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.