Why do teachers use red pens for correction? Isn't it enough to note that something is wrong, do they have to shout it out into the world, too?
by 
PokkiTokki
ANSWERS: 12
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Red colour is distincty visible.
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Like the question. I'm on route to become a teacher myself, and I personally like the red, makes sure you don't miss your mistake. If there was a color brighter than red that for some reason did really shout at you I'd use it. ^_^
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I think they should use red pens, because it definitively seperates your own corrections and any of your peers' corrections, from your teachers corrections. As for the embarassment factor, I prefer to think of it as a motivator - put more time and effort into my assignments, and there will be less red next time.
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They want you to do the best you can in school. They want to point out your errors so that you know what you missed and can correct it so you'll know the answer. If they didn't point out what you missed, how could you get smarter?
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Lots of good reasons here. I felt that I really had to work to avoid the red pen. It was a motivator. When I taught, which was very little, I wanted to make sure the mistake/error or comment I made was noted and the student learned from them. I felt it was to the student's advantage to note and learn from the marks.
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they choose red... it could be green or orange but they have selected red.... so be it. red is universsal for STOP, they want you to stop, look and see your error.
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What world? You can trust that the world does not notice your mistakes any less or more no matter how much red ink your hard copy has splashed all over it. Maybe your parents might discover the extent of your red ink catastrophe or perhaps some nearby classmates when you received your graded assignment, but that redness is there for you. Just how much red ink do you end up with? Is there so much that it can be seen across your schoolyard or from the space shuttle or what? Most of us write with a non-red pen or pencil. When a teacher or similar person grades our assignments, a logical choice for notes and grades by the teacher or other would be RED. Now you can see without fail the teacher's comments clearly, and with only one look. What if stop signs were painted in camouflage? What if the highlight function with our mouse on our computer didn't change colors? What would happen if the lines in the street were dark blue? Red contrasts, on purpose. Learn from those mistakes; that's where you have the most room for improvement. Or, start doing your schoolwork in red ink.
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The red ink stands out so that I can more easily see the corrections, wrong and right notations that I made, especially if I want to check it over a second time before I return the exams or papers. The same is true when the student reviews the exam to see, and I hope, learn from the corrections.
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A number of school districts are banning the red pen for corrections. I will argue the rate on pansies and woosies will rise dramatically in those school districts. http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041004/news_1m4pens.html
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I'm a teacher. I use a highly visible green.
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I agree with all of these! Although my teachers have never really used red. They use a brownish-red or bright green pen, but it can vary. Or they can use a pencil or pen.
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To make it more visible, pure and simple. (VERY few people write in red, and those that do (if allowed), will find the teacher will mark their papers up with either blue or black, usually.
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