Weeding Out Errors Helps Language Bloom | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Chinese Language Learning
    • Mandarin Jumpstart
    • National Chinese Language Conference
    • Teaching Resources Hub
    • Language Learning Supporters
  • Global Education
    • About Global Competence
    • Global Competency Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Thought Leadership
  • Discover Asia
  • About
    • About
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events
Search
Education
  • Chinese Language Learning
    • Mandarin Jumpstart
    • National Chinese Language Conference
    • Teaching Resources Hub
    • Language Learning Supporters
  • Global Education
    • About Global Competence
    • Global Competency Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Thought Leadership
  • Discover Asia
  • About
    • About
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events

Weeding Out Errors Helps Language Bloom

Chrysanthemum field. (flickr/andrewb47)

By Heather Clydesdale

Cultivating high achievement depends on the patient efforts of teachers who are willing to get down in the weeds, so to speak. This is especially true when teaching Chinese as a foreign language, since students’ speech and writing are often marred by misplaced conventions and peculiar errors.

These mistakes are understandable. American students are exposed to English through movies, games, music, as well as interactions in public and at home. Chinese input, meanwhile, is commonly limited to the teacher’s speech and classroom materials. Without correction, students invent alien patterns. As they hear one another repeat them, they begin to think they are normal features of the language, and soon the errors take root like an invasive species of plant. Four teachers, Jing Zhao, Ping Peng, and Qingling Yang from Scenic Heights Elementary, along with Zou Ting at Excelsior Elementary, observed this phenomenon and sought to correct errors while nurturing accepted conventions.

The mistakes that these Minnetonka, Minnesota educators hoped to remedy are pervasive among native English speakers learning Chinese. Grasping for an equivalent of the auxiliary verb “to be,” students unnecessarily insert 是 (shì) before verbs and adjectives. They neglect nuanced measure words (which distinguish the many homonyms in spoken Chinese) in favor of the generic measure word 个 (gè). And, they frequently shift location words, such as 在 (zài) to the end of the sentence, mimicking English but violating Chinese conventions. Puzzled, the four teachers endeavored to understand how these problems become established.

They reviewed the writings of Roy Lyster, Wayne P. Thomas, and Mari Haneda, among others, and discovered that immersion students’ language routinely lacks accuracy and is less complex and socio-linguistically appropriate compared to native speakers. Next, the teachers collected data by videotaping their own classroom interactions. They saw that their students used simple, repetitive language, while they themselves relied on one mode of corrective feedback, called “recasting,” in which the teacher corrects errors by rephrasing. This approach was ineffective, explains Peng, chiefly because students did not recognize the feedback as an indication that they had made a mistake.

Thus, the teachers devised exercises to encourage students to expand their usage and knowledge. In a brainstorm activity, they presented students with a character, such as 天 (tiān/sky), and asked them to think of compounds. Students started with the familiar words 天气 (tiānqì/weather) and soon built up to more specialized vocabulary, such as 天鹅 (tiān’é/swan). Metalinguistic cues, such as reminding students that 天 can be the second part of the compound, prompted students to add 今天 (jīntiān/today) to the list. When students attempted to coin a non-existent word, such as 天猪 (tiānzhū/“sky pig”), the teacher intervened with an explicit correction: “‘Sky-pig’ is not a word.”

The teachers also elevated students’ speaking ability by recasting their mistakes with emphasis and explicit elicitation, which prompted students to self-correct. If students struggled with repairing the mistake, the teachers took the opportunity to give the class a mini-language lesson.

Weekly writing activities, one-on-one conferences, written feedback, encouraging reading aloud multiple times, and peer feedback with rubrics emphasizing both praise and recommendations—all of these strategies embedded good habits in students. Oral reading improved after teachers alerted students to easily confused words like 多 (duō/many) and 都 (dōu/all), enabling them to commend one another for correct language and point out slip-ups.

The teachers also found that when they asked open-ended questions, students were emboldened to experiment with increasingly complex phrases and words, and these in turn yielded opportunities to identify and repair mistakes, ultimately advancing their mastery of both content and language. Zhao explains, “You can see that with a lot more corrective feedback and the teacher’s proper guidance, students get more from prior knowledge and you can reach your content and language goals.”

As the four teachers modeled feedback, students followed suit. Posting reminder charts, along with class-established guidelines for feedback, helped everyone spot and remedy recurring mistakes. The data also indicated progress. In early writing samples, 12 out of 19 students placed 在 incorrectly near the end of the sentence, whereas after teachers consistently applied corrective feedback, 16 students placed 在 correctly.

According to Peng, students welcome corrective feedback when the teacher is consistent, positive, and explains its value. She cautions teachers not to be dogged about every blunder, but advises them to focus their efforts on common errors that inhibit communication.

Consistency and perseverance are key. Since corrective feedback can only have lasting results when applied year after year as students progress in their learning, coordinating efforts among teachers in a given school is crucial. If this is done, students’ errors will fade, and beautiful, correct language will thrive.

Other Articles by Heather Clydesdale

An elementary school Japanese language class. (Sarah Lovrien/Asia Society)

World Language Teachers Find Familiar Ground with the Common Core

Heather Clydesdale on how the pedagogical approaches that world language teachers have been using for years bear striking similarities to the Common Core.
Students write a story together (CIS Hong Kong)

A Focus on Fun Spurs Language Learning

Heather Clydesdale examines how the Chinese International School in Hong Kong focuses on fun with great results in their students’ language learning.
A Uigher Chinese woman. (Sand and Tsunamis / flickr)

Exploring Islam in China

Dr. Cyndy Ning traveled to the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in western China and discovered imaginative ways to adapt authentic materials to all levels of Chinese language learning.
Students from CAIS in China at the Great Wall

Students Experience the Breadth of China

Chinese American International School in San Francisco has a commitment to providing its students diverse learning experiences in China. The school organizes trips for its students to Taipei, Beijing, and Qinghai over three years.
Children look at a tablet together.

Virtual Exchanges Strengthen Skills and Forge Friendships

How can Chinese language teachers establish connections between their own students and English-learning peers in China?
Working Together Teamwork Puzzle Concept. (Scott Maxwell/flickr)

Robust Support for Teachers Pays Rich Dividends to Schools and Students

A strong teacher support system is critical, but how is it established?
Chrysanthemum field. (flickr/andrewb47)

Weeding Out Errors Helps Language Bloom

Cultivating high achievement in Chinese depends on the patient efforts of teachers who are willing to get down in the weeds.
toolbox

What's in Your Toolbox?

Teaching requires both innovation and adaptation, meaning educators must continually curate their collection of implements, honing familiar devices and adding new ones.
Students in China

Flagship Participants Find Their Voice (and Future) in Chinese

Graduates of the Chinese Language Flagship Program at Arizona State University are proof that attaining a superior level of Chinese in four years is feasible.
Upriver at Qingming

Upriver at Qingming

Zhang Zeduan’s masterpiece handscroll transforms viewers into participants, engaging them in a historic, and excellent, adventure.
A Utah immersion classroom in action.

Calibrating Content and Language in the Immersion Classroom

In the Chinese immersion classroom, it's a balancing act for teachers: math, social studies, and science on one hand, and Chinese language arts on the other.
Flipped learning frees up time in class. (iStock)
series

Flipped Learning in Motion

Flipped learning, using online sessions to build and drill basic knowledge and skills, frees up time in class. Teachers can leverage this and create opportunities for students to apply language as they practice higher-order thinking.
Launching a flipped classroom demands creativity, time, and initiative. The payoff is cumulative.
series

Simple Machine

Launching a flipped classroom demands creativity, time, and initiative. The payoff is cumulative.
(sturti/istockphoto)

Destination: Immersion

As recognition of language immersion’s wide-ranging benefits increase, and schools across the United States establish new programs, many are finding that the journey is rewarding, but also has hurdles.
(lifesizeimages/istockphoto)

Combining Math and Chinese Immersion Multiplies Benefits

Language teachers are also content teachers.
(CEFutcher/iStockPhoto)

To Grow Good Writers, Feed Them Great Literature

Mentor texts help develop children's natural storytelling abilities. Even in Chinese!
Chinese characters (Asia Society)

Radicals Reveal the Order of Chinese Characters

To understand written Chinese, radicals are key.

Language Learning in the Age of the Common Core

How collaboration around Common Core ideas makes education more meaningful and interesting.
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Next Generation Fellows
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC