ELTM Unit 4 Focus on Listening

ELTM Unit 4Focus on Listening Presented By: Jia Lin (Dana)

Unit 4 Objectives • Think about what listening involves in real life and how to train those skills in ELT. • Identify major listening skills and design exercises to train them. • Learn how to select suitable materials. • Know how to teach listening in three stages. BeiwaiOnline P156

Unit 4 Overview BeiwaiOnline P155

Warm-up Exercise BeiwaiOnline P156-157

1What Is Real-life Listening? BeiwaiOnline A1 P157-162

aural reproduce diverse segment v. bottom-up listening top-down listening ...sense of hearing, listening ability ...copy or repeat the meaning of ...different from one another ...divide into distinct parts ...understanding what one has heard by linking sounds and words ...understanding what one has heard by working out the whole meaning first Key Terms BeiwaiOnline A1 P157-162

Listening involves... • Successfully getting the information one regards as important from an aural source. • Correctly interpreting the mood or attitude of the speaker. • Not necessarily being able to reproduce the whole message word for word. And then he said... BeiwaiOnline A1 T1 P156-158

What kind of listening do you do? BeiwaiOnline A1 T1 P159-160

Why we listen. • To extract information. • Listening to announcements (bus/train stops), radio or TV reports, instructions from colleagues. • To maintain social relations. • Chatting with family and friends or people in your neighborhood. • To be entertained. • Listening to radio or TV programs, comedy or reading out loud for pleasure. BeiwaiOnline A1 T2 P159-160

How we listen. • Listening “bottom-up”... • In a bottom-up approach, the listener segments the stream of speech into words and then links them into sentences. • Listening “top-down”... • In a top-down approach, the listener works out the whole meaning first, and then may pay attention to smaller units. • Listening effectively... • Coping with diverse types of listening material requires both language proficiency and sufficient background knowledge. BeiwaiOnline A1 T3 P160-162

Key Concepts BeiwaiOnline A1 P162

2What Are the Major Listening Skills? BeiwaiOnline A2 P162-166

listening for gist listening for specific information listening for detailed information inferring note-taking ...get the general idea ...pick out important or relevant facts ...obtain detailed and complete knowledge of the topic ...listen for indirect meanings ...combines listening and writing Key Terms BeiwaiOnline A2 P162-166

Which listening skill ...? (1) • You are at an exhibition for new cars. A speaker is introducing new models and their prices, including one that your family hopes to buy. Which listening skill will you use? • listening for gist, • listening for specific information, • listening for detailed information, • inferring, • note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A2 T1 P162-166

Which listening skill ...? (2) • Since you are such a successful student, your mother asks you to talk to your cousin about the program at BeiwaiOnline. Which listening skill would you most likely apply? • listening for gist, • listening for specific information, • listening for detailed information, • inferring, • note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A2 T1 P162-166

Which listening skill ...? (3) • You are invited for an interview at a new company in an unfamiliar part of town. As you listen to directions on how to get there, which listening skill will you probably apply? • listening for gist, • listening for specific information, • listening for detailed information, • inferring, • note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A2 T1 P162-166

Which listening skill ...? (4) • You are buying an apartment and the real estate agent is explaining the terms and conditions of the contract. Which listening skill would you most likely use? • listening for gist, • listening for specific information, • listening for detailed information, • inferring, • note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A2 T1 P162-166

Which listening skill ...? (5) • You are watching a movie about a young girl who lives in a spooky old house. Her mother tells her never to go into the attic but you know she will anyway because you have applied the skill of: • listening for gist, • listening for specific information, • listening for detailed information, • inferring, • note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A2 T1 P162-166

3Designing EffectiveListening Tasks BeiwaiOnline A3 P167-177

guideline practical aspects teaching aids equipment abbreviation ...principles which help one to decide what is best ...realistic conditions (e.g. class size, time and equipment) ...tools or props for teaching ...machines such as tape players, headsets and computers ...short form of a word (e.g. “sb.” for “somebody”) Key Terms BeiwaiOnline A3 P167-177

Consider some guidelines. • For listening exercises to be effective, teachers need to consider practical matters such as how much time is available, the type of equipment, teaching aids and the number of students. • The students’ listening level and interests should also receive attention. • Lessons should seek to train specific skills. • Potential problems should be anticipated. BeiwaiOnline A3 T1 P167

Developing the skill of listening for gist. • Choosing a title for the passage, sequencing the main points and writing a summary all train this skill. • Tasks can be graded from easy (placing a check/tick next to points on a list) to more difficult (ordering or writing out the main points). BeiwaiOnline A3 T2 P168-169

Give students a list and have them circle the names and numbers that they hear. Give students a table or a paragraph with blanks. As they listen, they fill in the blanks. Tell them what to listen for and then ask questions afterward. Have them match items from two lists. Give students a topic and have them write down words they hear that relate to the topic. Developing the skill of listening for specific information. BeiwaiOnline A3 T3 P170-171

Developing the skill of listening for detailed information. • The difference between listening for specific information and detailed information is that with the latter, students could be asked about anything. They must pay attention to more than just one topic or type of information. • These tasks are for more advanced learners. • Teachers should make sure that the questions (e.g. multiple choice, True/False) are not too long and that students have enough time to read them. BeiwaiOnline A3 T4 P172-173

Design 3 tasks for a sports broadcast (work in pairs). • Listening for gist... • Listening for specific information... • Listening for detailed information... “Ramirez stops the ball, he passes it to Lee who’s taking a shot at the goal...” BeiwaiOnline A3 T4 P168-173

Design 3 tasks for a sports broadcast (work in pairs). • Listening for gist... write a 1-sentence summary stating which team is better and why. • Listening for specific information... write down verbs that describe what a specific player did. • Listening for detailed information... mark short statements as True or False. “Ramirez stops the ball, he passes it to Lee who’s taking a shot at the goal...” BeiwaiOnline A3 T4 P168-173

Developing the skill of inferring. • A variety of question types can be used: short answer, True/False or selecting options from a list. • The questions should ask students to make judgments about what they have heard. The text should not contain direct answers to questions requiring inference, but there should be clues or reasons. BeiwaiOnline A3 T5 P174-175

Developing the skill of note-taking. • Easier exercises include completing sentences or filling in simple forms while more difficult ones involve creating entire outlines. • Note: students can be taught to use abbreviations as long as they realize such short forms are not acceptable in formal writing. BeiwaiOnline A3 T6 P176-177

Exercises that combine skills. • Sometimes a single exercise may combine more than one skill, such as inferring and note-taking together. • Read the following text and see if your group can create a form that combines both inferring and note-taking. BeiwaiOnline A3 T6 P174-177

Feedback: one possible answer. Place words that describe one/both girls (such as: kind, smart, gentle, responsible, observant) in the first column under the girls name. Write reasons for your choice in the second. BeiwaiOnline A3 T6 P174-177

4Selecting SuitableListening Materials BeiwaiOnline A4 P178-185

live presentation recorded material clarification rhythm intonation aggravated background noise /interference ...communicate directly ...includes cassettes and CD’s ...make the meaning clear ...pattern of sounds ...changes in pitch and emphasis ...made worse ...other noises (such as the ‘hiss’ of poor quality tape) that make it difficult to listen Key Terms BeiwaiOnline A3 P167-177

Where to find listening materials. • Published cassettes, TV or radio programs, talking with the teacher or classmates, video tapes, VCD’s, DVD’s can all provide listening practice for language learners. • Live presentation and recorded material each have advantages (discussed next). • Both authentic and non-authentic materials can have their place (discussed later). BeiwaiOnline A4 T1 P178-179

Live presentation is easier to understand because of context and body language. The speaker can adjust to the listeners, who can ask for clarification. Provides a realistic experience. Recorded material can allow students to hear many accents. It can be played over and over again. A great variety of material is available. Good quality equipment results in clear sound. Live... or ...recorded? BeiwaiOnline A4 T2 P179-181

Authentic speech occurs when there is real communication. It should include natural intonation and rhythm. May include false starts and incomplete sentences. Non-authentic material is produced specifically for language classes. Sometimes the language sounds artificial. If the speed is too slow, natural intonation and rhythm are lost. Authentic... or not? BeiwaiOnline A4 T3 P181-183

Choosing material suitable for class. • Consider the language level (vocabulary, topic, complexity). Not too easy or difficult. • Make sure each segment is not too long (usually between half a minute to two minutes). Allow time to replay. • The text should be interesting, contain new information and stimulate thinking. • Teaching aids such as pictures, charts, tables or props provide visual support. • Make sure that students’ listening problems are not aggravated by too much background noise or interference. BeiwaiOnline A4 T4 P183-185

Discuss the suitability. e.g. Should kids be watching programs designed for adults? BeiwaiOnline A4 T4 P185

5Conducting aListening Class BeiwaiOnline A5 P185-206

pre-listening while-listening post-listening theme ...before the students listen to the material ...as the students are listening to the material ...after the students have heard the material one or more times ...a topic or central idea Key Terms BeiwaiOnline A3 P167-177

Pre-listening stage. • Warm-up activities should introduce the topic and get students ready to listen. Try: • visual aids (diagrams, maps, photos, props), • questions (what they already know, or what they would like to know), • providing background information, • presenting new words or expressions, • discussion (opinions about the topic or predictions of what will be said). What should NOT be done at this stage? BeiwaiOnline A3 T1 P185-188

While-listening stage. • Should be suited to the content and structure. Can listen more than once or do a different exercise each time students hear the material again. Use: • exercises that train listening for gist/specific information/detail, or inferring, • tables, diagrams, forms in which students note down what they have heard or correct errors, • other exercises such as checking off items on a list, labeling pictures, arranging events in a sequence, identifying meanings of words and performing actions based on what they hear. What should NOT be done at this stage? BeiwaiOnline A3 T2 P188-193

Post-listening stage. • Consolidate or reflect on what has been learned. Correction or explanation can be given. Try: • discussion or role-play exercises, • summary or retelling of the main points, • responding to the text by solving problems or deciding what-happens-next, • writing a story or a set of instruction that parallel what they have heard. What should NOT be done at this stage? BeiwaiOnline A3 T3 P193-196

When using songs... • Songs can be motivating or they may illustrate a specific theme. Use songs to: • introduce topics, • practice simple grammar, • teach students rhyming and synonyms, • end a class on a positive note. Tip: Try exercises such as matching, reordering lines, or filling in the blanks of song lyrics! BeiwaiOnline A3 T4 P196-199

The Rationalist needs your help. • There is a lot of variety and challenge in his listening class... too much. • Students find his classes too difficult because there are too many complicated exercises. • Can you provide him with a lesson plan more suited to the abilities of middle school students? Include a word or two about the purpose of each exercise. BeiwaiOnline A5 P200

Design exercises for each stage. Unit 9 Saving the earth Jackie is talking to Yang Pei about a conference which Jackie has just been to. YANG PEI: What was the conference like? JACKIE: Very interesting. It was called “Saving the earth” and it was all about the damage that is being caused to the world. YANG PEI: What did you do at the meeting? JACKIE: Well, we listened to lectures about pollution, agriculture, nuclear waste, radiation and so on. YANG PEI: It’s a good idea to hold such conferences. JACKIE: Yes. If we go on polluting the world, it won’t be fit for us to live in. YANG PEI: I agree with you. We’ve got to do something about pollution. It’s getting worse. JACKIE: Yes, it certainly is. If people don’t stop polluting the seas and rivers, there will be no fish left. YANG PEI: That’s quite true. We’ve got to think of ways of changing people’s habits... BeiwaiOnline A5 P199-200

This could work! Good job. BeiwaiOnline A5 P200

ELTM Unit 4 Focus on Listening