A Meaningful Approach to Teaching English Using the Dictogloss Method

By Liang Jinhuai

摘要：“交际”法在外语教学中越来越显示出它的活力。不少教师在教学过程中，努力摆脱传统教学法的束缚使自己的教学成为以学生为中心的课堂活动因而受到学生的欢迎。本文探索一种把听、说、写语言技能训练有机结合为一体的教学方法：侦听法（Dictogloss Method）。

关键词：侦听法 以学生为中心 听 说 写

Abstract：“Communicative”methodology is gaining its momentum in foreign language teaching．Many teachers cast off so－called troditonal methodology to make their classroom activities more student－centred and achieve good results in teaching practice．This article explores a new mehodology called Dictogloss Method．

Key Words：Dictogloss Method；student－centred；listening；speaking；writing；

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays，“communicative”methodology is gaining its momentum in English language teaching in China．More and more teachers write articles discussing this subject and try to make their own classroom activities more task－based and student－centred in practice．Also the idea that the four skills of language，i．e．listening，speaking，reading and writing，must be developed respectively has been growing in favour．But it is a fact that a new method will meet difficulties in the classroom because of student prejudices based on previous teaching methods where learning was teacher－centred and memory－oriented．So the new is suspected！

This article explores the method of TEFL using the dictogloss approach that enables the students to be involved naturally in their speaking，writing and most important thinking in English．The students have far more opportunities to practice listening，speaking and writing．

WHAT IS THE DICTOGLOSS METHOD？

“Dictogloss is a relatively recent procedure in language teaching．In dictogloss，a short text is read at normal speed to a class of learners who jot down familiar words as they listen．At the end of the dictation stage，most learners have only a small number of isolated words（or fragments）which together make up a very incohesive，‘battered text’．In a small group the students pool their resources to reconstruct their versions of the original text．In the final stage，the various versions that the students have produced are subjected to class analysis and comparison．”（Ruth Wajnryb，1990）

STUDENTS

The students described here are made of those from different departments majoring in different subjects，including English major sophomores．Most of them passed CET4or CET6，all having a similar background knowledge of English，having spent at least two or three years in college learning English as a foreign language or English specialty．But they are still having difficulties expressing their ideas verbally，and they are highly motivated group keen on individual improvement．

KEY ELEMENTS

There are a number of stages in this approach or method which need to be carefully implemented and monitored．Firstly，as a prerequisite，the selection of an appropriate text before hand should be relevant to the students’interest，if possible．

Secondly，it is necessary，if possible，to gain the students’interest and to motivate them for the task ahead especially if the text selected is difficult．That is，there are new vocabulary words and the subject matter is unfamiliar．“This “warm up”period is essential；simply showing the students an object，the subject of the dictated text or questioning them is sufficient．For example，if the text is on garlic－to ask the students to identify the smell，shape and uses is sufficient to create interest and motivate the students for the text ahead．The next logical step is to teach unfamiliar words and expressions which are seen to be relevant in context．After the text is read and the process of reconstruction begins，the whole reason for the dictogloss approach becomes apparent．

Thirdly，the students’language skills in speaking and writing are tested，strengthened and reinforced by the task of cooperatively reconstructing the text．Students are challenged and encouraged to feel free to speak and contribute with whatever English they are able to produce，even if their speaking is‘broken－English or Chinglish’．

Lastly，analysis and correction are done by the teacher and students together with the stress being on common errors in usage and possible grammar problems which have arisen naturally from the task of reconstruction．

The following is the suggested method of teaching listening，speaking and writing using the dictogloss approach．

LISTENING

Listening and note－taking are important by－products of this new approach，they hold a central place in the activities and balance speaking and writing．

Classroom procedures：

Step 1：Warm－up

Pre－teach unfamiliar vocabulary and unusual phrases．

Step 2：Dictation

The teacher reads the text twice．In the first reading，the students are encouraged to listen only．In the second reading the students take notes，not the whole sentence，but the Key Words or phrases that arises while listening．

Step 3：Class division

Divide the class carefully into groups，each with 4to 5students consisting of good and poor language learners，that they can help each other（peer tutoring）for the up coming activities of discussing and writing in the text reconstruction．

Step 4：Teacher floats

After reading the text and the groups are actively reconstructing the text，the teacher can spend valuable time listening and making notes of particular problems that arise from the task at hand．This enables poorer students to make a contribution，however small．Here peer tutoring operates…the better students help the poorer．

SPEAKING

The way of teaching speaking in TEFL classes in China was and still is usually sentence－patterning with given vocabulary for substitution drills．But dictogloss is a new method which differs greatly from the usual methods we used in the past．

Classroom procedures：

Step 1：Groupdiscussion

This activity makes use of the students’isolated words and phrases jotted down which serves as a good basis for their speaking practice—discussing and conversing with each other．During this phase or activity it was found that students who seldom spoke became more animated and made a real contribution．It is natural that different groups would finish at different times and it is necessary that no embarrassment or time－wasting should be allowed to ensure．

Step 2：Teacher floats

Teachers must learn to be effective listeners and avoid interfering in their students’discussions on the text dictated，insisting that students generate their own questions on the dictated text，allowing them to work at their own pace as much as possible．In other words，the teacher should cut back on the amount of “teacher talk”during the reconstruction period，being aware of the fact that only the learners can learn；teacher can not learn for them．

Step 3：Students’motivation

In this student－centred activity the group should elect a scribe who will write and rewrite the text as it is being reconstructed．This individual or another nominated student can present the group reconstructed text to the class．

WRITING

For non－English majors，writing or responsive writing has been one of the most neglected of our teaching areas in the past．Many graduates complain that they know grammar and words，but cannot use them appropriately in writing．Dictogloss is designed mainly to develop the learners’grammatical competence in using the language in a meaningful and relevant way．

Classroom Procedures：

Step 1：Reconstruction

After listening to the text，each student writes a personal reconstruction before moving to the group where the individual responses are compared and used as the basis for the group effort or version which is presented to the class and teacher as a cooperative effort．So grammatical correctness，textual cohesion and logical sense are the corporate responsibility of each group and individual in it．

Step 2：Teacher Floats

To monitor the activity of the various groups but not to provide any actual language input．The teacher at this stage should point out minor peripheral errors to the students while they are still writing their own versions．And of course the original text must be seen by the students at the very end．

Step 3：Analysis and correction

This is the last stage of the process，which is usually done on the blackboard．Each group appoints a leader to write each version on the blackboard for all students to see and discuss．Here comparison can be made between various group efforts and the language choices made．This enables the students to learn in a natural way from each other and the teacher while maintaining their motivation．

CONCLUSION

Language learning is an activity that permits people to communicate with each other．And communicative activities are those that allow the student himself to find the words and structures he uses．Language is a self－correcting and selfexpanding system and the more it is used，the greater the facility there is in using it．The ways we use to teach communicative competence were usually done sepa－rately and respectively for listening，speaking，reading and writing，which was manipulative and could not develop true communicative abilities as there is a precious little carry－over from single item drill to free use of the language．For example，many students who can completely repeat classroom dialogues which were assigned are unable to speak in real or meaningful contexts．

Dictogloss is a method of integrating the language activities of students and to develop the students’ability in handling language interactions appropriately with the individual competence each student has．

The advantages of this approach from the point of view of the learners and the teachers are firstly that dictogloss offers a unique blending of the twin functions of testing and teaching，incorporating both a free，experimental stage as well as more guided and structured learning．

Secondly，it is a working compromise between what the students think they want（grammar lesson）and what the teacher wants to give them．There exists a central conflict at the heart of language teaching，which is related to the question of the learners and the question of teaching methodology．Dictogloss meets students and teachers half－way and avoid‘bitter pills’being swallowed by either．

Thirdly，group work is crucial to the dictogloss approach，which reduces the stress on the students and the teachers by moving interaction away from the public arena．This greatly improves the group dynamic allowing the languages greater freedom to speak aloud and to use language as a native speaker would．For Chinese students who are seen as introverted and shy，it is a face saving method allowing them to speak in a group，yet feeling worthwhile members of it．

OBSERVATIONS

Once the students understood the method involved，they preferred the method to the traditional or teacher－centred conversation lessons．

It naturally integrates the various language study activities in a meaningful way．

The more competent the group，the more demanding the text can be made．The poorer the group the simpler the text．This allows for the students to identify lessons at their own pace．

The students simply like the dictogloss method．

References

1－Ruth Wajnryb Grammar Dictation，［M］Oxford 1990

2－Cynthia J．White，Negotiating Communicative Language Learning in a TraditionalSetting ELT Journal Vol．43．3，Oxford 1989

3－Alan Maley，New Lamps for Old：Realism and Surrealism in Foreign Language Teaching ELT Journal Vol．37No．4 1983

4－Michael Swan，Critical Look at the Communicative Approach ELT Journal Vol．39，No．2 1985

5－Russell N．Campbell，Linguistic and Social Aspects of Communicative Competence［M］Newbury House Publishers，Inc．1979

6－Susan Mockridge－Fong，Teaching the Speaking Skill［M］，Newbury House Publishers，Inc．1979

7－Thomas P．Gorman，The Teaching of Composition［M］，Newbury House Publishers，Inc．1979