Dicto-comp

By: Aghal, Clara, Khalid, Farah

What is dicto-comp??? A cross between a dictation and a composition. The main difference between dictation and dictocomp is that Dictation: learners have to remember a phrase or sentence as accurately as possible. Dicto-comp: learners have to remember the ideas in a text and express them in their own words. Goal: To focus learners on language accuracy in a taskbased and interactive way.

How to conduct ??? Teacher selects a short text appropriate for students (approximately five sentences). Teacher prepare the students for the text by:
focusing on the topic (for example: by brainstorming or predicting from a picture) teaching any necessary content vocabulary making sure students understand the task and are seated in their groups.

Teacher read the text out at a normal speed while the students just listen.

Teacher read it again at normal speed, pausing between sentences, while students take notes of key content words. Students work in groups of four to rewrite the text, using their notes. They should aim to write a text that contains the information they heard, but is not exactly what they heard. (Because they cannot remember every word, they will have to use their own knowledge of the language to complete the task.) The teacher guides students to correct minor errors that are not part of the grammar focus of the exercise.

Finally, teacher compare reconstructions with the original text and discuss differences, focusing on the major grammatical points. This can be done by writing the first sentence from each group on the board and discussing before moving on to the next sentence.

Advantages:
Challenging students hear the passage only twice and have to use their own knowledge of language to rewrite it. Enables peer teaching if students with different abilities/knowledge work together, the more advanced student can teach the others. Integrates three language skills listening, writing and speaking.

 Student s focus focus on language accuracy as well as meaning. Enhances cooperative learning students cooperate to combine their knowledge and skills, having the same access to the information.

DISAdvantages:
Teachers voice not comprehensible Text contains bombastic words that the pupils are unfamiliar with When stopping to consider how to spell a word, a pupil may forget related ideas or experience disruption in generating additional ideas.

 Difficulties with the mechanics of writing may also undermine a pupils motivation and persistence during composing. Teachers pronunciation effects the word they are hearing, thus effects the key words they are trying to find

Reference
http://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Teacher-tools/TeWhakaipurangi-Rauemi/Examples-of-secondlanguage-learning-tasks/Dictocomp-Wajnryb1988-1990 https://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/pu blications/paul-nation/1991-Dictation.pdf http://www.teachwise.liepu.lv/faili/composin g_via_dictation_and_speach_recognition_sist ems.pdf