Dictogloss—A Useful Method of Teaching the English Language

Abstract:This paper is about a new method of learning the English，the concept of the method and how to use the method in the class.

Keywords:Dictogloss

Last year，when I studied in Australia，I learned a teaching method called dictogloss. I think it is a good method. In this passage，I will introduce it to you.

What is Dictogloss?

Dictogloss is an intergrated skills technique for language learning in which students work together to create a reconstructed version of a text read to them by their teacher.

The four stages of Dictogloss

1.Preparation

* Schema-building and vocabulary work

Prepare the students for the vocabulary of the text. Vocabulary should be pre-taught if the teacher suspect that certain items will be unfamiliar or difficult to infer.

* Organize into pairs or groups

2.Dictation

* The teacher reads the short，specially selected passage.

* The passage should be read twice. The first time，the learners should not write anything，just listen. The second time，they should take down notes.

* The learners should write down content or information words，the grammar is to be provided by the learners themselves.

* The general pace is similar to a news broadcast，or to natural speech. There can be a slight pause between sentences，but not between words.

3.Reconstruction

* Learners work in groups to pool their notes and produce their version of the text.

* The group checks the text for grammar，textual cohesion，and logical sense.

This reconstruction seeks to retain the meaning and form of the original text，but is not a word-for-word copy of the text read by the teacher. Instead，students are working together to create a cohesive text with correct grammar and other features of the relevant text type，(e.g. procedure，or rhetorical framework—like cause and effect)，that approximates the meaning of the original.

4.Analysis and Correction

* Using the blackboard or OHP，the texts are written up for all to see and discuss.

Aims of Dictogloss

1.To use productive grammar in the task of text creation

2.To enable learners to discover what they know and don’t know about English

3.To improve global aural comprehension

4.To improve note-taking skills

Two Task Objectives

a)maintain as much information as possible from the original text

b)produce a sound English text

The Value of Dictogloss

1.Learning becomes active involvement.

2.This is an exercise based on an information gap.

3.It strikes a balance between memory and creativity.

4.It stimulates grammar practice in sentence context.

5.It compromises between focusing on grammar and being communicative.

6.It stimulates motivation(grammar in response to visible needs).

7.It helps to use language as communication.

8.It caters for individuals and for groups

9.The text is seen as the unit of language.

Further reasons include: all four languages skills are involved—listening(to the teacher read the text and to group-mates discuss the reconstruction)，speaking(to group-mates during the reconstruction)，reading(notes taken while listening to the teacher，the group’s reconstruction，and the original text)，and writing during the reconstruction.

Notes on Choosing a Text

The text can be selected by teachers from newspapers，textbooks，etc.，or teachers can write their own or modify an existing text. The text should be at or below students’ current overall proficiency level，although there may be some new vocabulary. It may even be a text that students have seen before. The length of the text depends on students’ proficiency level.

Dictogloss Opinion

In Dictogloss Opinion，after students reconstruct the text，they give their opinions on the writers’ ideas. These opinions can be inserted at various points in the text or can be written at the end of the text. If students’ commentary is inserted throughout the text，it promotes a king of dialogue with the original authors of the text.

During my teaching in class，I use this kind of method. It helps me a lot. This method can not only promote the interest of the students’ learning English，but also make them understand the grammar clearly.

作者單位:江蘇省徐州市第三中學