Teaching Listening Skills

Seminar by Jeremy D. Slagoski,Senior English Language Fellow

Standard Format

1. Pre-listening2. Listening3. Post-listening

#1 Pre-listening

• Do NOT pre-teach ALL important new vocabulary in the passage

• Instead set the context and create motivation

• Do this by activating students’ prior knowledge through a cooperative learning activity

#2 Listening

• Extensive listening - students listen for the main idea then answer the general questions to establish the context

• Intensive listening - students listen again to answer detailed comprehension questions

• This is too simple and perhaps dull

#2 Listening

• Starting with extensive listening is a good technique, but add focus to the attitude of the speaker

• Instead of detailed comprehension questions for intensive listening, involve students in a listening task

• Upon completion of the listening task have students check each other’s answers

Listening Tasks

• Listing• Ordering and sorting• Comparing• Problem solving• Sharing personal experiences• Creative tasks

#3 Post-listening

• Do NOT analyze the linguistic elements through discussing grammar and repetition exercises.

• Instead examine the functional language and infer the meaning of vocabulary.

• Allow students to negotiate the meaning rather than telling them the correct interpretation.

Easy to plan pre-listening activities

• Brainstorming• Think-Pair-Share• Word Webbing/Mind Mapping• Team Interview• Round Robin

Easy to plan listening tasks

• Agree or disagree (with explanation)• Create Venn diagrams• List characteristics, qualities, or

features• Strip story (sequencing game)• Match speech to visuals• Compare and contrast to another

speech or text• Give advice

More listening tasks

• Compare and contrast to your own experience

• Create your own version of the missing section

• Plan a solution to the problem• Share reactions• Create a visual• Reenact your own version

Easy to plan post-listening examinations

• Guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary

• Analyze the speaker’s intentions• List the number of people involved

and their function in the script• Analyze the success of

communication in the script• Brainstorm alternative ways of

expression

Summarize the Negative

• Don’t pre-teach all important new vocabulary in the listening.

• Don’t give students irrelevant detailed comprehension questions.

• Don’t spend too much time on grammar analysis.

• Don’t listen-and-repeat everything.

Summarize the Positive

• Set the context through interactions.• Create motivation.• Make the listening tasks authentic

and central to the listening lesson.• Involve students in the listening

through negotiation of meaning.• Examine functional language.• Help students learn vocabulary

autonomously.

References

• Kagan, S. (1994). Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan.

• Richards, J.C. & Renandya, W.A. (eds.) (2002). Methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Essex: Longman.