Using ChatGPT to teach lexical chunks
How to do a dictogloss
A dictogloss is a language teaching technique used to help learners develop their grammar, vocabulary, listening and note-taking skills. It involves presenting a short, grammatically rich text to the learners, which they have to reconstruct after hearing it a few times.
Here’s a simplified step-by-step process of carrying out a dictogloss with language learners:
- Choose an Appropriate Text: You need a short, grammatically rich text that’s appropriate for your learners’ level. The text should contain the grammatical structures and vocabulary you want to focus on.
- Preparation: Explain to the students what they will be doing. Make sure they understand that they will be listening to a text a few times, taking notes, and then trying to reconstruct it.
- Gist Listening: Read the text aloud at a normal speed without pauses. The students simply listen without writing anything down. Their task is to understand the general meaning or the “gist” of the text.
- Focused Listening: Read the text again, but this time, the students can write down key words and phrases. They are not supposed to transcribe the whole text, but to jot down important points that will help them remember and reconstruct the text later.
- Collaborative Reconstruction: In pairs or small groups, the students work together to reconstruct the text. They should try to make it as close to the original as possible, but it doesn’t need to be exact. The important part is that the reconstructed text makes sense and uses the target language correctly.
- Compare and Analyze: The groups share their reconstructed texts with the class. You then reveal the original text and the students compare it with their versions. Discuss any differences in grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. This is the stage where explicit focus on form happens.
- Reflection: Finally, encourage the students to reflect on the process. What did they find challenging? What strategies did they use? How could they improve their listening and note-taking skills?
Remember that the goal of a dictogloss is not for the students to reproduce the text perfectly, but to encourage them to engage with the language on a deeper level and develop their language awareness. It’s a flexible technique that can be adapted to suit different levels and contexts.