Teaching Listening

Presenters: Carla Campos and Missy Sainz

FLT 807 Fall 2015 Dr. Temples

Key Concepts

Listening and reading comprehension are complex multidimensional

processes in which many factors come into play (Ableeva and Stranks, 2012)

Bottom up method refers to the ability to hear language and make sense of it

Top down method refers to the use of prior knowledge that students employ to
decode the meaning of verbal messages

For example: recognizing phonemes in a word, then combining them into words, and then
putting words together to create sentences

For example: utilizing their prior knowledge or schema to create context for the situation

Utilizing both methods along with other dimensions is best

Other dimensions include individualized, cross-cultural, social, contextualized, affective,

strategic, intertextual, and critical

General Principles

Listening is a receptive skill

Students should listen to a selection two to three times to get everything out
of it

Six core skills

Listen for details

Listen selectively

Listen for global understanding

Listen for main idea

Listen and infer

Listen and predict

Controversies / Surprises

Listening is an under-researched area, but recognized as very important

Need more L2 diagnostic tests to enable instructors to diagnose areas of need

Too much emphasis on standardized and high stakes language testing

Emphasis on product oriented skills compared to process oriented skills in

language learning

Need more research on listening

Focus on students getting the right answer, instead of how they got there and all of
the skills they used along the way

Available listening materials serve students poorly

Materials emphasize product over process

Techniques & Activity Types

Many listening materials emphasize the products over processes of listening

Listening process activities include:

Pre-Listening:

Students activate schema

Teachers set objectives

Elicit key concepts and vocabulary

Comprehension Checks:

Global Listening listen to the entire text several times

Emphasize top-down skills

Students get the gist after first listen, then push comprehension deeper with each additional listen

Intensive Listening; Focusing on specific segments of text

Emphasize bottom-up skills

Happens only after global listening

Includes activities like transcribing words, using context to determine meaning, etc.

Post Listening:

Follow-up activity

Students use knowledge gained from text

Our Activity: Job Interview

Institution:

Course type/aims:

Advanced 1

Students ages in class:

General English

Students proficiency level:

Language Academy in Geneva

Adult with different nationalities and L1

Class information:

Three times per week for an hour an a half each week

12 students per class

Our Activity: Job Interview

Objectives:

Students will be able to describe personal qualities and qualifications in their fields that make
them strong candidates for future positions

Students will be able to review questions forms in different tenses with wh- questions words and
without

Pre-Listening:

Whole Class

Introduce topic in discussion write notes on board

Introduce key vocabulary

Global Listening:

First listen students discuss overall comprehension in pairs then whole group

Teacher takes notes of discussion on board

Second listen self check if information is correct

Intensive Listening:

Students transcribe questions repeat audio as many times as needed

Students complete fill in the blank activity, discuss in pairs and whole group to check

Post Listen:

Students will role play job candidate and interviewer

Our Activity Materials

Link to audio: http://www.esl-lab.com/index.htm