teaching listening

Ece Zehir TopkayaÇOMU, ELT Dept.

2010-2011

Listening as a skill-WHAT?

Processing info thru listening-HOW?

Background to the teaching of listening

How to teach listening

A receptive/passsive skill?

“an active, purposeful process of making sense of what we hear.”

(Nunan, 2003: 24)

“..the assumption that listeners simply decode message is

mistaken”

Why?

(Buck, 1995 cited in Nunan, 2003)

World knowledge World knowledge + create message recreate message Linguistic knowledge Linguistic knowledge

Top down Bottom up  Extensive; Intensive; for general idea for details 

Age?Proficiency level?

Interactive Processing

A neglected skill… In the late 1800s-Gouin’s Series Method

(action and oral presentation of lang.)

The Direct Method- new teaching points should be introduced orally

The ALM- MIM/MEM- structures were presented orally

The CLT- the emphasis on the role of listening increased- input hypothesis

Real life listening

Classroom listening◦ Skills to be developed by the learners

Steps of teaching listening

We usually

have a purpose and expectation

hear the lang in short chunks

see the visual and contextual clues

can see the person

so what shall we do in the lang. cr?

Focused listening( a particular purpose, closely,

info.)

Task-based listening

Listening can be used   To focus on lang. systems (i.e. grammar,

voc.)

for practising purposes but what do we practice then?

  To improve learners’ skills of

listening****

◦ Discriminate between sounds◦ Recognize words◦ Identify grammatical groupings of words◦ Recognize cues, such as stress and intonation◦ Recognize non-linguistic cues, i.e. gestures.◦ Identify the general idea◦ Identify the specific ideas (capturing the gists)◦ Identifying the implied meaning(s)◦ Use background knowledge

+ general & local factual knowledge and socio-cultural

knowledge   Then?? What ‘ s our job? 

Design activities for all these skills

Everything!

Variety of tasks, texts,

Consider “authenticity”

Task authenticity◦ Simulated

(modeled after a rela-life; not pedagogical)

◦ Minimal/incidental (pedagogic; for checking understanding)

Input authenticity◦ Genuine (original)◦ Altered (no meaning change but)◦ Adapted (created for real life but simplified)◦ Simulated (written by the author as if genuine)◦ Minimal/incidental (created for cr)

Prelistening

While Listening

Postlistening

Follow-up  

Review (if necessary)

Preteach (If necessary :What? How to decide what to teach?)

Familiarize sts with the topic

Encourage them to make guesses (prediction)

Arise interest

True-false Answer the qs- (recall, evaluation,

deduction, reaction) Predicting (about causes, effects,

outcomes) Discuss for and against Write Match Continue the dialog Think (problem solving)

Fill in a table Complete flow charts Discriminate (this or this –visual or written) Compare-(with slightly different reading

text) Place in correct order (sentences, pictures,

etc) Follow directions Draw Identify who Select (a, b or c) Take notes

( The purposes of some of the tasks are purely pedagogic, they do not simulate real listening)

Feedback

Assessment of the tasks

Assessment of self

Personalization

Extended work on the listening activities

Additional work

Warm-up

Lead in: (trigger) A general departure point How?: A propose, personal experiences, discussion,

brainstorming, looking at pictures etc.  Prelistening

Work on grammar, vocabulary; set the scene, introduce the characters; have sts guess the words, sentences, events,

etc.; have sts ask questions , etc. Teach if necessary

While listening

Set clear tasksClear instructions-checking instrs etc.

Play the tape or you read or ask a st./ sts. read.

At least 3 times (if you don’t want immediate response)

Don’ t forget the pauses? (When ? )

In between each listening have sts work in pairs

Get and give Feedback

(Summary)???

PostlisteningGeneral assessment,Self-assessmentPersonalisationExtended work

(summary)??? Follow-up

Additional work: grammar, pron., voc, speaking, writing, reading etc.

Wrap-upSummary of the lesson +hw

Remember

Process rather than the product: The goal is the listening itself

Check the equipment beforehand Always have a plan B Clear instrs At least 3 times Pause Pair work in betw. each listening Keep the recording short (max. 2 mins) Don’ t acknowledge the answs with words or facial

expressions Don’ t cheat them (no surprise qs) Don’ t let them lose heart Grade the task not the tape