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Booking Conditions
No applications for this program will be accepted after all vacancies have been filled. Unsuccessful applicants will have their monies refunded in full. Cancellation prior to two weeks before the program date (cut-off date) will incur a 15% service charge per applicant. This program will be payable in full for cancellations made on or after the cut-off date or for failure to attend the program. All cancellations must be in writing and emailed to us. In the event of insufficient applications this program will not proceed and registration monies be fully refunded. In the event of this program being cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances registration monies only will be refunded as Critical Agendas will not accept liability for the payment of any other associated costs. Critical Agendas reserves the right to vary the advertised programs prior to commencement. Please note Critical Agendas reserves the right to transfer participants from face to face to webinar format with price adjustments (if required), should minimum numbers not be met for face to face event
Dictation, Translation and Memorisation in Language classes
Ask most language teachers about dictation, translation, or memorisation and you’ll get the same reaction: a knowing smile, maybe a slight wince, and a story about their own school days. These are the techniques we grew up with, the ones we quietly dropped when communicative approaches took over, and the ones we’ve rarely thought about since. It turns out we may have been too hasty.
A growing body of research in cognitive science and second language acquisition is making a compelling case for these overlooked classics; not as nostalgic curiosities, but as genuinely powerful tools that, when used thoughtfully, can transform what happens in a language classroom. This full-day workshop makes that case and then puts it into practice.
Across three hands-on sessions, you’ll take a fresh look at each technique through the lens of current research, discover why it works in ways we never fully understood, and leave with a rich collection of creative, ready-to-use activities that will feel anything but old-fashioned in your classroom.
Session 1 — Dictation: More Than Meets the Ear. Far beyond the “read it out, write it down” model most of us remember, modern dictation is a remarkably flexible tool for developing listening comprehension, consolidating grammar and vocabulary, and sharpening students’ attention to language. We’ll explore a wide range of innovative formats and you’ll develop materials you can take straight back to your classroom.
Session 2 — Translation: The Comeback Kid. Translation spent decades in exile, written off as the enemy of communicative language teaching. The research disagrees. We’ll examine why translation is one of the most cognitively rich activities you can give a language learner, and explore practical, creative approaches that go far beyond bilingual word lists.
Session 3 — Memorisation and Recitation: Learning by Heart. Rote learning has a bad reputation, and in its worst forms, it deserves it. But the science of retrieval practice and formulaic language tells a more nuanced story. This session will show you how to harness the real power of memorisation in ways that build fluency, deepen understanding, and, perhaps surprisingly, genuinely engage students.
While examples throughout the day are drawn from French, every idea and activity is adaptable and transferable to most language classrooms. Teachers of all languages and all levels are warmly encouraged to attend. Come with an open mind. Leave with a host of new ideas, and maybe a new appreciation for some very old friends.