Correction...

I want to take some time to talk about corrections and correcting students. We have been reading and discussing this topic in class. It has led me to continually think about it outside of class because I really do think this is an interesting topic. As simple as it may seem, the way and number of times a student is corrected (especially a shy student) can really effect their progress and outcome. If they are corrected to much, they may become embarassed and stop talking. On the other hand, if they are never corrected, how will they learn the correct way of pronouncing a word or the correct structure of a sentence?
This is a tricky question because you don't want to over correct and make the student afraid to speak in class, but at the same time there are going to be times when you just have to correct something a student says or does because it will only hurt him/her to not be corrected and continue their mistake.
I think it is perfectally acceptable to correct student's written work. This is a good learning opportunity and it is not as confrentational as correcting as they speak. It gives them a chance to privately read and see how they wrote a word or a sentence and how it should be written correctly. Additionally, it is a good reference for them to keep and refer back to. If they find themselves coming across a similar situation in the future, they can look up the corrections on their papers or assignments.
In the other spectrum, verbal corrections, I think, should be minimal and not too obvious. There is something to be said for letting a student try and monitor and self-correct. This is actually helpful in the long run because it is a tool they will use very much in the world outside of the classroom. An ESL student is constantly surrounded by the new language, so it will eventaully become easy for them to self correct. I think a great way to correct a student when speaking to you or in class is to simply rephrase correctly what they said in a question. For example, if Juan says "Since were were childs I loved ice cream". I would say back "Since you were children you loved ice cream? Me too!". This way allows them to hear the correct way of saying the statement they just made in a non-intimidating way. It is also not telling them they are wrong either. Additionally, this aides in the idea of self monitoring and self correction. They hear is said the correct way, they can remember it and store it, and next time they will think that "childs" doesn't sound right and remember it is "children".
This is an important topic, one which should be discussed among teachers. In any way a teacher corrects a student, it shoudl benefit the child and promote continual growth.