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Developing Students' Listening Skills

This document discusses developing students' listening skills. It begins with an anecdote about a listening lesson and introduces key listening terminology. Common problems with classroom listening are identified, such as a lack of conversational listening practice and overreliance on top-down listening. Solutions proposed include using more teacher talk, live listening with guests, and authentic recordings. The benefits of listening transcripts are outlined. Conclusions recommend focusing less on right answers and more on interactive listening practice using transcripts, natural English recordings, and linking listening to speaking skills like conversation strategies.

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Robert McCaul
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75 views

Developing Students' Listening Skills

This document discusses developing students' listening skills. It begins with an anecdote about a listening lesson and introduces key listening terminology. Common problems with classroom listening are identified, such as a lack of conversational listening practice and overreliance on top-down listening. Solutions proposed include using more teacher talk, live listening with guests, and authentic recordings. The benefits of listening transcripts are outlined. Conclusions recommend focusing less on right answers and more on interactive listening practice using transcripts, natural English recordings, and linking listening to speaking skills like conversation strategies.

Uploaded by

Robert McCaul
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Developing Students Listening Skills

Session preview
1. An anecdote 2. Listening terminology 3. Whats wrong with our listening 4. 5. 6. 7.
materials and procedures? Solutions Using listening transcripts Conclusions Appendices

1. An anecdote
Im going to tell you a true anecdote about a listening lesson I did:

What thoughts does it provoke about teaching listening?

2. Terminology: ANSWERS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Top-down Transactional Interactive Schemata Interactional Non-interactive Bottom-up Interactive

In pairs/groups. Discuss what features of classroom listening you are not entirely happy about and make a brief list. Consider:

1. What students really want to be able to do in


2. 3. 4. 5.

terms of listening The types of texts they often listen to in class and what they dont often listen to How Ts judge success in classroom listening The standard procedures we use and how effective these are What happens when students fail to comprehend

3. Whats wrong with our listening materials and procedures?


1. Lack of listening to conversation 2. Testing not teaching 3. Unnatural discourse 4. Too much TD, not enough BU 5. Top-heavy 6. Lack of variety of spoken genres 7. Mostly non-interactive 8. Little variety of accents 9. Class listenings actually more difficult 10. Inappropriate tasks

4. Solutions
Well now look at solutions to the problems. Well work in the following areas: 1.Teacher talk 2.Live listening 3.Recordings

Solution 1: Teacher talk


1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
QTT Language grading Be the example Read the recording more naturally Ss interview the T Teach conversation strategies Talks and presentations

Solution 2: Live listening


1. 2. 3. 4.
With another teacher Let Ss control the recording Guest speakers Community Language Learning variant

Solution 3: Recordings 1. TV, radio, DVDs and Internet audio and


video are current and topical 2. Authentic natural language source 3. DVD subtitles & pause, rewind etc 4. Visuals 5. Song lyrics, chorus, rhyme, Karaoke 6. Podcasts 7. Audio books (Internet) 8. narrow listening

5. Using listening transcripts


There are 3 main purposes for using listening transcripts:

a. For further bottom-up listening practice b. To identify where problems of


comprehension occurred and redress these c. For language work

5. Using listening transcripts: task


1. Read pp.11-13 Using transcripts 2. Select/adapt 1 transcript activity from
each section to use as post-listening activities 3. IF TIME, compare your sequence with another group

Conclusions 1
Dont just focus on the right answers! Encourage Ss to listen outside class Transcripts, transcripts, transcripts!! Record and use natural English QTT!!! Dictation to identify problems and to
remedy them notice the gap reconstruction & reformulation

Conclusions 2
Visual clues while listening Less top-heavy listening Less TD, more BU Listening homework! More interactional, less transactional More interactive, less non-interactive Authentic texts can be easier! Link listening-speaking: teach
conversation strategies

Food for thought 1


If the typical classroom listenings we
do at present are purely testing and not helping students to listen better, then are they a waste of class time?

Food for thought 2


Should this type of listening be for
homework or self-study, so Ss can listen with transcripts as many times as they like and gradually match the written and spoken word?

Thanks for coming!!!

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