Spoken vs. Written Language: Teaching and Learning English

Differences Between Spoken and Written Language

Teaching and Learning Listening

Listening is a source of input. Children need this type of teaching to learn the social use of language. It is an essential part of learning a second language. With listening, we receive a lot of information (sounds, words, pronunciation, tone, etc.). It is essential to establish communicative acts in real life. We need children to train their ears (EAR TRAINING SKILLS). We can do that by having them discriminate sounds and accents, then recognize them, giving rise to comprehension skills. To develop listening skills, we have to give them confidence. We can use different tones of voice and extralinguistic information. We can help the child to focus on what is important. Children need to know why they are listening, and they must have a purpose.

Dealing with Spoken Errors

We have to know the difference between errors and mistakes. Errors are more semantic, and mistakes can be more fleeting. The good thing about mistakes is that they show students putting their ideas out there and give the teacher information on how they are doing or perceiving the language.

Children make mistakes because of anxiety, forgetfulness, improvisation, or because they have forgotten how something is said or written.

Children make mistakes in grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation. Attention should be limited when the teacher is correcting. The teacher has to focus on one or two aspects at the same time and know when it is time to correct.

Errors can be corrected by the teacher, by a peer, or by the students themselves.

• Guided practices are corrected or controlled, part of production, as soon as you hear the error.
• In smoothly guided practices, take notes of the errors and then give feedback when students have finished.

Anxiety in the English Class: How to Reduce It

The teacher must not adopt an authoritarian role but, on the contrary, can act as a therapist, helping students overcome situations of tension and providing a relaxed, less academic, and more human environment in which students feel able to communicate.

• Avoid correcting continuously, since this makes students afraid to speak for fear of making mistakes.
• Encourage group work or projects to eliminate the feeling of being evaluated.
• Group students according to their cognitive level to avoid feelings of inferiority. Establish standards of behavior and respect.
• Eliminate the element of surprise if at all possible; allow time for students to prepare and know what to do.
• Activities should be motivating, in both content and format, and of short duration.
• Create an atmosphere of cooperation and not competition.

How to Provide Feedback to Children’s Writing

• Have a code of symbols for correcting, and make sure students understand this code. For example, if a student has a spelling fault, the code can be "SP."
• Do not correct all errors at the same time if there are many, only those that are most important and that have been taught.
• Add a note showing interest as a reader, and ask questions about the content if you think students can extend or complete the text.
• In the first round of feedback, focus on the content; in the second, on the errors; and finally, give a grade.
• Use a color for correcting that does not have a negative impact on children.