Ist Fehlerkorrektur im Fremdsprachenunterricht ein aggressives Verhalten?

The objective of the article is to reflect on the question whether error correction procedures employed by foreign language teachers can be perceived as an aggressive behavior. In the introducing part it is stated that error correction in foreign language teaching has had a long tradition and is broadly accepted as a necessary part of the leaning process both by learners and by teachers. Can error correction under these circumstances be understood as an aggressive behavior? The author’s position upon this question is explained and justified. In the fol­lowing section the practice of error correction in German as Foreign Language classes in Polish secondary schools is touched upon and analyzed. Some of the techniques widely used by German teachers, e.g. red crosses and red underlin­ing in the learner’s work or the teacher’s concentration and comments only on the incorrect elements of the learner’s work, can and should be perceived as the teacher’s aggressive behavior towards the learner. Arguments for this assertion are further discussed in this part of the article. In the closing part the author tries to sum up the conclusions drawn from considering the presented matters and gives some implications for the didactic process with regards to the error correc­tion practices.