“You can’t let errors like that go uncorrected!”
“You can’t destroy students’ confidence by constantly interrupting them!”
I’ve got either one of these distressed voices bleating in my head at any given point during any given lesson. It’s a quandary.
One approach worth a look is creating a accuracy/fluency scale somewhere in the room, then positioning an arrow somewhere on that scale according to the task being attempted. A pendulum works, as does an approximation of a car speedo or even a straightforward slider drawn on a whiteboard.
Quickly, groups will learn to look over at the slider before they attempt a communicative task; actively deciding where to put that arrow will become part of their thinking. Group discussions on how to balance accuracy/fluency for different scenarios are a fascinating gateway for intercultural communication topics. And there’s nothing stopping you explaining your dilemma as a teacher, and putting the power to determine the right balance of fluency and accuracy in the hands of your learners.
Try it.
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