TEACHING LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Yza Cacayan Flora Michelle Hojas

The Teaching of Listening

Listening as Comprehension
Based

on the assumption that the main function of listening in second language learning is to facilitate understanding of spoken discourse

Listening as Acquisition
Considers

how listening can provide input that triggers the further development of secondlanguage proficiency.

Listening as comprehension Understanding spoken discourse:

Bottom-up processing Comprehension is viewed as the process of decoding

Input is scanned for familiar words Recognize the time reference of an utterance Distinguish between positive and negative statements Identify key words that occurred in a spoken text

Top-down processing Use of background knowledge in understanding the meaning of a message

Sample class activities:

Previous knowledge about the topic of discourse situational/contextual knowledge schemata or scripts

Sample activities: Students generate

A list of things they know about a topic Set of questions

Combining bottom-up and topdown listening in a lesson:

Pre-listening phase- activities involving

activating prior knowledge making predictions reviewing key vocabulary

While-listening phase- focuses on comprehension that require

Selective listening Gist listening Sequencing, etc. Involves a response to comprehension May require students to give opinions about a topic

Post-listening phase

Contains activities that link bottom-up and top-down processing

Listening Strategies

Cognitive Strategies
Comprehension

Metacognitive Strategies
Assessing

processes Storing and memory processes Using and retrieval processes

the

situation
Monitoring Self-evaluating Self-testing

Listening as Acquisition

Classroom Strategies
Noticing Involve

activities

returning the to the listening text that served as the basis for comprehension activities and using them as basis for language awareness

Restructuring Oral/written

activities

tasks that involve productive use of selected items from the listening text

The Teaching of Speaking

Nature of Spoken discourse

Conversational routines

Styles of speaking
Functions of speaking
Talk

as interaction Talk as transaction Talk as performance

Talk as interaction

Main Features

has a primarily social function Reflects role of relationships May be formal or casual

Teaching talk as interaction

Best taught by providing examples embedded in naturalistic dialogs Students are asked to

Skills involved

Opening and closing conversations Choosing topics Making small-talk Recounting personal incidents and experiences Reacting to others

Give feedback

Make follow-up questions

Talk as transaction

Main Features

Has a primarily information focus (message) frequent questions, repetitions, and comprehension checks

Teaching talk as transaction

Group activities Information-gap activities Role-plays Class activities include

Skills Involved

Explaining a need or intention Describing something Asking questions Asking for clarification

Ranking Values clarification Brainstorming

Talk as performance

Main Features

A focus on both message and audience Importance on both form and accuracy

Teaching talk as performance

Skills involved

Providing examples or models of speeches, oral presentations, stories, etc. through

Presenting information in an appropriate sequence Maintaining audience engagement Using correct pronunciation and grammar Using appropriate opening and closing

video, audio recordings written examples

Evaluating Performance on speaking activities:

Determine the expected level of performance on a speaking task Criteria that will be used to assess student performance

depends on which kind of talk we are talking about and the kind of classroom activity we are using

Reference: Jack C. Richards (Cambridge University