The
procedure begins with an initiation, a means of “warming up” to the
topic. During this stage, the teacher presents two pictures that relate
to the chosen topic.
2. Input stage
The
next stage activates the learners’ receptive skills based on authentic
input. The teacher reads a short text aloud to the class at a normal
rate of speed. Learners are asked to recreate the ideas and correct
sequences presented in the text.
3. Independent stage
Once
the teacher has verified that most of the learners have completed an
outline, a list of key words, or a concept map to guide their
organization, learners continue with the independent stage and reproduce
in their own words as much of the original text as they can.
Learners
must recall the essence of the original text by writing one paragraph
that includes as many details and language sequences as possible.
At
this point, the teacher has options regarding feedback. One approach is
to have the learners create the stories individually, with no
intervention from the teacher; this approach allows the teacher to see
exactly what learners can achieve individually.
4. Independent internalization stage
Once the students have completed their texts to the best of their
ability, the teacher hands out the original text or projects it on a
screen for the entire class to view.
This process of comparing personal
texts to the original is referred to as independent internalization; it
allows learners to notice differences in lexicon, grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling, among other things.
When learners notice
that a change is needed, they make annotations to their texts by using a
colored pen or pencil to cross out words and make notes along the
margins of the text without erasing their original text.
5. Interactive stage
The interactive stage allows learners to shift from a self-correcting to a peer-correcting activity.
In groups of three, students exchange texts and look for additional
mistakes that went undetected during the independent internalization
stage.
When students detect an error, they discuss it with the group
(without making any annotations) in order to arrive at a group
consensus.
6. Final internalization stage
During
the final internalization stage, students scrutinize the text, and each
learner completes a reflection sheet by indicating the types of errors
he or she committed, how each error was detected, and knowledge of the
error.
