Today, we had a great honor to listen to a lecture given by a guest teacher, Andrea. She explained detailedly six kinds of corrective feedbacks. They are explicit correction, recasts, clarification requests, linguistic feedback, elicitation and repetition. And sometimes we can use more than one feedback technique, we call it a combination. Now I will say something about what I think about these techniques.

Explicit Correction

Advantages: It maybe the fastest way to let the students know their mistakes.

Disadvantages:

1. Just like the old saying goes, “Easy comes, easy goes.” It will be very easy for the students to know the mistake, but at the same time, it will be very easy for them to forget.

2． Some shy students may feel awkward if teachers pointed out their mistakes in class. And they will be afraid of mistakes, so that they will have no confidence to speak, or write anything.

My experience about using this technique:

It was once my habit to use explicit correction. I was so anxious to enable the students to speak perfect English that I can’t help pointing out the students’ mistakes at once. After years’ of teaching, I realized the disadvantages of this technique. So I never use it too much unless necessary. For example, sometimes we are getting ready for the written examinations and we have to let the students know their mistakes. But I will try to tell them face to face individually, instead of telling the whole class. If I have no choice but to tell the whole class, I will never let others know who made the mistake.

Recasts

Advantages: The students will not feel losing face in class, and it will not kill the students’ interest to learn English.

Disadvantages: The mistakes may be ignored by the students.

My experience about recasts:

This may be a new technique for me. I have never or seldom use recasts in class. Because in China where written examination plays an important part, I am afraid that it may be a big problem for the students to ignore too many mistakes. But I think I will try to use this method. But I think I　will use it as a part of a combination. But I am sorry I think I need time to think about how to use it, so I can’t tell a mature way about it.

Clarification Requests

Advantages:

1. The process of questioning is also a process to communicating in English. So it gets the students more opportunities to practice English.

2. It prompts the students to think actively in class.

Disadvantage:

For weaker students, it may be a bit too difficult. And it may take too much time.

My experience about clarification requests:

I have ever used this method, but not quite often. Maybe I will try to use it more later on. Anyhow, it’s better to get the students more chance to practice English.

linguistic Feedbacks

Advantages:

1.       The students can pick up some grammars while speaking.

2.       It prompts the students to think.

Disadvantage:

1.       It is also suitable for stronger students. For weaker students, it may bring more trouble.

My experience about linguistic Feedbacks:

Years ago, we pay special attention to grammar, so this method is quite often used by us. Now, though grammar becomes not so important as before, I think this method is still customarily used by many teachers, especially some more experienced teachers, and so do I. For example, it is easy for Chinese students to use passive voice, and I often use this method.

Elicitation

Advantages:

1.       It prompts the students to think.

2.       It gives the students time to think.

Disadvantages and my experience:

I put these two points together, just because the disadvantages I found may not be called a disadvantage dued to itself. This method is often used by me. But it is more often the case that other students may speak out the answer before the one who is answering the question can find it.

Repetition

Advantages:

1.       It helps the students to think and find the mistakes quickly.

Disadvantage:

I think it is a bit like explicit correction.

My experience about Repetition:

Quite often used. For example, we Chinese students often use he instead of she, or she instead of he.

    Corrective feedbacks we do.

   Just as what Terry find about English teaching in China, we Chinese do more written work. So there are some characteristic corrective feedbacks in my class that I think is not mentioned in class today.

Self-diagnostic:

Students may get their homework with mistakes marked, so that the students may try to find the right way to express.

Pair-diagnostic:

One student will exchange his/her homework with his/her desk mate, they will try to find the mistakes for each other.

Group-diagnostic:

This is often used in writing comprehension. A group of students may read one sample writing and try to find the mistakes.

Questions or things may puzzled me.

1.                 The classification may be not so scientific. Some are quite to similar, such as clarification requests and mentalinguistic feedback.

2.                 Though they are both called ESL, but ESL in China and ESL in Canada are quite different. Students taking an ESL course in Canada have a much better language environment than in China. I think both of us should take this into consideration.