BonPatronPro to the rescue

OMLTA H2 General Gr. 7-12
Room: Aurora
BonPatronPro
to the rescue
Online help for those perpetual
written errors for students AND teachers
Maria Gauthier
[email protected]
Saturday March 31, 2012 10:45–11:45
Workshop description
Second language writers improve with practice
and frequent feedback.
  The online BonPatron grammar and spell check
program (www.bonpatron.com) puts the
responsibility on students to make their own
corrections and learn from their mistakes.
 
General overview of workshop
Introduction to BonPatron
Pro version
Action Research
Exploiting the tool
Introduction to BonPatron
Why BonPatron?
What is BonPatron?
What does it look like?
How does it work?
What it cannot do?
Why Bon Patron?
A time-efficient means of providing linguistic
feedback on compositions; teacher can spend time
on other aspects of writing
  Students make their own corrections
  Better than MS Word
  Easy-to-use
  Free version – accessible
  Created by language instructors over a decade
ago and is constantly improving  
What is Bon Patron?
 
Instructional editing tool
  Flags
common morpho-syntactic and orthographic
errors
  Gives feedback (metalinguistic corrective feedback)
  Highlighted
errors (in red) and concerns (in yellow)
  Metalinguistic feedback (an explanation of what the mistake
is and how to correct it)
  Provides an example of correct usage
 
Puts the responsibility on the student (pedagogical)
  writers
get feedback, make sense of it and correct
work (real-time feedback)
  individualized
What does it look like? (in English)
What does it look like? (in French)
How does it work?
Youtube videos
  BonPatronPlus (French language checker)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeCeWVeI0oU
 
 
SpellCheckPlus (English language checker)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH2fgsyg2WA
SpanishCheckPlus (Spanish language checker)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTzACzlCNf8
What it cannot do?
 
 
The program is limited to flag mainly morphosyntactical, spelling and common lexical mistakes made
by Anlgophone students (linguistic aspects of writing)
It cannot flag discursive and semantic aspects of writing
  Reformulate
more appropriate ways of expressing ideas
  Semantic issues (word appropriateness)
  Pragmatics (context; message; referential)
  Text appropriateness (appropriates of task types)
  Complex sentence structures can be problematic (ex. S-V
agreement when separated by several words/clauses)
Pro version Features
Free vs Pro versions
Summary of errors
Grammar exercises
Archive (for student and teacher)
Teacher account
Free vs Pro versions
Free
Pro (~$13/yr) & school subscriptions:
(Advertising) $199/30 students: $249/30 lab machines
iPad/iPhone/Android http://itunes.apple.com/
app/fr/bonpatron-mobile/id441512362
Large resizable window
Grammar exercises
200word limit No length restrictions
verb conjugator, dictionary, synonyms
Error summaries
Archive of past texts (writing portfolio)
Pro version
Summary of errors: Categories
Punctuation
  Spelling
  Agreement
  Word choice
  Word form
  Word order
 
Summary of errors: example
Sugg. Gram. Exercises
Based on errors made by
writer 
Your Mark: ? 19% (number of words: 149) (condensed summary)
Agreement
 
deux frère. You need to add an “S” to make the noun plural, par ex.: mes amis.
grammar exercises
 
petit maison The adjective should be feminine, e.g.: la petite maison. grammar exercises
Word choice
 
au Chine Before feminine countries, use à la or en, e.g.: on voyage en France.
grammar exercises
 
est 40 ans When expressing age, the verb avoir + ans must be used, e.g.: “I am fifteen
years old” = j'ai quinze ans. grammar exercises
Word form
 
 
 
a resté This verb takes auxiliary être in the past tense, e.g.: “He stayed until 9 o'clock” =
il est resté jusqu'à 9h. grammar exercises
Paul et maintenant Please check: et (“and”) or est (“is”).
beaucoup des jours Expressions of quantity are followed by the preposition de, e.g.: il y
a beaucoup de personnes (except when the noun is specific, e.g.: beaucoup des gens que je
connais).
Word order
 
ont nous The pronoun should come before the auxiliary, e.g.: Marie lui a parlé
Grammar exercises: agreement
Grammar exercises: word form…
Grammar exercises: …word form
Grammar exercises: word choice
Teacher archive of student texts
Archives
January 24, 2011 at 11:03 view; Errors: 43; Your Mark:: 61;
e 5 octobre 1960 Chère Mama, Comment-ça va? C'est une semaine depuis Papa est mort. Les
policiers ont trouvé son corps sous un train; Papa s'e ...
January 24, 2011 at 11:03 view; Errors: 30; Your Mark:: 73;
Le 5 octobre 1960 Chère Mama, Comment-ça va? C'est une semaine depuis Papa est mort. Les
policiers ont trouvé son corps sous un train; Papa s' ...
January 24, 2011 at 11:03 view; Errors: 28; Your Mark:: 75;
Le 5 octobre 1960 Chère Mama, Comment-ça va? C'est une semaine depuis Papa est mort.
Les policiers ont trouvé son corps sous un train; Papa s' ...
March 14, 2011 at 08:07 view; Errors: 31; Your Mark:: 58; Le 29 octobre 2010
Cher journal,
Toute la journeé, j'ai réfléchi au sujet de Monsieur Ibrahaim car il est un homme bizarre. R� ...
March 14, 2011 at 13:05 view; Errors: 31; Your Mark:: 72; le 5 octobre 1960
Chère Mama,
Comment-ça va? C'est une semaine depuis Papa est mort. Les policiers ont trouvé son corps sous u …
Action Research (AR)
Research question
Types of corrective feedback
Literature review
Method
Findings
Discussion
Implications
AR: Question
 
How does using the
web-based grammar
and spell check
program BonPatronPro
enhance the cognitive
engagement and
achievement of senior
level students’ editing
of, and the linguistic
accuracy of, their
written French?
AR: Corrective feedback research
 
Direct
  teacher
makes the corrections
  MS Word “auto-correct”
 
Indirect (guides learners to reflect on language)
  Underlining/highlighting
  Metalinguistic
(source of information that permits
learners to reflect on and analyse the language)
  Negative
evidence (error) vs. positive evidence (examples)
  Develops “self-repair” skills and raises awareness
AR: Method
 
8 compositions (6 formative; 2 summative)
 
Each composition
  Typed
and verified
  Edited using BP feedback
  Read error summary
  Reflected on error summary
  Wrote a reflection (writing journal)
AR: Data collection and analysis
Data read over two ways:
1.  Focused on each participant looking at all data sets for that
individual
2.  Focused on each data set individually looking for trends
AR: Findings
(1) Considerable progress (N=4)
  Wrote ≥ 6 compositions and verified each compositions ~ 7 times
  Wrote ≥ 6 reflections (~ 100 words/reflection) noting specific
grammar points and outlining objectives for future compositions
  Positive results in all three aspects of progress
(2) Moderate progress (N=4)
  Inconsistencies in number of:
 
 
 
compositions/reflections
words written in compositions and/or reflections
number of times comps. Verified
(3) Limited progress (N=3)
  Error analysis – same errors made
 
 
 
Strong student – wrote the minimum
Weak student – wrote too much (overwhelming)
Weak student – did little work
AR: Underlying processes (definitions)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interlanguage: Learner’s emerging linguistic system as they move toward
becoming fully proficient in the target language (Selinker, 1972).
Errors are a direct manifestation of a system within which a learner is operating
reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner (Brown, 1994).
Negative Evidence: “input that lets the learner know that a particular form is not
acceptable according to target language norms” (Mitchell & Myles, 1994, p.16).
Direct metalinguistic feedback: a source of information that permits the learner
to reflect and analyse the language (Richards, Platt & Platt, 1992).
Fossilization: when the L2 learner seems unable to get rid of non-native-like
structures in their L2 despite abundant linguistic input over many years.
Plateau effect: phenomenon when students reach a plateau in their L2
development preventing them from further progress.
AR: Definitions (cont.)
 
 
 
 
Consciousness raising: when features of the target
language are salient and noticeable by the language learner.
Noticing the gap: cognitive process where the learner’s
working memory temporarily holds the input to potentially be
integrated into the learner’s long-term memory (Schmidt,
1990).
Languaging: using language to mediate cognitive activity
(meta-talk), which leads to restructuring knowledge.
Intake: reorganization of long-term knowledge stored in the
learners’ interlanguage system (Schmidt, 1994).
AR: Implications
Maximizing effectiveness of corrective written feedback in the classroom
writing FREQUENTLY + writing a sufficient QUANTITY =
output
intake
 feedback
cognitive conflict
 reflection
 change in interlanguage (restructuring knowledge)
Keep in mind challenges
high proficiency students need feedback (negative evidence) to avoid:
 
plateau effect (temporary leveling off of progress)
 
fossilization (L2 system frozen/stuck in “deviant” stage).
low proficiency students need to focus on specific feedback (consciousness raising and
noticing the gap) to avoid:
 
feeling overwhelmed
 
getting discouraged.
AR: Model for writing process
AR: Discussion
 
 
 
 
 
“Optimal” process for using BonPatronPro.
Students compositions (output) reflect their language
level at that moment (interlanguage).
feedback (positive and negative evidence) generates a
cognitive conflict (consciousness raising and/or
noticing).
Written reflections about gaps in their writing
(languaging) help generate a change (intake) in
subsequent composition (output).
Moderate progress transpired when the writer engaged
perfunctorily in the cycle or did not complete some steps
in the cycle.
Ideas for exploiting the resource
FoF instruction (writing focusing on particular
grammar points)
  Homework
  Compositions
  Dictations
  Dictaglosses
  Texts for presentations (as scaffold for speaking)
  Writing portfolio and reflections
 
For more information
Ambrosio, L. (2009). BonPatron (review). Canadian Modern
Language Review, 65(4), 647-649.
Brown, H. (1987). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.
Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Burston, J. (2008). BonPatron: An online spelling, grammar, and
expression checker. CALICO Journal, 25 (2), pp 337-347.
Cordier-Gauthier, Dion, C., & Dion, C. (2006). La correction et la
révision de l’écrit en français langue seconde: médiation
humaine, médiation informatique. ALSIC, 6 (1), 29-43.
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Green, K. (2010). BonPatron: timely and specific feedback for
FSL writers, Reflexions, 29 (1), 28.
Hamel, M-J. (2008). BonPatron: Compte rendu. Canadian Journal
of Applied Linguistics, 11 (2), 123-131.
Heift, T. (2004). Corrective feedback and learner uptake in CALL,
ReCALL, 16 (2), 123-131.
Mitchell, R., & Myles, F. (1998/2004). Second Language Learning
Theories. London: Hodder Arnold.
Nadasdi, T., & Sinclair, S. (2007). Anything I can do, CPU can do
better: A comparison of human and computer grammar
correction for L2 writing using BonPatron.com. from http://
www.ualberta.ca/∼tnadasdi/Dublin.htm
Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second
language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 11 (1), 129-158.
Selinger, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of
Applied Linguistics, 10, 201-231.
Svalberg, A. (2009). Engagement with language:
interrogating a construct. Language Awareness, 18 (3),
242-358.
van Compernolle, R. A. (2009). Review of Bon Patron: An
online spelling, grammar, and expression checker. Journal
of French Language Studies, 19, 406-409.