Hi Everyone, I'm Dr. Anke al-Bataineh and
today we're gonna be talking a little
bit about language acquisition and the
role that is played by error correction
very specifically we're focusing in on
written error correction and in order to
frame our discussion today I want to
focus in on a specific article very
interesting article by charlene polio of
michigan state university who has
written this article called the
relevance of second language acquisition
theory to the written error correction
debate so the goal of this article is to
look at the idea of whether or not
written error correction so correcting
students mistakes when they're writing
is an effective way of enhancing their
language acquisition and that has been
studied many times with largely
inconclusive or sometimes contradictory
results and so um this article actually
tries to zoom out and think about what
is the question that we're really asking
when we're trying to find out if this um
technique is effective and what
assumptions are we making and what are
the results of these studies actually
mean for us it's a really interesting
perspective on whether or not we should
interpret those studies sort of at face
value or whether we should maybe
critique them a little bit more and
actually what this article does is it
introduces multiple critiques to
existing articles and looks at them
through multiple lenses it's really
valuable reading but in case you'd like
to just get the gist of it I'm going to
talk about it today and I'm actually
going to focus in on a specific
theoretical point of view that it
advances because it starts out we
thought generative grammar goes through
a number of different schools of thought
and but this school of thought or the
the theory that we are focusing on and
that I use have lean my teaching because
it is evidence-based is usage based
linguistics and so
start out the article really looks at
the history of research studies that
tried to determine whether or not
correcting your students errors when
they're writing helps them become better
at the language and it goes through sort
of the history of the studies that have
been published in the u.s. about that
and and the fact that like I said
earlier they often have sort of
inconclusive results where there isn't
really a great control group or like you
could kind of poke holes in the results
of this study but then also they um they
often have contradicted each other where
you'll get one study saying yep it
definitely helps the student and the
next study saying nope no no results and
and and so the question is well what is
our goal and how do we think that
students acquire languages anyway
because that affects what we measure in
these studies and often it isn't
addressed it isn't like looked at
explicitly there's not a theoretic
framework put to earn to the study so
the idea being that if we could somehow
define what language acquisition is then
we would be able to know whether we have
increased it by using Rick Eric rich
first question is
what I mean by errors and what do we
mean by accuracy because we're saying
that correcting errors is being done in
order to increase accuracy on the part
of students and so then that leads to
the theoretical question of what is
accurate language use and through the
lens of usage based linguistics the idea
is that we are acquiring a language when
we're picking up the way that it's used
in context the the authentic way that
it's used and that we are replicating
that right we're hearing it frequently
so there's sort of the three FS of usage
based language acquisition which is
frequency form function mapping and
feedback so we hear something over and
over and over again we know that this
form this utterance this production of
language is attached to this context
this is what it gets done this is what
effect it has for function mapping we
try it and we get feedback yep it worked
no it didn't work produced to be a
desire result or didn't and then we
continue so the thing about bad is that
contrary to traditional assumptions
there's not an inborn or innate or
automatic set of rules that governs
whether language use is correct or not
so there's not a magical sort of like
English formula that you download to
your brain and then when you produce
something it matches up as either
English or not English that doesn't
exist we know that because we know that
there are so many different Englishes
there are so many different white right
ways to talk and the right way of using
language depends on where we are depends
on what we're doing depends on how we're
doing it with and so it's heavily
contextualized to the point that
there can be sort of nonsense utterances
that carry great meaning and effectively
communicate uh without obeying any rules
without appearing in any grammar book
and so as we sit here surviving the
pandemic of 2020 in all of our
respective home offices you know that
there are several memes going around
that are really good examples of this
and one of them is the recent somewhat
controversial okay boomer me my answer
the you know will you say okay boomer
there's so much social context behind
that that although it actually doesn't
mean anything
in what we would prescriptively think of
as dictionary English or you know Google
Translate English right um American
Standard English or edited American
English it's a meaningless phrase it
actually doesn't it doesn't have a verb
right but because of the cultural
context in which we're saying it people
get it immediately in it elicits lots of
laughter or other reactions but it's
very clear and you have to share a lot
of cultural context with us to get what
that means but it does the job it is
effective communication and so
how do we decide whether or not that's
an error because if if you type that and
you put comma and then a period then so
you have a capital letter and a period
you know how about you don't have a verb
there's so many different things that
you could say well this is an error but
it's not an error native speakers are
saying it and understanding each other
it's working great it's very effective
communication its function is is being
achieved so how can you say to a
language learner oh if you say that
nobody will understand you it's an error
those are two different things right so
so we have to think critically about
what we think is an error and we can
choose a sort of prescriptive model that
you know if I can't find this in a
grammar book or I can't find this in a
dictionary then then this isn't correct
this is in English or whatever language
were teaching but the suggestion of
usage based linguistics this theoretical
approach is that we're learning the
language in order to get the
communication done and if you get the
communication down then we're successful
and we've acquired what we needed to
acquire and the way that this is phrase
in polos article is does the selection
of constructions does what the person
chose to say all right
resemble native speaker selection in
other words would a person who we
consider to have completely acquired
English say it this way and that's
interesting so that's a very different
definition of an error right if we would
say well will I as a fluent English
speaker I wouldn't say it that way
that suddenly makes the idea of an error
both more meaningful socially because if
I read it and it's awkward as we've seen
many you know poor translations or um
sort of awkward awkward word choices and
things that are sort of directly
translated but no that's not how we
would say it but we've all experienced
that and that's sort of like uh what's
what is this right and that's not what's
supposed to happen with communication
we're supposed to go yep got it okay
moving on if that's not happening if
it's breaking down because you've chosen
something awkward
then you're interfering with
communication maybe probably to varying
degrees and so then we're talking about
imperfect acquisition which of course we
expect our students to be imperfect but
but but we're we won't have more perfect
acquisition of specific variants
probably plural specific variants of the
target language in this case English so
we want them to say things the way that
whoever our model speaker is in this
case an English dominant person how they
would say it but the thing is is that
there's sometimes a distinct difference
even a conflict between what a
dictionary or grammar book would say is
the correct thing to say and what a
person in that local society would
actually say missus raesha so we want to
think critically about that and we want
to sort of not only ask ourselves what
is our goal for our students but we also
want to think about how we teach to our
goal what is our goal and therefore how
should we be teaching and that's a big
question that we have to constantly be
asking ourselves as language teachers so
moving to writing
you have a certain contexts right we
have to think about the context in which
we were writing so it's not only the
language variant that we want them to
use but the type of writing we're doing
are we writing a postcard or an
Instagram post or a text message or a
five paragraph essay those are all very
different types of writing and then we
want to think about the sort of the
naturalness of it right so it's clear
but it's also kind of natural of course
with your more novice learners just
getting the meaning is going to be the
struggle just do I get where you're
going with this that's the main thing
but as they advance we want to get more
and more to the point where you feel
like wow this person is a really
competent communicator in this written
form because that's where it comes in to
things like writing a college
application writing a cover letter for a
job application right is that you don't
want the person to say I see what you're
trying to say but flutter is very
awkward it seems like this person
struggles with English we don't want we
don't want that effect right and that's
not to say that we want to erase all
individuality or we want to erase l2
patterns that's not true but we want to
make sure that the communication is
flowing so there's varying degrees and
and and what in this error is highly
contextualized I think critically about
that and we certainly have to think
critically about that before we go
around correcting things because first
we have to ask ourselves is really an
error
is it helpful to make this correction
and so through looking at error
correction through the lens of
usage-based linguistics we come back to
the three FS you need frequency you need
form function mapping and you need
feedback so written error correction you
know writing Corrections onto written
work is a form of feedback and therefore
has some potential value
however a lot of the power of oral
feedback that happens in authentic
communication is in the fact that
there is an instantaneous effect there's
an emotional experience of like oh they
didn't get me oh right it's that okay
and then the person can immediately
pivot and correct themselves and if
there's a recast they can repeat it and
implement the the information and so
with with a written assignment that
delay in times a little bit it
definitely reduces the effectiveness and
that's unquestionable you might say well
it's helpful cuz visual and they can
hold onto it
students usually don't hold onto
Corrections the visual aspect in some
cases may be helpful but probably does
not outweigh the issue that it's not
immediate but it's not an emotional
experience of trouble in the interaction
and correction so it has that distinct
disadvantage does that mean it is
entirely pointless probably not because
there is an idea within usage-based
linguistics that we want to draw
attention to form at certain times so
when they're getting frequency frequency
frequency they're picking up that there
is this form they know that there is
this form so for example today I heard
someone say someone who's a very strong
speaker very clear communicator in fact
she was on the radio
um in a recorded presentation and she
said this happened but little I knew
that this was about to happen and I
thought oh she's almost got it she's
almost got it I as an English dominant
person would not say little I knew that
this was going to happen but it's very
close to what I would say which is
little did I know those are the same
exact like grammatically those are the
exact same phrase little did I know
little I knew
it's really hard for you to articulate
what a what really is the difference
Phoenix raises but we would say why
don't we wouldn't say the other
but she's so close and I knew exactly
what she meant it grabbed my ear but
she's close and I knew exactly what she
meant so that lets you know a little bit
where her acquisition is quite strong
but that was a little bit of an
unnatural selection right the
construction that she selected was
slightly different than the one that
would almost invariably be selected by
an English dominant speaker um so she's
getting the frequency she's heard it
enough time so that she knows she's got
the form is she mostly got the form and
she's got the function she knows exactly
when to use it she used it correctly and
she knows what what effect it has
she's picking it up she's very close so
that's a time when a teacher can focus
in on form and actually you know right
out on the board little did I know and
talked a little bit about hey isn't this
funny this is kind of a weird idiot um
because it's not a question it's a
statement even those phrases like a
question right and that kind of gives it
a little bit of like suspense or
something um and we sort of talked about
that like what are weird what are we
were little phrase and weirdly it has
always said like this it has always said
little did I know for reasons you're not
gonna be able to find in a dictionary
it's just an idiom it's just like that
and so focusing in on form drawing
attention to form can be helpful however
what very often happens especially when
the usage and the feedback are separated
in time like that is that we are storing
that information in two different places
and so if you think back to our dear
friend stephen krashen
with the idea of learning and
acquisition a lot of times that's going
under learning right that's going to be
conscious knowledge and so what you see
happening is that people who don't often
do academic writing remember from school
how to do academic writing that's not
how they're gonna automatically write it
in their first draft but then they're
gonna go back and they're gonna apply
this layer of knowledge if I remember my
teacher saying that you should do it
this way and I remember that you're not
supposed to end as
with a preposition and you're supposed
to put a comma after you know a
subordinate clause and these type things
so they're gonna go in and they're gonna
impose that conscious knowledge onto
something and that's and that's great
that's what academic writing kind of is
we're not expecting it to become
anyone's native or dominant way of
communicating I mean it happens it
happens to some of us but that's not
certainly a good sign thank you so much
I communicate that way and we become a
little bit less comprehensible to other
people we start to make other people
live it uncomfortable by using that
register all the time right so that's
not our goal for students but we just
need to recognize the difference between
sort of cognitive learning like oh I've
been corrected on this six seven eight
times and now I remember that that is a
correction if I think about what has the
teacher crafted me on I remember that
one okay it's in there that's very
different than I've heard this a
thousand times and I'm ready to use it
and so there is a role for it but we
shouldn't be we shouldn't be spending a
lot of energy on it
we shouldn't be attaching any emotional
pressure to it because it simply just
isn't an effective cognitive process
there's no reason to get all upset or
nervous about it or to let the students
affective filter drop because of it this
is not worth it as a process and when we
do it we just sort of have to see that
it's only going to be partially
effective it's nice if the student
understands the the form that what their
attention is being drawn to but we have
to understand that it then requires
frequency and it needs to be combined
with that immediate feedback and if it
is because this is an error that they've
made in writing that they're also going
to experience a more immediate
communication then you'll see that take
but if it's something like proper
placement of commas or you know my great
pet peeve which is the apostrophe and a
plural
the reason people don't master the idea
that apostrophes don't go in plurals is
because that only comes up in writing
they've had the feedback cognitively
they know or they knew at one point but
they haven't had enough frequency and
enough in immediate feedback to get to
the point where they say oh that looks
wrong it doesn't look wrong to them not
instinctively and so if you point it out
and you say this is a possessive and not
a plural they may be able to see what
you're saying and make that correction
but they're not self-correcting on that
they're not intuiting that because it
hasn't happened in their communicative
experiences enough so we need to just
recognize those limitations when we're
doing error correction feedback of
writing and we need to approach it with
that mindset and therefore we need to
really think about targeting it so we're
drawing attention to form so let's be
thoughtful about what forms we're
drawing attention to whether now is the
right time for that form how we're
drawing the attention meaning what's the
emotional tone of it and let's be
mindful that written Corrections are not
in and of themselves sufficient they
contribute to learning but they're not
in and of themselves sufficient to
retrain habits or to you know
noticeably augment acquisition of
native-like or natural seeming forms
rather they need to be supplemented not
even supplemented rather they are but
supplemental to other exercises and so a
lot of what we used to do when we are
teaching writing and writing skills or
writing specific idioms or practices
like your apostrophe usin stuff like
that is create that frequency create
that form function mapping in context
and have communicative feedback that's
happening in context so we still need to
make sure that writing is being learned
through emotionally complete authentic
immediate communicative situations so
that the feedback that happens can be
meaningful and can be registered in that
same type of learning rather than being
a you know a side note that will decline
in its memorability over weeks or years
and it'll become something else no no we
wanted to take a little bit better and
so just marking it in red pen maybe not
a great strategy that's not gonna do it
it can contribute it's probably not
useless but we also have to think about
the effective filter we also have to
think about the zone of proximal
development is the student ready to get
this if I draw their attention to this
form is it gonna mean something to them
you know if I told the woman on the
radio that it's not little I knew its
little did I know she could get it right
away if I was there while she said it
and I recast it to her she probably got
it right away because she's right there
she's ready it'll make sense to her if I
say that to a novice learner who's still
doing family members and basic verbs
meaningless meaningless feedback so
let's be real thoughtful about zone of
proximal development all so that you
know that the tone and the technique and
then also sort of like the context
whether this can truly be considered an
error or whether it's an important error
in this context meaning if the student
is using a local dialect as opposed to a
standard American English is that okay
maybe that's okay and if it's not it's
really not okay for this context how can
we still honor and validate what they're
doing while having on the learning
adding on the information but actually
we pivot to a slightly different
variance in this situation not because
that one's wrong but because we're using
this one in this situation that's
probably a lot more teaching than you
can do in a snap interaction it's
probably a lot more teaching than you
can do with a red pen so these are
things that we need to be reflecting on
a lot more than just saying wrong wrong
add an S don't put apostrophes here
right like they really need some
strategy from us as teachers in order to
use things in a non negative way and
have them be somewhat productive and get
the results that were that we're aiming
for by also doing things that are
ultimately more productive I hope this
has been helpful
thank
