When you have a beginner ESL student, your first priority is to make that student feel as accepted and secure as possible. This helps students adjust to the new language and culture. In regard to language learning, ensuring that your beginner students feel emotionally safe and comfortable helps students to take risks by using and practicing their English skills. Taking risks with the English language greatly increases students’ language acquisition. Correcting a beginner ESL student may make a student feel uncomfortable with practicing their English language skills and may inhibit their learning. So, when do you correct a a beginner ESL student?
There are four factors when correcting beginner ESL students:
If students make an error when you have already taught the language skill. For example, if you have already taught subject/verb agreement and the student says, “I happy.” You need to correct the student by requiring the student to say, “I am happy.” Do not correct students if the error is above their language level and you have not yet taught the language skill.
If the error is embarrassing for the student or inappropriate. If the student is mispronouncing a word so that it sounds funny or inappropriate, then you need to correct the student. I had a student pronouncing “witch”, but it sounded like an inappropriate word in English. In this case, the student was corrected by pronouncing the word correctly.
You can correct a student if the student does not mind being corrected or wants to be corrected. This is usually rare, but I have had one student who wanted to constantly be corrected from the beginning. If this is the case, by all means, correct the student when they want to be corrected.
If what the student is saying causes confusion and communication breaks down. Most of the time I could figure out what the student was trying to say despite language errors. If I did not understand what the student was communicating despite asking them to repeat what they were saying, then I corrected the student usually by modeling the correct language. If the language they were using was above their language level and I had not taught these language skills, then I would correct the student by modeling the correct language.
Correcting students is a necessary, but delicate balance. Your goal is for the student to practice and play with the language without feeling embarrassed or hindered in any way, so you do not want to overcorrect the student unless they want to be. However, you also do not want students’ errors to fossilize and become ingrained either. Your goal as an ESL teacher is for your students to use English like native speakers.
The above factors can serve as a guide as to when to correct your beginner ESL students. Remember to be compassionate toward your students, especially beginner students who are most likely feeling vulnerable. Imagine how you would feel if you were in their place. This perspective may help guide you to not only when to correct your students, but how you correct them as well. When correcting a student, be encouraging and positive and praise students after they produce the correct language. You are not only teaching your students the English language, but you are a symbol of support and empowerment for your students as well.