Using text reconstruction software
Paul Brett · ELT Journal · 1994
This article discusses the use and value of text reconstruction programs. It explores criteria for the selection of authentic texts, suggesting that either common patterns of text organization or texts of a specific type may be used. It explains why and how their use may contribute to language learning, and examines the type of linguistic knowledge activated by the task. Building on this rationale for use, it is suggested that text reconstruction may be of most value if exploited as one in a sequence of communicative tasks, using pre-reconstruction tasks to overcome difficulty, raise awareness of schemata, and provide help for the reconstruction, with follow-on tasks providing opportunities for meaningful use and/or language analysis. Examples of such sequences of tasks are provided.