Techniques of Teaching

Techniques of TeachingText OrganisationMany teachersassumethat a student who can read narrative texts well will be able to read expository texts well.Many students have problems comprehending expository text becausethey cant see the basic structure of text.(Dymock,2005)Text comprehension is improvedwhen students canrecognize the underlying structure of text(Williams, 2005).Awareness" of text structure helps students understandglobal ideas, or main theses(Seidenberg, 1989;Weaver &Kintsch, 1991)Students are more likely toremember and interpretthe ideas they encounter when they read.

The term text structure refers to how information is organised in a text or passage. Information is organised according to certain patterns/format. Writers (as well as readers) need to know the various patterns/format to enable them to write accordingly.

Here are seven common text structures:cause and effectchoronologicalcompare and contrastorder of importanceproblem and solutionsequence/process writingspatial/descriptive writing

DictationDictation is a time-proven technique in writing practice. It may seem conventional or even outdated in this age of information technology but this technique is beneficial in many ways.

Why Use Dictation1. Dictation is anatural way to teach proper spellingto a child. The words are meaningful because they are taken from the childs schoolbooks. They are alsolearned in context, rather than list form, which aids the child in remembering how to spell the word.2. To practice newly learned words in context.3. To test mastery of a spelling pattern or rule.4. To review old spelling words in a meaningful way.5. Teachers can model listening to a sound and writing the associated letter.6. It allows us to model that speech can be written down and read back.

Steps for DictationTeacher dictates sentences, phrases, words.Students follow the teacher and repeat.Students write out the sentences.Teacher assesses the students writing.