Resisting the Temptation of Correcting

Parents and teachers alike seem to be under the same pressure of "doing it right" when it comes to raising or teaching bilingual children. Many times I only feel the temptation of correcting my students or my children because so many of my colleagues seem to make a point of correcting their students -- sometimes mid-sentence -- to assure proper grammar and usage. It really makes the rest of us, who don't correct on the spot, feel like we're not doing our job. But I have found that in my urgency to resist "the correction" I have narrowed it down to three very good reasons why correcting second language speakers is not effective.
1. It just gets in the way. If a speaker is actually bold enough to be speaking in another language, their brain is already so focused on what they are saying that they aren't always able to absorb the correction. We aren't aware of all of the thought processes going on inside the head of the speaker when he or she is selecting language, and a correction might just be blocking other important linguistic functions.
2. It's just not natural. Can you imagine following a two-year-old around and correcting them mid-sentence all day long? It would be exhausting for both parties involved, and normally one of two things happens. The child either completely ignores the corrections in their insistence on care-free happiness; or the child speaks less and less, and avoids being corrected. Both of these reactions are natural for a two-year-old, as well as for any language learner, of any age.
3. It hinders future language use. Even the best of students, who don't mind being corrected, will be hindered on their future language use with someone who is always correcting them. The affective filter involved with language acquisition is a very real thing. When we don't want a child to touch a hot stove we may wrap them on the wrist as they reach their hand towards the stove, so that they won't ever want to touch the stove again. Well, I find correcting a speaker to be like a wrap on the wrist. Now matter how much we think that it is for their own good, when applied to language use, it can only hinder them on their next experience. Remember, we WANT them to touch the stove!

It would be very bold to simply announce that one should never correct language speakers without offering solutions, but there are ways to remedy poor language use.

1. As a teacher or parent, try to "shelf" the mistakes that are made, and save the corrections for a later time, maybe even just five minutes after the conversation has ended. This usually happens if a certain type of mistake is being repeated (using "fun" for "funny", or "boring" for "bored" just to name a few obvious ones.) As a teacher you can even create worksheets full of real-life mistakes handed in to you in writing assignments or oral conversations. The students don't have to know that they are being corrected, as they now have the time to think properly, and correct themselves.

2. "Trick" them into being corrected. Sometimes a mistake can be so blatant and hindering to the understanding of a sentence, that I just can't leave it alone. Instead of saying, "What? Excuse me?" over and over again, I will try to repeat a correct sentence of what I think the student is asking. So if I hear something like, "I no no sit." I might say, "You don't know where to sit?" It may even take a while to hit it on the head, but this reinforcement of correct language is what they are going to remember, not the correction that I may painstakingly point out, or even require the repetition of the correct sentence.

3. Let them know that mistakes are OK. On some level, most speakers know that they are saying things wrong, and that you are just forgiving them their mistakes for the sake of a decent conversation. It helps to put everybody on the same level. I never correct my students and I never correct my children, and I find that the language just comes pouring out of their mouths, mistakes included. I find that I gain more than I lose. Somehow, even though they know that their language is not perfect, their confidence level sky rockets. It is important to prohibit students, and siblings, from correcting their peers or younger brothers and sisters for this very reason. Every September I get a new group of students, and it always surprises me to hear certain students blurt out on the first day of school, "You don't say it like that." or something equally as pleasing. I have such a strong reaction to students thinking they can correct their peers, that it normally doesn't last the first week through, and I don't have a problem for the rest of the year. Many students have come back for a visit and told me that they liked my class because they weren't allowed to correct each other, and that can be very freeing.

Overall, let's face it, the mistakes we make as language learners can be a very fun part of the whole experience. I highly encourage teachers and parents to share with their students or children their own stories of second language learning blunders. I always kick off every school year telling my students funny stories of the mistakes I have made learning Spanish. Like the time I said that my father, an attorney (abogado), was a meatball (albóndiga). Or instead of ordering coffee with milk (café con leche) I ordered coffee with lettuce (café con lechuga, the waiter actually brought out a coffee placed on a lettuce leaf. It was fun, or was it funny?!) Laughter is always the best medicine, and it's nice for them to know that their own blunders will just be a part of their learning experience that they will be able to look back on and laugh. It can even be a complex and creative exercise to anticipate possible blunders by finding words that sound similar but have very different meanings.

And above all, it is important for all of us to remember that NO LANGUAGE IS EVER COMPLETELY LEARNED. We can always learn new vocabulary, even in our native language. I like to tell my students that learning a language is like jumping into the ocean. You swim around and get wet, and can even get very far. But nobody ever thinks they are going to actually get to the other side. Language learning - ¡EMPÁPATE!