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Humanising Language Teaching
Year 5; Issue 3; May 03
Compliments and Corrections
upper secondary and adultSimon Marshall, John Morgan and Mario Rinvolucri
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This compuscript is currently under consideration for publication by Oxford University Press.
Time: 20 minutes on the correction phase
Purpose: to help students strengthen and refine their criteria of what is right and
what still needs work.
Preparation: get a supply of 30-40 small cards or squares of paper.
Lesson Outline:
- While the students are working on an oral task ( story-telling, joke telling, questionnairework, roleplay, discussion , debate etc….) in small groups, go round and listen in.
Start noting down alternately sequences of words which are superbly right and snatches of language that need correction. Write large and write clearly on your cards, one phrase per card. Do not mark the cards " right" or "wrong". - At the end of the activity/ies, hand out all your cards to people in the class so that
each person gets between 1 and 3.
Explain that they are to decide which are are good English and which are less good Englihsh. Give them blu-tack - Divide the board in two:
Brilliant English ---------- Less Good English
Ask the students to stick their cards the side of tbe board they think is right.
- Gather the students round the card-covered board. Sit right near the board with your back to them.
Comment to yourself, but out loud, on the placings of the cards, eg:
" This one is really good English….. why did someone put it the bad side? Let's move it over. It's brilliant because…."
" This one is wrong, it should be "…………." or "………………………". Let's change it over.
You go on with this dramatic inner monologue until all the cards are in the right part of the board.
Finally enjoy the compliment cards you have not commented on and offer corrections for any corrrection cards not yet worked on. - Invite the students to get their notebooks and to note down any phrases they want
to remember or corrections they want to hold on to.
Acknowledgement: we learnt this gentle and genuine way of correcting and showing language appreciation 12 years ago at The Cambridge Academy of English, from John Barnett, currently the principal.
