Dictogloss
Dictogloss is a classroom dictation exercise. The procedure is a based less around an exact reproduction of a text, and more on creative construction of linguistically accurate language. This procedure originally came from an article in The English Language Teaching Journal in 1963 and was popularised in the UK by Mario Rivolucri in his book Dictaton: New Methods, New Possibilities. He suggested a simple procedure which allowed students to creatively produce a text using some words recalled from a short dictated phrase. Dr Ruth Wajnryb expanded on the procedure and used it as a cornerstone for her book Grammar Dictation. Here the students’ recollection and reconstruction of the text would help them uncover and explore key grammatical features in the text.
Dr Wajnryb’s procedure has four main stages:
1. Preparation
2. Dictation
3. Reconstruction
4. Analysis and Reflection
Here is a grammar dictation exercise using the text:
I couldn’t have locked my keys in my apartment this morning as I used them to get into the office this afternoon.
1. Teacher mimes that she has lost her keys and elicit the terms keys, lost and asks students where the keys might be and what students would do if they were “locked-out”.
2. Teacher asks students to put pens down.
3. Teacher says the text aloud at normal speaking speed.
4. Teacher pairs up students to exchange any individual words they heard and write these down.
5. Teacher reads phrase a second time.
6. Students write their version of the text.
7. Student pairs exchange final texts and highlight the underlying grammatical structure.
8. Students create a new text with a completely different meaning but using the first as the model.
9. Texts are read around the class and those with the best fit to the model noted on the board.
Further reading:
Davis, P. and Rinvolucri, M., Dictation, (Cambridge, 1988)
Wajnryb, R., Grammar Dictation, (Oxford, 1990)
Action research
Action research refers to the teacher’s examination of the teaching and learning process. Everything from the classroom dynamic to learner problems with an aspect of language or learning style can become the subject of action research. The defining feature of action research is that involves and identification of a specific issue, the implementation of a plan and the gathering of objective data to measure the success of the plan. For example, you may want to want to investigate how far you are allowing students to direct the content, activities and management of your lessons (as opposed to allowing them to be imposed by the course book). Initially, you might record a lesson and, listening back to it, decide in what areas ceding more control to students would benefit the class. Having identified where you might do this (e.g. deciding when to stop an activity, creating comprehension for other students), you can implement your approach and measure its success. Data both before and after the process of implementation in a variety of ways: peer and self-observation, student questionnaires or study journals, audio and video recordings.
Further reading:
Jean McNiff, and Jack Whitehead (2005), Action Research for Teachers: A Practical Guide, David Fulton Publishers
Learner Training integrates a number of different techniques to develop students’ awareness of how they learn. The overall aim is to make students aware of the strategies they use to learn so that they become more effective and independent learners. Learner training techniques include open discussion on a variety of language learning strategies, reflection on the usefulness of those strategies and understandin
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