|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Teaching material > Mistakes in worksheets
Mistakes in worksheets
|
canterina
|
Mistakes in worksheets
|
|
Dear colleagues, I �ve been in this community for two weeks or so, and I �m more and more fascinated by the talent you show in creating these ws. But I �m also a bit disappointed by the numerous grammar and spelling mistakes I find in the ws. It takes quite a long time to check the ws carefully for mistakes before I use them; the first time I used one I hadn �t checked it properly, and it caused quite a few embarrassing moments with my pupils!! How is it possible that such talented teachers make so many mistakes? |
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
|
fletsch
|
|
A good rule of thumb is to always check your worksheets before using them in class. Even the smartest teachers make mistakes : ) This is a great site and I am sure you will grow to love it as much as we do...
Fletsch |
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
RabbitWho
|
Quite often i don �t notice them until it �s too late, but then I �ll tell the students which sentence it is and ask them to correct the mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes, most teachers are writing in a second language and have an achieved a great deal by making such wonderful worksheets :) My own mistakes are usually spelling ones, but i have a spell checker to help me with that :)
|
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
zailda
|
I can think of some causes for this problem, judging from what happens to me:
- during the ws preparation we change our minds and decide to write it differently but forget to change the whole sentence, and some parts, which don �t match the new sentence, remain;
- we have to prepare something for yesterday, so we don �t have time to check it after finishing;
- we write a document thinking of checking it later, and then we forget to do so;
- we have problems checking a ws on the screen and only see the errors and parts that don �t match after printing it (it happens to me quite often, I �m an old dinosaur and can �t see many mistakes if they aren �t printed in a sheet of paper, is this a kind of blindness?).
- we prepare a ws for next month, or next week, so we don �t have to check it right away, but meanwhile we decide to upload it;
- we get confused and use grammar rules from L1, instead of English (some of us are also our primary language teachers - I �m a 4 languages teacher and there are times when I don �t have a clear notion which of them I �m using at that moment - I �m getting crazier day by day - LOL!);
- we write our own work from the beginning through the end, so mistakes appear because we �re not natives;
NOTE: - Not only foreigners make mistakes, natives may make mistakes as well, as I sometimes do in my own language, and I �m a Portuguese teacher!
- we know that all members here are capable of correcting a ws and help each other, and we assume they �ll do it before using anything, because I have never used a ws (even the ones taken from books) before getting familiarized with it, including grammar points and vocabulary.
After all, I teach American English, others here teach British, so they �ll adapt the ws anyway. And even when there are no mistakes and the ws contains the same English we teach, it �s always wise to read the ws carefully and check the vocabulary to adapt the words to the ones our students are familiarized with.
And we have to convey that if we spend half an hour correcting mistakes and / or adapting a ws, we �ll spend much more idealizing and producing it.
So even if our work isn �t flawless and we are not perfect, everyone is doing a priceless job here. Except from the ones whose work has no mistakes at all but later we realize it �s just copy & paste...
Have a nice day.
Zailda
|
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
canterina
|
Thank you, Zailda and everyone, all of this is completely new to me, it was pure curiosity, of course I know you �re all doing a priceless job! You are certeainly very gifted teachers  |
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
elderberrywine
|
What I don �t understand is the amount of effort people put into embellishing their ws beyond something that is photocopiable (far too much colour) and the amount of effort or knowledge they put into the correctness of what they write.
And to the amount of checking they do before they publish their worksheets for a broad public.
I don �t suppose canterina was talking about little errors that occur to all of us but about REAL BIG FAT mstakes that should not happen to teachers.
I quite understand her bewilderment.
|
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
manonski (f)
|
|
It �s true that some people make more mistakes than other and I agree with Zailda �s points.
That �s why it �s important to have printables that are editable. It �s ok to compress the pictures but please give us the chance to change the text.
I remember I downloaded Mena �s Mother Day printable. It was great and did not have any mistakes but I changed the "USA"words and replaced them with "Canada" for my students.
|
12 Dec 2009
|
|
|
