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Chapter 7: Mistakes and Feedback - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Second language learning students with good knowledge of their L1 are prone to the confusion that can be generated by relating the first language with the second language (English).
      - It generally happens at three levels: sounds (e.g. phonemic distinctions), grammar (e.g. different grammar systems), and word usage (e.g. similar sounding words with different meanings).
    - - These errors were first made by children who were acquiring the language (L1) and that are really common in second language students as they are part of their interlanguage.
      - One of their representations is over-generalisation which is basically when students learn a new rule and tend to forget about the exceptions and over-generalise it.
- - - - Comments
        
        They can be done in and outside the classroom and can be both positive and negative. They should be delivered carefully.
      - Marks and grades
        
        The grading system will depend on the country and/or institution as some use letters (A,B,C,D,F) and others use numbers (1 to 10, 1 to 100); these marks should come with a previously stated criteria either with scales or written and/or spoken explanation or the teacher’s judgment.
      - Reports
        
        In some cases, at the end of a term or year, teachers write reports regarding their students’ performance during the term. These reports should be as clear as possible and should have a balance between positive and negative feedback.
- - - - Repeating
        
        Teachers can ask students to repeat something using a good intonation and expressions to indicate that something was unclear.
      - Echoing
        
        Repeating the student’s utterances in order to let him/her know that there was incorrectness.
      - Statement and question
        
        Indicating that something was not right by simply saying it or asking it.
      - Expression
        
        When teachers know their classes, they can carefully produce some gestures and facial expressions so students get that there was a mistake.
      - Hinting
        
        Teachers can provide hints depending on their students’ metalanguage to help them remember the correct answer.
      - Reformulation
        
        Teachers reformulate the sentence produced by the student by repeating the part that was right, without making a big deal of it.
    - - If a student is not able to self-correct, the teacher should say the whole statement right emphasizing on the part of the mistake or he/she can just say the incorrect part correctly.
  - - - The teacher should encourage students if he/she notices that they are struggling to say something. It can be provided through prompting or any of the showing incorrectness techniques as long as it is provided gently.
    - - In order to provide accurate feedback, teachers must closely observe students. Most teachers use charts and forms of categorization to write important details on their students’ performance. For speaking activities the recollection of details varies.
    - - Teachers can simply state if the students did well or not, write the mistakes for the rest of the students to see them in order to check if they can recognize the problem and put it right, or write notes with suggestion for each of the students.
- - - - This technique allows teachers to consider feedback as a way of responding to their students rather than assessing or evaluating they work. Students should perceive the response as something helpful, not censorious in a sympathetic tone.
    - - Some teachers use codes like symbols instead of comments or marks in order to correct their students’ work.