Staying Out of the Dictionary & Off Translation Sites!

Yes, you read correctly - I encourage my students to stay OUT of the dictionary. Using the dictionary to look up one word definitions takes up a lot of time - especially when students are working on an activity that needs to be finished during class time. For reading comprehension, students should focus on what they do know. For the most part, students should use cognate knowledge keeping in mind the context of the reading selection. Titles and captions also aid in comprehension. Too often students get caught up on words like "también" (also) or "siempre" (always) and will spend 5 minutes looking these up in the dictionary only to find out these words do not hinder comprehension. This is usually the case! Students should read quickly - skimming and scanning first, then reading through the selection to get the gist of the material. The dictionary should be used when doing writing activities and one needs to know a specific word that makes or breaks the sentence. The dictionary is also a helpful resource when studying parts of speech and one needs to know the gender of a word for example. When at home doing homework, I am sure my students won't crack open their paperback dictionaries. I know they prefer online dictionaries, which is fine, but there is real value in learning how to use a paperback foreign language dictionary! What is sad to me is how many students have used a paperback dictionary and then written the pronunciation guide down as the Spanish word!! Yes, this is a travesty - and students must be taught how to use / read a real dictionary. Translation sites are a thorn in my Spanish-teaching side! Students new to learning a foreign language should NEVER use translation sites to find out whole phrases and sentences - it simply hinders the learning process. It's the equivalent of using a calculator in Kindergarten to do 2+2=4 but never learning how to actually count 2 + 2 to get 4. Translations sites are wonderful for people who ALREADY have a solid foundation in the language. They help in leading the way to finding the right wording / phrasing so that the speaker can decide for himself how to best express what needs to be said. Students new to Spanish don't know the difference between using the Preterite and a past participle, for example. These two are not interchangeable, but once typed in a translation site, it's likely the incorrect usage will be given as the answer thus taking the unsuspecting student down the wrong path yet again! In conclusion, students learning Spanish should: 1) be weary of translation sites 2) learn to use a real dictionary 3) use the dictionary sparingly when doing reading comprehension activities