Common Struggles with English Dictation Practice (Part 1)
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When doing dictation practice, do you often run into this situation:
(1) Lots of new words you can't hear,
(2) The listening passage is long and hard so you get discouraged,
(3) You can't listen closely to the whole sentence,
(4) You hear the pronunciation but don't know how to write the word,
(5) You keep doing dictation but don't see any progress or effectiveness.
If you've run into difficulties like these before, then read this share of mine. Since there are quite a lot of methods, I've split this share into 2 parts.
- Part 1: Methods for the first 2 difficulties.
- Part 2: Methods for the remaining 3 difficulties.
Below are some methods for the first 2 difficulties:
1. Lots of new vocabulary so you can't hear it
Method:
- Start with short Spotlight listening passages, listen with hints, and read the WELE admin's instructions carefully before doing it. Once you're proficient, gradually speed up the Spotlight passages (https://wele-learn.com/blog/vi/vi-sao-spotlight-english-la-nguon-nghe-tot-nhat-de-nghe-chep-chinh-ta) to 1.5 – 2 times, and little by little you'll be able to listen to BBC Learning English (https://wele-learn.com/blog/vi/6-minute-english-nguon-nghe-chep-tiem-can-bbc-news).
- Learn to dictate the 3000 most common English words and simple grammar structures before you start doing dictation, because Spotlight or BBC will definitely include these words one way or another.
- If you come across a word you can't hear, boldly skip it and come back to deal with it later, to keep a relaxed, pressure-free mindset when you're just starting out.
2. The listening passage is too long and difficult so it's easy to get discouraged
Method:
- "Divide and conquer": break the listening passage into smaller pieces and assign yourself a listening task each day. E.g. a passage that's 14 minutes long. A week has 7 days, so you listen to 2 minutes each day then stop. The listening time each day will be at least 7 times shorter than forcing yourself to listen to the whole 14-minute passage in one day.
WELE has created WELE listening passages short enough that you'll find them less difficult (https://app.wele-learn.com/podcasts?collection_ids=5&page=1)
- Find a friend to listen along with and split it in half between the two of you (also known as the WELE buddy method). Set a deadline of the end of each week to finish, and remember to review and check each other's work once before submitting.
I'm currently applying this method with Minh Chau Nguyen every week. Just as people often say: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. We've been going together for maybe 3-4 years now.
Would you like me to share in more detail how Chau and I have kept up doing dictation together? Leave a comment below!
Above are some methods to help you overcome the first 2 difficulties when learning English through the dictation method. Have you run into these difficulties? Or do you have other difficulties as well? Share them in the comments and let's discuss together.