Dictation: Explore the possibilities

by Scott Zimmermann, D.A.

Today, eclecticism has triumphed over rigid adherence to any particular methodology in the EF
classroom. !o"adays, #lexibility and a "illingness to try ne" approaches and activities is valued by
both employers and students. Dictation is an extremely use#ul addition to the versatile teacher$s
toolbox.
Dictation can be success#ully employed by both native and non%native spea&ers, though non%native
teachers may need to spend a bit more time in preparing the activity. 't can be employed in
universities, private language schools, and in one%to%one teaching.
Dictation activities give students an opportunity to enhance their spelling, listening, punctuation,
vocabulary, and grammar s&ills. 'n other "ords, they can be used to elucidate almost any aspect o# the
English language. Dictation is also a viable diagnostic tool. (oreover, "ell%planned dictation exercises
#oster unconscious thin&ing and captivate EF students. Fe", i# any, other classroom activities are as
"or&able.
Students are active during and a#ter dictations. Students "ho may have been chatting become silent
and #ocus on the tas&. A#ter "riting, students chec& their "or& and)or engage in a communicative
activity o# some &ind.
'n general, dictation activities ought not to be too long. The shortest is individual "ords. An example
o# this is the Spelling *ee on ten or so &ey vocabulary "ords. Sentence%length dictations are great, too.
+aragraphs are usually too long: students lose their #ocus and interest i# the passage is too lengthy.
Among the advantages o# dictation is its ease o# use: no photocopier or other materials are needed.
The dictation ,ust needs to be prepared as part o# an overall lesson plan. Dictated passages can be ta&en
#rom the students$ textboo&, but it is o#ten better to "rite your o"n "ith a #ocus on the vocabulary or
grammar that is the #ocus o# the lesson. Another advantage in employing dictation is its use#ulness
#or classes o# all si-es: #rom private lessons to cro"ded lecture halls. Finally, dictations are e##ective
#or mixed%ability classes, but this o#ten involves extra preparation #or the teacher.
.o" many times should the instructor dictate the target language/ 0ell, there is no exact ans"er to
this 1uestions. 'n general, several readings are needed. '# the students "ant to hear it again, it is usually
best to read it again. '# the dictation ma&es up part or all o# a test, it is best to determine the number o#
readings be#orehand.
The students need to be able to easily hear the dictation, so the instructor may have to spea& loudly i#
she is teaching a larger group in a spacious classroom. Similarly, noisy air conditioners need to be
turned do"n or o##. All cell phones in the room need to be turned o##.
2ne "ay to prepare the class #or a dictation is to set the context by dra"ing the scene on the board,
such as a table and and man and a "oman on chairs at the table. Students may o#ten chuc&le at their
instructors$ poor s&etches, but that is #ine: it helps them to relax. Then the teacher dictates their orders:
3. Fatima "ill have a stea&. 4. Ahmed "ould li&e a salad "ith dressing. 5. She "ould li&e... This serves
as a revie" o# lexis6#ood items7 and polite language6"ould li&e and "ill have7 #or ordering in a
restaurant.
.ere are three o# the myriad "ays to use dictation in the EF classroom:
+icture Dictation is a di##erent activity "here students dra" the image you describe, rather than
"rite the "ords. This is great #or revie"ing lexis #or descriptions o# people or places. Students en,oy it,
and are almost al"ays amused by their classmates$ dra"ings.
8unning Dictation gets the students up and moving. 'n this activity, the students "or& in pairs. 2ne
is the runner and one the "riter. The runner goes to the board to study the target language and returns to
his partner. The "riter listens and "rites it do"n. A#ter a "hile, the students can exchange roles. 2ne
caveat: the instructor has to remind the runners not to shout #rom the board9
8evision Dictation is a great "ay to revie" vocabulary and students really en,oy it because o# its
competitive nature. 'n this activity, the class is divided into teams. The teacher dictates around ten or so
vocabulary "ords or phrases. A#ter the students "rite the "ords individually, they compare their "or&
in teams and agree on one version. A#ter allo"ing the students to "or& as teams, one member o# each
team goes to the board to "rite their "ords. The team "ith the greatest number o# correctly%spelled
"ords "ins the game.
The most comprehensive treatment o# the sub,ect is Dictation by +aul Davis and (ario 8involucri.
Another use#ul text on the sub,ect is Grammar Dictation by 8uth 0a,nryb. :im Scrivener$s outstanding
Learning Teaching has an excellent section on dictation.