Improve English listening skills effectively with the dictation method

Reality has proven that listening and communicating in English like a native can be practiced if we work hard and find an effective method. Accordingly, dictation is one of the effective methods that many people apply to improve their English listening skills. Let's learn about this listening practice method through the article below!

What do you get from dictation?

The dictation method is to listen and write down all the English words you hear. What do students get from using this method?

High concentration: To be able to listen clearly and write down each word correctly, the most important thing is to really concentrate. If this method is applied daily, your ability will be improved significantly.

Increase the ability to remember information: Each time you take a dictation, you have to remember a piece of information until you can remember it and write it down. Therefore, this method can help improve your memory.

Increase your ability to recognize the sound system and pronunciation of English words: Listening to the same audio track over and over again will help you distinguish details that are often not pronounced clearly or are quickly skipped over, such as final sounds, connecting sounds, articles, etc.

Dai Nam University pays special attention to English training for students with the aim of internationalizing education and creating a generation of global citizens.

Learn sentence structures actively: In addition to developing listening skills, this method can also help you recognize good sentence structures and techniques when you have to listen and look again and again.

Steps to practice the method – Listening to dictation

Step 1 - Choose an audio source that is suitable for your ability

Since this method is for beginners, learners should choose audio sources that are pronounced slowly and clearly. If you can understand 30-35% of the word after listening once, then it is a suitable listening material.

Note, you should prioritize using listening passages from native speakers and find reputable listening sources to be able to hear standard American English or British English accents; do not choose listening passages that are too long, choose listening passages that are 2-5 minutes long to listen to over and over again and take notes.

Step 2 - Listen to the audio for the first time

It should be noted that for those who are new to this method, you should only listen to a short sentence, then stop and write it down on paper. For those who are already familiar with this method, you can listen to the whole lesson and then write it down on paper. Write down what you hear first, don't miss any information, including articles or final sounds. If you can't hear it once, you can rewind and listen to it many times.

After this step, check the script to see what the missing words are. Why can't I hear them? Once you find the cause, you will know where your weaknesses are and how to fix them.

Step 3 - Turn the audio back on and transcribe until there are no more errors.

This step helps you practice your ability to process information reflexively. Note that while listening, you should not stop but listen continuously from beginning to end. This method helps you overcome the disadvantages of the dictation listening method.

Suggest some sources of listening and dictation practice that cannot be missed

1. Listen and minute ( http://www.listenaminute.com/ )

Advantages: This website has 479 listening lessons divided into groups of letters ABCD…. for you to practice. Each listening lesson is about 1-2 minutes long and has a transcript right below. There are also exercises below so you can do and remember best.

Disadvantages: The listening passages are not divided by level. Beginners may encounter advanced words while listening.

2. Learn English ( https://www.learnenglish.de/dictationpage.html? )

Pros: This site has short listening passages divided by level from elementary to intermediate. The passages have 2 listening modes: normal and slow, which is very convenient for dictation.

Disadvantages: Not many listening passages. The accent is mainly British English, not suitable for those who want to practice American English.

3. Listen and Write ( https://www.listen-and-write.com/audio )

Advantages: There are many listening exercises by level and each listening exercise will be read at a different speed. The source of listening exercises here is also rich with many different genres so you can choose to listen according to your preferences. There are 4 separate listening styles for each exercise for you to practice: Full mode, blank mode, correction mode, quick mode.

Disadvantages: The listening source is quite rich, however, some videos are broken or removed from the original page.

Hopefully the above information will help you have a more general view of the dictation method; from there you can apply it appropriately to improve your listening skills.

Good luck with your studies!

MSc. Trinh Thu Huong - Lecturer of NNA faculty