Error Analysis 

What error analysis is?
There are different ways to correct errors and mistakes that students might commit, and that is called Error Correction. Error correction is seen as a form of feedback giving to learners on their language use. Before answer the question "what error analysis is?" we need to know what an error is, and how different is from a mistake. 

Error: An error is what learners commit and incorrect utterance when they do not have the knowledge to utter it correctly.

Mistake: A mistake is when learners know the correct utterance of something in a second language, but they make the mistake anyway when speaking or writting. Learners understand the rule, but they have not commited the form to internalize the rules.

Now that we have clarified the concepts of error and mistake, and how they are different, we can answer the question of what error analysis is. According to Abisamra (2003) "error analysis can be viewd as a type of lingüistic analysis that focuses on errors commited by learners", as the article An Analysis of Errors in Arabic Speakers English Written explains, errors are seen as a deviation made by learners who have not yet mastered the rules of the second language. We have to keep in mind that lerners cannot self correct his or her, because they are reflective of his or her current stage of second language development. 

Know that we have an idea of what error analysis is, I am goint to explain an activity that we developed in our Teaching Practicum course called "error analysis chart", that consist in the following steps: First, our teacher checked out our previous entry in our blogs, she provided us feedback if we have any spelling mistake, or other types of mistakes. Second, we have to check our mistakes and correct them, explaining which the mistake was. Then, we had to correct the mistakes in our blogs, it was not just something for us to keep it in mind, we had to correct every single mistake that we presented in our entry, if there were mistakes. Finally, we had to share the chart with the corrections in this entry. I had 13 mistakes, and most of them were mispelling mistakes, but I have corrected them in order to present it in this entry. I am sharing my error analysis chart in the next images: 

This exercise helped me a lot, because sometimes I do not realize about my mistakes, sometimes I am just writting without checking the information, and by doing this activity I have learned that I have to verify the information that I am sharing, the spelling, apply some rules, ect. And after developed this activity I feel intrigued, I have different questions about the error correction, the different ways in which I might correct my future students. I have different questions, for instance: Should errors be corrected? When should errors be corrected? and I have investigated about error correction to help me out with those questions. 

Should errors be corrected? 

I have read different articles to answer this question, and according to the second language acquisition theory, when error correction works, it does by helping the learner change change his or her consious mental representation of a rule. It affects learner competence by informing the learner that his or her current version of rule is wrong. Second laguage acquisition theory implies that when the goal is learning, error should be corrected.

When should errors be corrected?

While reading information about this question, I realized that this topic is controversial. Concerning to this problem I have to make emphasis in weather treat them inmediately or to delay. But we are confronted with a dilema, fluency vs accuracy. Since my point of view, for communicative purposes, make delayed corrections is prefered. When to correct mistakes is determined by the type of error commited, for instance: pronunctiaion and grammar errors, inmediate correction is preferable. For post correction cannot maje learners remember anything. Overall situation in the classroom is also important. 

Keeping in mind what I have learned with this activity, I would like to do it with my students too, because it is a different way to correct mistakes, a way in which they can check their incorrect utterances and look for the correct form to utter it. It seems to be a self correction activity, and it is a really good way to help students to internalize some rules of the second language. 

References:

Nada AbiSamra. (2003). An Analysis of Errors in Arabic Speakers’ English Writings. 2016, de TRIPOD Sitio web: http://abisamra03.tripod.com/nada/languageacq-erroranalysis.html