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Indicator 37 – Correctives

Delivering Instruction

Coaching Performance

Indicator 37 - Correctives UETS 43., 7c.

Effective teachers respond to incorrect responses by rephrasing the question, providing prompts that lead students to the correct answer, or by briefly re-teaching the material for those who do not understand, while they maintain the pace of the lesson. Effective teachers provide feedback that is primarily corrective by providing specific explanations of what students are doing correctly, what they are not doing correctly, and how to fix it. Correctives should be academic in nature.

IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS:

  1. Offer a short "very good" or "correct" when engaged in guided practice, checking for understanding or any type of recitation activity. If the student appears confident in the answer, move on. If a student is hesitant but still correct, acknowledge by saying "Yes, that's right because ... ", and then re-explain the process of how to reach the correct conclusion. This technique is "process feedback."
  2. Correct errors immediately before they become a habit.
  3. Giving students appropriate correctives lets them know how they are doing and how much progress they are making.
  4. Restate and simplify questions, reteach the material, or provide hints when a student has made a mistake. It is improper to provide the right answer and move to the next question without giving correction.
    • Appropriate corrective:
      • Teacher: Who can use the contraction “it's” correctly in a sentence? [Pause 3-5 seconds.] Phil.
      • Phil: The dog has run away from “it's” owner.
      • Teacher: Phil, what does the contraction “it's” mean?
      • Phil: It is.
      •  Teacher: Then do you agree with your example?
      • Phil: No, I shouldn't have shown possession. I should have made up a sentence with "it is" in it. It's a contraction.
    • Inappropriate corrective:
      • Teacher: Phil, use the contraction “it's” in a sentence.
      • Phil: The dog was chasing “it's” tail.
      • Teacher: No, “it's” a beautiful morning is a better example. Let's move on.

OR

      • Teacher: No. Does anybody else have a sentence?

OR

      • Teacher: No. Lucy, why don't you give it a shot?

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