Upgrading Listening and Speaking Skills

1. Upgrading Listening and Speaking Skills Bernadette Longley Macmillan Education

2. Lead in Questions • What are some of the main problems students have in learning English? • In what situations / contexts will your students need to listen to and speak English? • What are the key skills / strategies that learners need to make them more effective at speaking English? • How can we best bridge the gap between in-class practice and authentic real life use of English? • How can we make in-class listening and speaking practice more enjoyable for our learners?

3. Listening “A balanced general English course should include a variety of types of listening with accompanying activities: different interaction modes- monologues, dialogues; different contexts and situations – social events, meetings etc; different styles – formal or informal; different accents etc” Teaching Practice Handbook

4. What are some of the difficulties learners face with listening activities? • catching the sounds • understanding every word • understanding fast, natural speech • needing to hear things more than once • catching the main ideas • understanding different accents/backgrounds • interpreting intonation • understanding speaker’s attitude, mood etc.

5. Listening Activity #1 1. Listen to the following text and write notes. 2. Answer these questions: a. Where did she stay? b. What does she say about the river? c. Where did she ride her bicycle? d. Which type of fruit did she used to pick?

6. Listening Activity #2 (L1,U15,P72) 1. Look at the 4 ads on page 72. • What are the ads for? • Which words are new to you?

7. 2. Close your books. Listen to four speakers and fill in the table below. S1 S2 S3 S4 Male/female? Young/old? Nationality? Listening Activity #2 (L1,U15,P72) 3. Listen and number the ads.

8. 4. Listen again and check () the correct items. Listening Activity #2 (L1,U15,P72) 5. Which ad appeals to you the most? Why?

9. Why was activity #2 a better listening activity?

10. What are the main stages in a listening skills lesson? Set task to focus on more detailed understanding Give feedback Arouse interest and introduce topic Set task to focus on overall understanding Teach new key words/phrases Encourage a personal response from your students

11. What are the main stages in a listening skills lesson?

12. Learning Teaching p.174 (New Edition) The task-feedback circle

13. Look at the sample unit from Learning to Listen- Level 1, Unit 7 Can you identify these stages in the unit? • Arousing interest • Task focusing on overall understanding • Task focusing on detailed understanding • Encouraging a personal response

14. Arousing interest Activity 1 (p. 34)

15. Task focusing on overall understanding Activity 2 (p. 34)

16. Task focusing on detailed understanding Activity 4 (p. 35)

17. Encouraging a personal response Activity 8 (p.37)

18. Extra features • Are any other additional features included in the units? • What do you think the aim of these features is?

19. Train your ear Activity 6 (p.36)

20. Test yourself Activity 7 (p. 37)

21. Final points to help students to understand a listening text A arouse interest in topic pre-teach important words/phrases P P personalise where possible let students share with their partner before whole class discussion L encourage students to use the listening strategies they employ in their own language E S set the task before the tape is listened to

22. Learning to Listen – The listening course with attitude!

23. Speaking “Every opportunity for speaking in the classroom should be taken. It is by trying to communicate that students realize their need for language and by speaking that they increase their fluency and confidence.” Teaching Practice Handbook

24. Dialogue A A: Hi! Where are you from? B: I’m from Sydney. A: Why did you come to Beijing? B: To study. A: How long are you planning to study here? B: Two years. What is wrong with this dialogue?

25. Dialogue B A: Hi! Where are you from? B: I’m from Sydney. I’ve just moved to Beijing to study. How about you? A: I’m from Korea. I’ve been living here for 6 months. How long are you planning to study here? B: Two years. But I might stay longer, if I can master Chinese! Are you a student, too? What makes this conversation ‘successful’? Answer Add Ask

26. What works in the classroom? Think of a lesson that you taught recently that went well. • What was the lesson about? • How did you get the learners interested? • What were your learners talking about? • How was the speaking activity set up? • How did you make sure the learners felt confident to speak English? • Why do you think the lesson worked well?

27. What topics interest your learners? • With the people near you talk about what topics work well and get young adult students talking • In groups make a list of 5 good speaking topics

28. AIM: to get students to use the target language to interact in realistic and meaningful ways REQUIREMENTS: Accuracy Extent to which a learner’s output matches an external standard Learning Teaching (Macmillan) Complexity Restructuring language in to more complex forms (Thornbury 2000) The Aims and Requirements of Speaking Activities Fluency Production of language in real time without undue pausing or hesitation

29. through meaningful, realistic use of target language Types of Speaking Activities Accuracy-focused Fluency-focused • Controlled Activities • E.g. repetition/drills • Foster confidence • Focus on correct output • Guided Activities • E.g. model dialogues • Use pre-taught language • Freer Activities • E.g. group discussion • English in ‘real time’ • Varied responses

30. Controlled Activities English Upgrade (B1, M5 p.34/78)

31. Guided ActivitiesEnglish Upgrade (B1, M11 p. 68)

32. Freer Activities English Upgrade (B1, M9 p.57)

33. Controlled, guided or freer activities? • Discussions • Guessing games • Debates • Group holiday plans • Drills • Questionnaires • ‘Find someone who...’ • Talk shows • Interviews • Picture difference tasks • Role-plays • Ranking/ordering • Information-gap activities • Opinion poles

34. Looking at an activity 1. In groups of 4, look at the activity from English Upgrade Book 1, Module 9 p. 58 and discuss the following questions: • Is it controlled, guided or freer practice? • What language are is this activity designed to practice? • What vocabulary would students need to carry out the task?

35. Pair up A (p.56) Pair Up B (p. 81) Looking at an activity

36. Checking predictions 2. Now two members of the group do the activity. The other two observe them. • Did they use the language you predicted they would use? • Did they use any other interesting language that you hadn’t predicted? 3. Decide as a group a lead-in activity students could do before using this activity.

37. Important components of speaking activities • Arouse students’ interest • Give clear instructions/aims • Teach conversational strategies • Give students time to prepare • Provide sufficient input • Monitor students • Allow for consolidation and feedback

38. English Upgrade Unit Structure1. Lead In (Warm Up) Module 10, p. 58 • Introduces topic vocabulary • Activates background knowledge • Gets students talking

39. 2. Conversational Input Listen in • Presents conversation through focused listening • Encourages students to concentrate on meaning • Targets main idea, then details —in easy stages Module 10, p. 59

40. 3. Functional Awareness Say It Naturally • Highlights useful conversational strategies based on Listen in text • Introduces natural expressions • Gives students a chance to try them out Module 10, p. 59

41. 4. Conversational Skill Building Build up & Express Yourself • Presents target language clearly • Offers controlled practice to build up confidence • Guides through stages of conversation • Express Yourself supports freer conversation using Build up Module 10, p. 60

42. 5. Topic Expansion Expand the Topic • Creates information-gap for realistic practice • Helps students use target language in new context • Balances need for repetition with engaging task • Challenges students to extend the activity Module 10, p. 61

43. 6. Extra Listening Listen Up • Longer listening activity • Practice in listening for main ideas and for details • Features a wider range of accents than Listen in section Module 10, p. 61

44. 7. Communication TaskPair Up • Paired ‘information gap’ activity • Offers controlled practice tobuild up confidence • Guides through stages of conversation • Supports freer student-generated conversation Module 10, p. 62

45. 8. Consolidation and ReviewCheck it out • Ends a unit in fun, relaxed way • Includes games, quizzes, surveys • Consolidates language encountered in unit • A chance to speak about their opinions and experiences in a less controlled way Module 10, p. 63

46. Conversation Strategies • In pairs, make a list of 5 important conversation strategies to teach students • Compare with another pair and add any others to your list

47. Say it naturally (level 1) • Asking about names • Showing you’re listening • Returning a question • Showing surprise • Showing agreement • Asking for someone’s news • Responding to thanks • Expressing uncertainty • Asking for permission • Saying goodbye

48. Say it naturally (level 2) • Starting a conversation • Ending a conversation • Showing interest • Asking for an opinion • Asking to speak with someone on the phone • Telling a salesperson what you want • Thinking out loud • Asking about a friend’s problems • Checking your own understanding • Expressing enthusiasm for a plan

49. Say it naturally (level 3) • Greeting a friend after an absence • Requesting help • Asking for opinions • Showing agreement • Adding general examples • Expressing indecision • Checking information • Relaying a phone message • Asking for clarification • Emphasizing a point

50. Encouraging students to use conversational strategies Discuss the following question with the person next to you. How can you encourage students to actually use the conversational strategies that are introduced?