ESL Teacher Networking
December, 2010 Teaching Listening
AGENDA
General AnnouncementsBrainstorming and categorizingESL Case Study – Listen to meWhat should we know about
teaching listening?BESLCURF - ConnectionsVideo viewing and discussionProblems of practive
BESLCURF – Carousel Brainstorming
What are some listening activities of strategies that you already use in your classroom?
What classroom activities or strategies can be connected to learning outcomes?
Case Study- Listen to Me
Divide into small grade level groups
Assign group roles –RecorderReporterFacilitatorTimekeeper
Why is teaching listening important?
Receptive language Active language skill Construction of meaning Comprehensible inputl
.
What makes listening difficult?
The organization of informationThe familiarity of the topicThe explicitness and sufficiency of the
informationThe type of referring expressions used
(pronouns instead of noun phrases , e.g.)
Whether the text describes a “static” or “dynamic” relationship.
Variables of listening tasks
Listening purpose (gist, specific information, etc.)
Role of the listener (reciprocal, non-reciprocal)
Type of text being listened to (monologues, dialogues)
Stages of the Listening Process
Recognition of the target language
Recognition of isolated wordsRecognition of phrase
boundariesListening for the gistTrue listening
Source: E. Horwitz. (2008). Becoming a Language Teacher. Boston: Pearson
Recognition of Target Language
Songs, rhymes, etc. to get used to the sound of the language
Pretend to speak the language
Recognition of isolated words
Listen to short passages that contain familiar phrases
Listen for familiar phrases or words
Listen to a recombination of material presented in class
Beginning recognition of phrase boundaries
TPRNarrow listening – KrashenListening to recombination
materials in scriptsComputer programs
Listening for gist
Preview listening materialsEstablish realistic listening
goalsStudents select pictures
that correspond to oral descriptions
Narrow listening
True listening
PreviewSummarizeAsk opinions about what
they heardRelate what they heard to
their own lives
Important listening strategies
Listening for the gist Listening for purpose Listening for main idea Listening for inference Listening for specific informationListening for phonemic distinctions
(first or fourth; can or can’t)Listening for tone/pitch to identify
speaker’s attitudeListening for stress (what is more
important)
Communicative activities: Listening
Listening and performing actions and operations Listening and transferring information (spoken to
written, spoken to spoken) Listening and solving problems Listening, evaluating, and manipulating information Interactive listening and speaking: negotiating
meaning through questioning and answering routines
Listening for enjoyment pleasure and sociability
Adapted from: Morley, J. Aural Comprehension Instruction: Principles and Practices. In M. Celce-Murcia. (Ed.) (2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Heinle and Heinle: Boston.
Listening and performing actions and operationsDrawing a picture, design, or object.
Locating routes on a mapSelecting a picture from a
description Identifying something from a
descriptionPerforming movementsOperating a piece of equipmentCarrying out steps in a process
(science, cooking)
Listening and transferring information
Listening and taking a messageCloze activitiesCompleting a form or chartListening and summarizingListening to an explanation and writing
down the sequenceListening to a lecture and taking notesListening to directions and repeating
othersListening to a story and repeating to
others
Listening and solving problems
Word gamesNumber games – arithmetic
problemsAsking questions (20 questions) Jeopardy or PasswordMinute mysteries Jigsaw listeningComparison shopping with
recordingsDescriptions of court cases
Listening, evaluating, and manipulating information
Making predictionsEvaluating cause and effect
informationSummarizing Evaluating arguments in
order to take a position
Interactive listening and speaking
Reciprocal listening (using question cards)RepetitionParaphraseVerificationClarificationExtensionChallenge
Listening for pleasure
SongsStoriesPoemsJokesTeacher talkAnecdotes
Ways to help develop and improve listening comprehension
Background knowledgePreviewingAdvance organizerMeaning supportRecallRecall/QuestionInference questionIntonation
Source: E. Horwitz. (2008). Becoming a Language Teacher. Pearson: Boston.
Video viewing
Identify the instructional sequence of the lesson.
What were the listening tasks?
Possible lesson sequence
Build background/activate prior knowledge
Vocabulary previewListen for main ideaListen for detailsListen for inferenceDiscussionLooking at language
Source: C.Numrich (2006). Tuning in: Listening and Speaking in the Real World. Boston: Pearson
For next time
Plan a listening activity for your class.Write a language objective for it. Include an advanced organizer,
preview questions, inference questions, and a focus on language structure.
Teach the lesson if your situation allows.
Bring evidence or artifacts from the lesson to share next time.
Next time Oral language development: Is turn and talk all we need?
Fluency versus accuracy.Academic versus social
language.