The Lemov Series : Applied Techniques in ELT "Right is Right"
The technique I will be discussing today is "Right is Right" - a very simple concept but one that can be very difficult to implement in an ESL classroom. Setting a high standard of correctness in the classroom is important for effective learning; yet often time management, FLCA (Foreign language classroom anxiety), and FLE (Foreign Language Enjoyment) are hard to balance alongside it.
“Set and defend a high standard of correctness in your classroom. ”
A student has to enter the classroom with the understanding that only his or her best effort will be accepted. Setting a high standard for correctness is important in controlling the learning environment in an ESL classroom. Students that are rewarded for 100% correct answers can inspire others to engage more actively in the lesson so they too can be rewarded.
A very common error in ESL learning is mispronunciation. The English language contains many sounds that a non-native speaker can struggle to recreate. If your students are continually dropping the “Sq” sound (Square, squad, squash) and replacing it with an “Sw” sound (swear, sweat, swap) it is important to entirely correct their mistake. Even though it could be obvious that the student knows the answer you cannot give credit to their (technically) incorrect answer. In a spoken language situation “swear” and “square” are two very different answers. Teachers are often pressed to move a lesson forward (for the sake of time) and can be tempted to praise a student for this semi-correct answer. Lemov refers to this as “rounding up” and it can degrade the expected standards of your learning environment. Not only will it show students that it might be okay to give an incorrect answer, even worse it might negatively influence students who would otherwise correct pronounce the word. Hearing the teacher give praise to “swear” might change a students already correct pronunciation of “square” to “swear”. Not only does this create confusion but it also wastes valuable time that must be spent to correct these mistakes.
Attitude will play a big role in how well this technique can be implemented into the classroom. Over bearing and negative attitudes will turn your students away from participating in the class. Students will worry about making a mistake or feel incapable of answering correctly.
“Great teachers praise students for their effort but never confuse effort with mastery.”
Keeping an upbeat environment can be especially difficult in a ESL classroom as your positivity in limited by their working vocabulary and your body language. A ELT should seek to maintain positive body language and vocal tones. Effort can be praised but never should be met with the same reward as a correct answer. If a student gets a high five as a reward for remember vocabulary – then another student should not receive a high five for attempting to (and failing at) pronouncing a word. A different reward can be enforced.
As stated before pronunciation in the ESL classroom can be a constant struggle as you try to employ the “Right is Right” technique. Over correction can lead to a dip in class participation and a students loss of confidence in their ability. Repeating back or calling on another student to correct a mistake – and then doing a call back – can help to alleviate persistent issues.
Foreign language students can experience a high degree of anxiety when put on the spot during FL class. The urge to at least be right – even despite not answering the question asked – can drive students to put forth a technically correct answer but to the wrong question. Take for example fruits and colors. When reviewing “What color is this?” and presenting an apple to a student – a common fallback answer could be “That is an apple” and while this is technically correct it is an answer to the wrong question. A teacher who pushes past this incorrect answer could find themselves struggling to elicit the correct response to the correct question.
Do not let students jump to answers before the question is asked. In foreign language learning every part of speech is important for a student to master. It is just as important for a student to master saying “How are you?” as it is for that student to correctly master its response “I’m fine/good/bad etc”. When a student jumps to the right answer but overrides the question it is important to reinforce the “Right is Right” but only when the whole question is acknowledged. I like to switch my questions up if I find students jumping ahead of themselves.
"Right is Right" requires constant effort and attention by the language teacher. It requires paying careful attention to the answers given by student. It requires the teacher to delicately balance the attitude of the learning environment with the standards of correctness. It requires a deep understanding of individual students strengths and weaknesses. To know when to push under performers and when to enforce even high expectations with superstars. "Right is Right" is massively beneficial in the ESL classroom and sets a principle that is communicable in spite of language barriers.
The “Lemov” Series is a review Doug Lemov’s 2011 book: Teach like a Champion: 49 Techniques that put students on the path to college. I highly recommend this fantastic work and do not claim any of these techniques as of/or being my original content.
