What is a dictagloss?

Answer 1

Dictagloss is a very useful activity that helps students to use language in order to learn. A Dictagloss is an alternative way of getting students to learn note-taking skills, as they need to listen to a text being read and reconstruct it. It doubles as a listening and writing task and reinforces ideas such as key words, topic sentences and report writing.

A Dictagloss also requires the students to consciously focus on their knowledge of the content and the relationship between ideas and words. Because students need to pool their key words and understandings to complete the task, active negotiation of meaning between students occurs. Working together during the text reconstruction encourages students to vocalise and think through the grammatical choices they are making and assess the effects that each choice has on their text. Students are developing strategies for editing their work as they write, as they come to mutually acceptable decisions.