(SKKN HAY NHẤT) some effective methods of correcting errors in english writing of the 10th grade students

TABLE OF CONTENTS I INTRODUCTION II CONTENT Theoretical basis 1.1 Write 1.1.1 The concept of “writing” in language theory 1.1.2 Writing process 1.2 The concepts “error” and “error correction” 1.2.1 Error overview 1.2.1.1 Definition 1.2.1.2 Error classification 1.2.2 Error correction overview 1.2.2.1 Error correction 1.2.2.2 Some basic methods in correcting essay for students 1.3 The relationship between error, error correction and the teaching and learning of writing skills Current state of the problem Measures are taken to solve the problems 3.1 Teacher 3.1.1 Steps in the process of evaluating student’s writing 3.1.1.1 Determining “which error needs to be fixed” 3.1.1.2 Determining “How many errors should be fixed”? 3.1.1.3 Formation of “Error Correction Method” 3.1.2 Steps after assessing student writing 3.1.2.1 Organize general comments after marking 3.1.2.2 Providing students with basic writing principles and exercises related to mistakes they often make 3.2 The student 3.2.1 Changing students’ attitudes with correcting errors UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3.2.2 Emphasize the importance of reviewing and correcting errors .15 3.2.3 Instructing students to find and spot errors .15 3.2.4 Using drafting over and over again 16 Efficiency of experience initiatives 17 III CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 19 Conclusion .19 Recommendation 19 REFERENCES .21 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com INTRODUCTION English is the world's most popular language, and is an important school subject Seeing the importance of this language in international communication as well as in the development of international integration, Vietnam's education sector chooses English as a key subject English is not only necessary for the tourism industry, foreign trade, foreign companies, computer users but also a compulsory high school graduation exam Therefore, each student in high school needs to have a certain level of English to prepare for exams and after graduation at least they must be able to communicate, read and write some texts To this, we constantly innovate teaching methods as well as curriculum to achieve real results for English in general and forge some basic skills for students When learning a foreign language, writing is considered one of the important skills that learners need to master if they really want to be successful in communication Learning English is not an exception, especially during the opening up of international economic integration, when most information sources are written in English, which requires increasing writing skills in this language Writing is a skill that people use every day in any profession As students, you have been and will encounter many types of writing to improve your learning process However, according to Nunan: “In terms of skills, producing a coherent, fluent and extended piece of writing is probably the most difficult thing there is to in language” In the process of learning a foreign language, making mistakes is also an unavoidable part and plays an important role When practicing writing, students often face many difficulties in writing consistent and coherent passages For 10th graders, who are just starting to get used to writing short paragraphs, it is essential to identify the basic mistakes and guide them to fix because it will help them improve in the process of learning and practicing UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com writing skills in the future Finding out the situations where children often make mistakes and how teachers and children correct them will also help improve writing skills For English teachers, who have the main responsibility to help students perfect this skill, the effectiveness of teaching depends not only on the method of teaching writing skills, but also on knowledge and language skills of the teacher There are many factors that affect a learner's learning to write, error correction is an important factor among them We cannot deny that making mistakes in writing is inevitable throughout the learning process The more students pay attention to the lesson, the more they want to create and develop in their own understanding in the languageforming process This is one of the reasons why the number of mistakes students make is increasing but making mistakes is also seen as a positive process From mistakes, learners can see if they write satisfactory or not and it also helps teachers evaluate students' abilities at certain times to help them improve quickly During the error correction process, teachers also encounter feedback from students This means that there will be disagreement not only between the teacher but also among the students about what mistakes students often make, how to fix them, whether the error correction works to help students improve writing skills or not, how to best correct mistakes, and correct mistakes when appropriate With the problems encountered in teaching writing skills to 10th graders, I made an experiential initiative in the 2019 - 2020 school year with the theme: “Some effective methods of correcting errors in English writing of the 10th grade students" By synthesizing and analyzing common errors in student writing and applying some error correction methods, I hope to help students understand the difficulties in learning to write while suggesting for teachers and students some effective ways to correct mistakes to make the lesson achieve the desired results UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CONTENT Theoretical basis 1.1 Write 1.1.1 The concept of “writing” in language theory In order to have a suitable and effective approach in teaching writing skills, it is necessary to understand the concept of "writing" in language theory There are many definitions of "writing" Each linguist has its own definitions depending on what criteria they consider important According to Byrne (1979), writing is "the act of forming a sequence of conventionally arranged symbols to form words and words arranged into sentences" From this point of view, we can see that any activity that makes up the word/ sentence, whether it makes sense or not, is considered "writing" Writing, in terms of language theory, is not as simple as the concept given by Byrne It is a complex process which, according to Lannon (1989), defines "as the transition of materials discovered by inspiration, randomness, trial and error or whatever is in the full meaning message - Writing is a process of careful decision making” (p.9) According to this definition, writing must contain a meaningful message, which is more complete than that of Byrne (1979) because it aims to write rather than write without a clear direction In the teaching and learning process, writing is considered a “language skill” (Tribble, 1996, p.3), it is not only presenting language in written form but also the development and expression of ideas in a structured, sequential way” It is "a process that occurs over a period of time, especially when we take the time to think before writing the first outline" (Harris, 1993, p 10) Compared with the concepts given earlier, this concept is the most UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com satisfactory because it covers all aspects of writing skills: form (written writing), purpose (expressing ideas), and structure (with texture) When we write, we know that a written text is the product of an individual for the purpose of communicating with others indirectly That means the receiver is not in front of the writer to hear from the writer Therefore, the writer must make sure the text he writes is not only accurate but also easy to understand for the reader Several factors should be considered when writing according to Raimes (1983) STRUCTUR Paragraphs, Theme SELECT N Vocabula idioms expressio 1.1.2 Writing process According to Tribble (1996), the writing process consists of four steps: UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Before writing: This is the step that the writer takes before writing a draft, including choosing a topic, thinking, taking notes, discussing, organizing ideas, making an outline, collecting information (For example, interviewing, searching information in the library, processing data) Drafting: Drafting is the process of writing ideas into sentences and paragraphs, focusing on explaining, clarifying ideas and connecting ideas Fixing: This is an important step to complete text The writer will think about what readers expect, the reader is the center of the text towards For example, refinishing textures, linking ideas or adding conjunctions Editing: The writer reconsidered the article's appearance such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation As we can see from the above point of view, writing is a one-way process that doesn't involve the reader Reid (1993) makes the same point but adds three more steps to the writing process: feedback, evaluation and after writing This makes Reid's writing process more satisfactory Briefly, the steps of the writing process according to Reid (1993) can be illustrated in the following schematic diagram: Before writing In short, writing is a form of exercise that two people don't the same way However, there are basic steps that every writer must take when doing his homework Each researcher has different ways to illustrate the writing process, but all of them agree that writing is a process that follows the "recursive" rule, requiring great effort from the writer's side UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1.2 The concepts “error” and “error correction” 1.2.1 Error overview 1.2.1.1 Definition There are many defect definitions given by famous researchers such as: Abbort (1981), Edge (1989), McKay (1989), Goldstein (1990), Hubbard (1991), Klassen (1993), Crosling (1996) etc Although they express them in different ways, the subject concepts have in common about the nature and function of the error Goldstein (1990) defines error as "an action resulting from ignorance, omission, or inadvertent neglect, straying from its original direction or not achieving its goal" Klassen (1993) offers a simpler definition of error According to Klassen, the error is "a form or structure that indigenous people cannot accept because of its inappropriate use" Crosling (1996) gives his opinion in the direction of attaching importance to the criterion "Any method deviation from conventional is considered faulty" When it comes to errors, some researchers have the same opinion that not only language learners make mistakes but also native speakers Indigenous people often make mistakes at two levels of "morphological error" and "expression error", the second being the more common error with higher frequency (McKay, 1984) Therefore, errors should be viewed as unconventional and inappropriate We can see mistakes on all linguistic levels from formal to expressive 1.2.1.2 Error classification Lippman, J (2003) classifies errors into two categories: "general error" (error covering) and "individual error" UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com General errors include: Thesis Structure Basis Compatibility and consistency Fit with subject and purpose Individual errors include: Spelling Syntax Grammar Punctuation (Adapted from Lippman - 2003) There are many ways of classifying the error depending on the researcher's purpose in analyzing and the suitability of the language teaching and learning the actual conditions 1.2.2 Error correction overview 1.2.2.1 Error correction When evaluating an article, we have the definition of "feedback", in which there are two elements to distinguish: “assessment” and “correction” In terms of assessment, learners are simply judged to perform well or not in the written article Regarding error correction, learners receive detailed information about the article such as: explanation, providing other better writing methods As a rule, error correction can and should give the writer's correct and wrong information and why, but generally both teachers and learners consider this concept to be correcting mistakes 1.2.2.2 Some basic methods in correcting essay for students UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com In the teaching process in general, teachers often have to solve problems such as "which errors need to be corrected" and "correcting errors" Gower and Walter (1983) gave problems for language teachers to solve when encountering students' mistakes in writing, namely "what, when, how and how much should be corrected" Meanwhile, Raimes (1983) also gave basic error correction principles for error correction in classroom teaching: With students' writing, there is no need to mark errors but still can determine the errors that need correcting Identify errors carefully and find the cause Find out what the students did well Take note of the student making mistakes Set up clear and easy-to-understand error symbols Regularly give the reason or correct and remove the error carefully Finally: handle errors carefully and create a habit for students In solving the problem of "what to fix, when", researchers often suggest teachers to choose a cure immediately or until a similar error occurs in the same lesson To make the problem "how much should be treated" is clear Gower and Walter give some suggestions: Engage students in the writing process Spend less time correcting students individually and focusing on common mistakes Point out any errors the student has just made Indicates the location of the error Indicates the type of error Give learners a chance to correct themselves 10 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Students who cannot correct their work by asking other students to help If the above step fails, the teacher will correct the error Edge (1989) also offered the following three basic fixes: (i) Self-correction - Self-correction: Teachers point out mistakes for students to correct themselves because sometimes students need to help to identify them before they correct themselves (ii) Peer correction - Learners to correct errors: Learners work in pairs or groups to find and correct mistakes in each other's writing This attracts all students into the error correction process, making them more active and less dependent on the teacher (iii) Teacher correction - teacher correcting errors: Teachers find out what the writer is trying to say through incorrect sentences and guide the students to express correctly what they mean 1.3 The relationship between error, error correction and the teaching and learning of writing skills Making mistakes is inevitable in the learning process, in this way learners create important and necessary features for language learning Making mistakes is a learning way learners verify learned knowledge, thereby grasping that language For teachers, the fact that students make mistakes in the learning process helps them assess students' knowledge levels, considering what they need to learn to improve Error correction also has a positive impact on language teaching and learning Learners through self-correcting, correcting mistakes of classmates and listening to teacher's error correction can make progress faster Especially writing skills require high accuracy in words and expressions Current state of the problem 11 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com From analyzing survey data and reading, finding errors in students' writings throughout the teaching process, we see some of the realities of the problem raised in this experiential initiative as follows: Both teachers and students have a positive attitude toward correcting mistakes, and both consider correcting mistakes as an essential part of the learning process, as an important factor in improving students' writing skills While error correction plays an important role in writing and although both teachers and students have tried their best, students' writing skills have not improved much The reason is that there are still many errors that have not been pointed out and completely corrected after giving a general assessment of students' writing, so even if students review them, they cannot understand where they are wrong There are errors that both teachers and students are difficult to detect such as logical errors, errors of expression, or errors using words (Example: Correct sentence: I like reading historical magazine Wrong sentence: I like reading historic magazine The adjective: historic ≠ historical) Students and teachers often pay attention only to spelling, grammar, or structural errors when evaluating writing In the method of correcting errors, both teachers and students believe that the teacher corrects the errors, the students correct the mistakes of the students and self-correct the mistakes as the main method Students are often passive in the process of correcting errors In general, there are still many problems in correcting mistakes for students' writing, especially students in grade 10 who are new to the types of writing in the curriculum such as letter writing, invitations, reports In order to improve the quality of teaching and learning in general as well as improve the effectiveness of error correction in learning to write, the introduction of 12 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com effective and appropriate error correction methods needs to be explored and applied Measures are taken to solve the problems 3.1 Teacher 3.1.1 Steps in the process of evaluating student’s writing 3.1.1.1 Determining “which error needs to be fixed” Correcting all errors in student’s writing is not really necessary Teachers should select important points - this will depend on the language target for which the lesson is intended This requires the teacher to identify the errors in the essay that are general or minor errors and guide the students When students understand the common types of errors, they will determine what type of error their writing is Students are more likely to detect grammatical errors than semantic, word or logical errors 3.1.1.2 Determining “How many errors should be fixed”? Teachers can decide to fix only basic and critical errors so that they not discourage students from having too many errors in their writing However, how many errors should be corrected depends on the student's audience Because some students are ashamed to receive too many errors while others are dissatisfied if the essay receives only general comments such as "good work" 3.1.1.3 Formation of “Error Correction Method” - Using symbols when correcting: This method proves convenience because the teacher does not have to write all words and phrases in the essay, especially when the number of articles is large Symbols Meanings GR Grammar 13 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com - Giving feedback carefully: Giving feedback plays an important role in encouraging students to re-read and become more eager to learn during the learning process In addition to pointing out errors, teachers should also encourage and praise the things students are trying to show in their writing - Using a different color of ink: Teachers often use red pens when correcting lessons for students to see But if the teacher uses a red pen to cross out all errors in the writing, students will feel overwhelmed and disappointed when they look at them, which makes them feel that they cannot write well and they not want to accept the writing like that As a result, they don't want to write anymore Correction is not only about pointing out right and wrong, but also to encourage students to express and correct their own mistakes Teachers should use pens other than the color of the text to correct 14 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com the text or use a pencil to correct the text to help students understand that the teacher is making suggestions Checking the margins of the text so that students can recognize - mistakes: This applies when students are familiar with the error symbols Students can find errors in line or symbolic sentences by themselves 3.1.2 Steps after assessing student writing 3.1.2.1 Organize general comments after marking Students will learn more if the teacher has time to correct lessons in class after marking Students can avoid making similar mistakes in their writing when listening to comments on other articles If there are errors in the expression that the teacher cannot write in the writing, students will hear more during the correcting process 3.1.2.2 Providing students with basic writing principles and exercises related to mistakes they often make Teachers can provide short flashcards (such as a structuring of writing a letter inviting you to the house to play) or error-finding exercises for students to practice 3.2 The student 3.2.1 Changing students’ attitudes with correcting errors According to the new approach, students making mistakes means that they are trying to find new expressions, they learn theory combined with practice Writing is a process that cannot ask students to be correct in the first place Making students understand error correction as one of the ways to help them improve their skills, is an important and useful part of the learning process This helps students feel more confident and balanced mentally before entering writing activities 15 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3.2.2 Emphasize the importance of reviewing and correcting errors Error correction is necessary, it is not a problem Students need to see this as an essential need while learning writing Correcting errors when students their best to write often does not encourage them much The right solution is to turn error correction into a classroom activity Letting students actively participate in the process of perfecting their writing is also a method of encouraging students to use English without worrying about making mistakes Raising students' awareness of re-reading text and corrections will help them pay more attention to correcting their writing and yours To help students raise awareness, the teachers themselves need to be aware of and give some rules when discussing, which can give students an accurate comment on your writing in the correction process in class 3.2.3 Instructing students to find and spot errors - Using a symbol system when correcting errors is really effective, which encourages students to correct and correct their own work Teachers need to provide clear instructions and a symbol system right from the start of writing instruction - Example: Find and point out an error in an article about Jack Friedhamm's biography 16 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ANSWER: Jack Friedhamm was born in New York on October 25, 1965 He began school at the age of six and continued until he was 18 years old He then went to New York University to learn Medicine He decided on Medicine because he liked biology when he was at school While he was at University, he met his wife Cindy Cindy was a beautiful woman with long black hair They went out for years before they decided to get married Jack began to work as a doctor as soon as he had graduated from Medical School They have had two children named Jackie and Peter, and have lived in Queens for the past two years Jack is very interested in painting and likes to paint portraits of his son Peter 3.2.4 Using drafting over and over again Drafting multiple times is seen as an effective way to correct errors This approach motivates the student to participate in the error correction process To this, follow these steps: Instruct students to find mistakes in each draft: In this activity students are asked to write copies so that the final copy is as complete as possible When writing, students should pay attention to the following types of errors: Errors to pay attention Grading gives students the ability to find and spot mistakes in writing: Plus points can encourage students to engage in error-correcting activities that help you improve your writing 17 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Evaluating student’s progress through each draft paper: Teachers can also see student’s progress with each writing, and can also score plus students who show significant improvement Efficiency of experience initiatives Experienced initiative is implemented to identify and analyze some common mistakes for students in Grade 10 while learning writing skills, as well as provide some effective corrective methods for teachers in the thorough process of teaching writing skills Practical teaching in the 2019 - 2020 school year tests the writing skills of students in grades 10C2 at the beginning of the semester compared to the end of the semester Test your writing in test 20 minutes after completing Unit A day in the life of… - Write a 100 -120 words paragraph about Your Daily activities The results of error analysis are as follows: Errors – errors – errors – 12 errors Over 12 errors Data analysis shows that at the beginning of the 10th grade year, the students' writing skills are not uniform and are still weak with the rate of more than 50% of making more than errors In particular, the results of writing scores only 25% of the students achieved the above average results Checking the error-finding skills through the 10-sentence error-finding and correction exercise in 15 minutes with 15 students at different levels according to the test results, the results are as follows: Students Find – errors Find – errors Find – 10 errors 18 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Weak Average Fair/ Good Through testing, we see that the skill of finding and correcting errors is not entirely dependent on the grammar and vocabulary foundation, but on the ability to apply that language in practice During the writing lessons in the first semester applying the methods outlined in part of experiential initiative, students' ability to find and correct errors has improved significantly through each test throughout the learning process The "Error Identification" skill in 42 students tested had 70% of the students and discovered more than 50% of the errors in the essay were requested to find errors In the skill of writing through monitoring group activities, 50% of the students in the group are able to correct the general writing of the group during discussion The results of the test papers after the writing lessons of students or any groups in semester I (40 articles) are as follows: Errors – errors – errors – 12 errors Over 12 errors Results of the student's writing skills practice 10C2 after periods in writing of semester I of the 2019 - 2020 school year have not really reached the level of perfection because students in 10C2 are in grade A, not pay much attention to the English However, the first step is that if we actively change the content as well as the method of teaching foreign languages, it will 19 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com bring certain effects and achieve the ultimate goal of language learning that is to use the language in life and work CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion Writing is one of the most important language skills for English learners, and perfecting it takes a lot of time and effort The problem facing both teachers and students in the learning process is finding effective teaching methods and practicing writing skills On the other hand, it can be seen that making mistakes is inevitable and plays an important role in language learning Errors in the learning process are seen as positive steps, through which students gain experience, gain awareness and make certain progress Conducting the experiential initiative for the purposes mentioned has provided a number of effective remedies for students in the English 10 program With teaching, I find this initiative to be the driving force Help me and my colleagues more creative in teaching because teaching writing skills in high school English is not a simple job, requiring a lot of exploration and patience Results cannot be seen overnight but take a relatively long time The scope of this initiative can be extended to all students learning English in all grades because writing skills and error correction are available in all units of textbooks Recommendation To be successful in helping students correct mistakes in writing to improve their writing skills, it is indispensable for teachers' enthusiasm, love for the job and expertise Besides, it is necessary to have timely support, encouragement, attention and direction from the school and leaders at all levels 20 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com In the next school year, I wish to implement the experiential initiative to add some writing lessons into the electives curriculum to enrich and deepen the teaching of writing skills XÁC NHẬN CỦA THỦ Thanh Hóa, ngày 20 tháng năm 2020 TRƯỞNG ĐƠN VỊ Tôi xin cam đoan SKKN viết, khơng chép nội dung người khác (Ký ghi rõ họ tên) Nguyễn Thị Xuân Oanh 21 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com REFERENCES Academic writing – Oxford Press Chuẩn kiến thức kỹ môn Tiếng Anh 10, 11, 12 – (Tái lần thứ nhất) - NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam 2010 Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (7th edition) Thiết kế giảng Tiếng Anh 10, NXB Hà Nội 2009 Thiết kế hoạt động dạy học Tiếng Anh 10, tập II, NXB Giáo dục Hà Nội Tứ Anh – Phan Hà – May Vi Phương – Hồ Tấn, Sổ tay người dạy Tiếng Anh, NXB Giáo Dục 2004 www.teachingenglish.edu.vn www.violet.vn 22 UAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ... tests the writing skills of students in grades 10C2 at the beginning of the semester compared to the end of the semester Test your writing in test 20 minutes after completing Unit A day in the. .. errors in English writing of the 10th grade students" By synthesizing and analyzing common errors in student writing and applying some error correction methods, I hope to help students understand the. .. structural errors when evaluating writing In the method of correcting errors, both teachers and students believe that the teacher corrects the errors, the students correct the mistakes of the students