ELT365 · Day 193 — Elicitation — prompting self-correction

Idea — Elicitation is prompting a learner to produce the correct form themselves rather than supplying it. A raised eyebrow, a repeated word with rising intonation, or a direct prompt all work. Self-correction is more memorable than teacher correction.

Example — Learner: ‘She don’t like it.’ Teacher (eyebrows raised): ‘She…?’ Learner: ‘She doesn’t like it.’ Teacher: ‘Yes, exactly.’

Try — This week, replace three explicit corrections with elicitations. Use only a question word, a rising tone, or a gesture. Note how often learners self-correct correctly.

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