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In my opinion, correction of student errors in a classroom is not a negative

reinforcement as students need error correction to ensure improvement in language
acquisition process. Errors or mistakes are direct proof of what students know and
what they dont know and are symptomatic of any problems that students may have
(Valero, L. A., et al, 2008). Correcting errors does improve the students ' proficiency
but errors must be corrected in a supportive rather than critical way (Hendrickson,
1978).Sometimes, however, teachers are not familiar with the most appropriate way
in which they should correct students in order not to affect their motivation.
Error correction must be presented carefully to ensure a positive and effective
learner affect. Mistakes and errors must not be routinely left uncorrected. Many of us
who have gone through the process of learning a foreign language will agree that
one of the most inhibiting factors in any formal learning situation is the fear of making
mistakes and being thought ridiculous by our classmates and teacher. I remembered
how my primary school teacher was when she was teaching my friends and I
English. She resorted to harsh words and scolding when my friends and I made
mistakes. I could see how terrified all of us are back then and it is true that we dare
not repeat the same mistakes again but the feeling of humiliation and discouraged
will never go away. As a teacher myself, it is tricky to know when and how to correct
students as there is the possibility or danger of over-correcting students, as they
may lose their motivation. It may also interrupt the flow or the activities in the class if
every error needs to be corrected. But, I believed that students must be informed of
their mistakes and errors, and they must constantly be updated on their learning
development.
Skinner believed that in order for a child to learn they need to be given a
positive reinforcement. Therefore error correction should be treated positively. First
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and foremost it needs to start with the teacher. Teachers need to play their part in
helping these students especially in the context of language learning, to believe (I
am capable of learning the language or I can never learn) in which leads to their
feelings about the learning process (pleasure or pain) and this in turn will
determine their behaviour (approaching or avoiding opportunities to further their
learning) - (Arnold, 2007). Teachers should always correct gently and respectfully.
Saying "NO" is clearly negative feedback, but it does not tell students what they did
wrong. This technique is not appropriate because it might have a negative effect on
the students ' affective filter. According to Krashen in his affective filter hypothesis,
low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety can combine to 'raise' the
affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents comprehensible input from
being used for acquisition. In other words students will tend to make more errors and
thus impedes language acquisition.
Understanding a students level of proficiency and their progress will help a
teacher in the long run. This will allow teachers to determine where an error or a
mistake has been made. Teachers should also be attuned to the learners
confidence level. This can make a big impact when trying to provide error correction,
and where the balance of maintaining that students confidence can be thrown off.
Teachers should be concerned on how to correct student as one way may be
appropriate for one but may not be appropriate for others. Imam al Ghazali in his
work Ihya Ulumuddin stated that students that are taught with love and how to love
will grow up knowing and educated in the importance of love and selfless in the
society. Teachers need to give out positive attitude and genuine feedbacks towards
the students especially when we are correcting their errors as this can help change
students performance irrespective of their level and types of errors.
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Emotions are dynamic parts of ourselves, and whether they are positive or
negative, all organizations, including schools, are full of them. Good teaching is
charged with positive emotion. It is not just a matter of knowing ones subject, being
efficient, having the correct competences, or learning all the right techniques.
Language teachers are emotional, passionate beings who connect with our students
and fill our work and our classes with pleasure, creativity, challenge and joy
(Hargreaves, 1998). The basic foundation of a teacher and students relationship is
care. By being caring towards our students it shows that we have develop good
interpersonal skills. Caring will lead us to empathy. Being empathy towards the
students feelings or needs will create trust in the classroom and this will lead to a
more sensitively and fairly error corrections. Students will not feel embarrassed when
the teacher corrects their mistakes as they know it is part of learning and teaching
process.
Skinner in his operant conditioning talks about natural reinforcer: where he
sees it as a change in stimulation resulting from the behaviour itself. In other words,
natural reinforcers occur when the behaviour itself produces an environmental
change that gives the person pleasure. Thus to Skinner a natural reinforcer is a
consequence that results from the very performance of the behaviour we want the
child to learn; that consequence in turn motivates the child to want to perform these
behaviours again. I believe that in order for a student to be motivated in learning and
to accept any error correction it need to start from the students themselves. As
teachers we can teach our students to recognise their own mistakes and errors
themselves, correct them, and analyse them. However, for this to leads naturally to a
greater understanding and more profound self-evaluation of their own work, students
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need to realize that they need to be self-reliant and ready to work independently in
order for them to be a good and strategic language learner.
The current situation in the classroom is sadly to say that students are not
motivated to learn thats why they feel bored and does not want to participate in
English class as they do not feel the satisfaction and the pleasure in learning.
Bandura (1986) came to believe that human behaviour is largely self-regulated, so
students need to be self-aware of the ways they need to process information, their
preferred learning style and choose a learning situation that suit to their way of
learning. Learning styles of students play a crucial role in choice of language
learning strategies. If a harmony exists between these factors, students will perform
well, feel confident and experience low anxiety (Oxford, 2003).
Students need to make error work for them and not against them (Rubin and
Thompson, 1982). In the context of language learning the good and strategic
students have a high ambiguity tolerance and dont care what other people think and
are determined to give it their best no matter how dumb they feel. These students
are more relaxed and open to the experience. Students need to overcome their
feelings of frustration and their lack of self-confidence. They need to be able to come
to terms with the affective demands of language learning then only they can move
forward and be realistic in their setting of study goals. The deeper the learning
experience the learner has in the language, the deeper the language will sink in
(Woodward, 2001). Students need to be encouraged to take risks and are willing to
accept feedbacks. When students accept and respond to feedbacks, they will
understand the language more and remember the language better. They will be able
to learn from their mistakes and improve their ability in learning the language.
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Self-correction fosters autonomous learning. It does this by helping students
develop sensitivity to three areas: their own strengths and weaknesses, differences
between their mother tongue and the target language, and the necessity for constant
testing out and adjustment of their assumptions about how the target language
works in the face of new information (Jackson, 2003). Students need to do self-
correction in their learning as self-corrected mistakes are more memorable and less
likely to occur and it encourages learner independence. Encouraging mistakes and
self-correction will go a long way in building students confidence. This will help
students to answer questions in class, they are willing to accept their mistakes, laugh
at their errors and enjoy the experience of learning a language more.
As a teacher, I realized there are students who are not willing to make
mistakes, they will feel embarrassed every time they make mistakes and in the end
they will shut down and dont even respond in class. Taking these students out of
their shell requires peer support. With these kinds of students it is better if students
check their errors in pairs or in small groups and try to identify any error and then
consult the teacher. With the help of their friends and self- realisation of themselves
will definitely help in their learning. This way students will also learn to see their work
critically, while it is still uncorrected by the teacher. Naturally this procedure will not
be suitable in all instances, but will at least help students to be able to check and
self-correct to any given work (Valero, L. A., et al, 2008).
Clearly, correcting errors and providing feedbacks to students is an important
aspect of teaching and it is not a negative reinforcement. Both teachers and students
need to take on the responsibility then only the challenge of educating high moral
standards and intellectual students can be fulfilled.
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