Week three provided more interesting insights about error correction and what is the most effective way to do it.

Week three provided more interesting insights about error correction and what is the most effective way to do it. Since working at my current IEP, I have really thought more critically about what I am doing in terms of error correction, especially in terms of writing, and whether what I am doing is more effective or not. In the past, I have tried various methods, including providing codes, highlighting, and letting students "figure out" how to correct it. In the end, I have found (and students have also told me) providing explicit feedback to be the most helpful and effective, and it's good to see that research shows this.

I was also heartened to hear from Penny that Microsoft Word "track changes" can be considered good and helpful for students. I agree that it is beneficial for students to see the changes. What I wonder is how helpful track changes is for students to remember and take note of the changes; sometimes I wonder if students just click through the changes and not really noting why/how to make appropriate changes. This is something that I need to think about because I like using Microsoft Word track changes, but I also want to make sure students are noting the errors so they don't make the same errors as frequently.

Comments

  1. Suzanne BardaszNovember 28, 2017 at 7:43 PM

    Watching the Week 4 video recording now, and some of my questions were answered, with other good ideas and suggestions of other tools!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phil BrownNovember 29, 2017 at 7:55 AM

    Thank you for sharing all that. Likewise, I've experimented with a number of different approaches for written error correction. Ultimately, I guess my choices depend on the age-group and abilities I'm teaching, as well as the purpose of the task as well as the course.

    Good question about the efficacy of Track Changes in MS Word - got me thinking, too. I tend to use "Comments" more than actual edits so students have to engage and correct things themselves, although I may do the first one of a certain error by way of example.

    I also tend to then review my own feedback and remove a fair amount to ensure less 'red ink' is visible and students have a balance of specific positive feedback (so they know what they are doing right, and, preferably, why) and recommendations.

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