Some teachers think we should not correct grammar mistakes in Discussion Forums because Discussion Forums represent the interactive discussion that takes place in a face to face classroom and since we don't usually correct people as they interact and talk in a face to face classroom, then we should not correct grammar mistakes in the Discussion Forum.
If we correct grammar in the forums, students may not want to say as much or students become afraid to write long posts. Since we want to simulate natural discussion, then as teachers we should avoid the temptation of correcting every grammar or spelling mistake we see---this is especially true for English teachers whose first reflex reaction to bad grammar is to fix it!
This brings into focus the textual nature of discussion forums. When we talk, we don't notice the grammar mistakes as much, because when we talk, the words flow by out of our mouth so fast that we are not too aware of the grammar mistakes whereas in a forum post, we see the written text of what that student wrote in a more permanent fashion making us English teachers want to automatically correct it.
In the end, my online school chose not to correct forum grammar errors to stimulate the flow of natural conversation between students and between faculty and students.
However, many other teachers feel that as English teachers, it is our duty to correct any grammar mistake we see in written form emanating from our students. When I read books about online teaching, most authors of the book include a section in their DQ grading rubric for taking points off for grammar mistakes. After all, how else can students improve writing skills if English teachers do not take off points to point out what grammar mistakes are being committed right?
For native speakers of English, I can go either way. I will correct grammar forum mistakes if the school wants me to, or I can just leave the mistakes be if the school wants to encourage conversation over error correction.
However, I believe for ESL or Foreign Language speakers, such as teaching French online in a French only Forum, I believe the teacher must correct grammar so that the student can properly learn the target language. When a student is learning a language, he/she is still learning at a word level or a sentence level how to communicate. If I see an American student try to say, "Jean lives in a nice house in Paris."in French, I would correct him because in French, you would say, "Jean habite dans une grande maison elegante a Paris." In other words, I would make sure the student knows that in French, the adjective comes after the noun. Instead of saying, 'elegant house' like in English, in French we say, 'house elegant'.
What do you think, should we correct grammar error mistakes in the forums, or should we just let the student speak naturally and leave the mistake be?
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