilized errors important?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Students love being corrected and prefer teachers that do so.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is impossible to correct everything \u2013 deal with what affects meaning most.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Self-correction should be fostered.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Students should reflect on and play with their mistakes.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Correcting every error can be demotivating.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on common and impeding errors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There seemed to be a mixed opinion of how important it is to get rid of fossilized errors. Some chatters thought that communication was the main goal, especially when speaking, therefore as long as the listener could understand what the speaker wanted to communicate, there wasn\u2019t too much of a problem. Others thought that accuracy was very important and that all errors should be corrected, not just those that impede communication. Everybody agreed that the teaching context was important in this question, and that different situations require different levels of accuracy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So how can we deal with fossilized errors in an effective way? Some great ideas were shared in this part of the discussion, and I’m looking forward to trying some of them out!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Practical Ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Recording students \u2013 you could play the recording, ask for general impression, give them\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 the tapescript, have them correct their own or peer\u2019s errors \u2013 lots of possibilities here!
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have students self correct and peer correct, which is more effective than teacher\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 correction.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Say: “Whaaaaat? That’s not English. No one in the UK is going to understand what that\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 means.”
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Playing games with individual mistakes or common errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on one error at a time, stopping students and having them correct it before moving\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 on.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Writing slows down and takes a snapshot of how learners really feel the language works. Better noticing opportunities.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Give students a funny look when they make a fossilized error \u2013 they will realise something\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 is wrong and correct themselves (not to be tried with new or very shy students!)
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prevention is more significant than defossilization (an apple a day\u2026)
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Discover and clarify why and how errors occur.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Personalized \u201cfossil\u201d diaries where students record their particular errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on fossilized errors at the end of an activity.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep a \u201cfossil\u201d dictionary.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Say \u201cI don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re saying\u201d.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dictations using common errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ask students to vary their fluency\/accuracy during speaking tasks.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Write answers\/problems on the board to discuss as a class.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Error diaries \u2013 students observe themselves out of class and report back on their usage.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have a wiki \u2013 each student has their own page for errors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t correct individual students on the spot, but save errors for class correction at the\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 end.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Students must be invested in correcting the error.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Soundcloud, Voicethread, Voxopop etc to record students. They could listen to themselves\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 and choose good things they have said or errors they have made.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Motivate students to experiment with language.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ask some students to be monitors and write down what they hear during speaking\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 activities.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Use fossil journals in pairs \u2013 each student tries to get their partner to make the errors in\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 their journal.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Use humour to point out errors e.g. \u201cI talk to the phone\u201d, act out talking to your phone!
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Recording students can make students more careful \u2013 karaoke effect.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take a fun\/playful approach to error correction.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Ask students to actually make mistakes for short periods to help master the\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 accuracy\/fluency control.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Drills
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Explain the consequences of mistakes, especially embarrassing ones.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Students as teachers \u2013 note down errors for constructive feedback in groups.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Laughing at our own mistakes can work wonders.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Grammar auctions.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bring in a guest (who ideally doesn\u2019t speak L1) for students to interview. They may not\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 understand the \u201cfossils\u201d.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have students mimic different accents (this cuts down on inhibitions that cause mistakes).
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Snakes and ladders or other games.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mixing correct and incorrect sentences on the board and asking students to spot those with errors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lots of thing to think about and some interesting techniques to try out.
\nI hope this summary is useful and gives you some new ideas about how to deal with fossilized errors. I\u2019ll end with a couple of tweets that I particularly liked about the topic of fossilization in general:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe all must agree that life is too short to aim for perfection! Teach your students how to be critical and they themselves will realize their errors.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI’m optimistic about it too! I don’t see fossilization as a sort of massive failing. It is something to approach head on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\nMethodology<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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