InstructionalStrategies forTeaching Listening

ELC 688 Methods 1Survey of Best Practices in TESOLLecturers: Carol Haddaway and Teresa Valais

Listening• is an ‘active’ skill;

• is a ‘receptive’ skill;

• is spontaneous (it happens in real time).

Is it an overlooked skill?

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While listening was perceived chiefly as a meansof presenting new grammar, listeningcomprehension has finally been elevated to astatus of crucial importance in language learning.

(Farrell, 2006)

Why teach listening?• It helps students acquire language

subconsciously.

• It provides vital information such as

grammar structure; contextualization of new vocabulary; pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation.

• Real communication requires both listeningcomprehension and speaking. 4

We listen

• twice as much as we speak,

• four times more than we read, and

• five times more than we write.

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(Rivers, 1981 & Weaver, 1972 as cited in Celce-Murcia, 2001)

How do we listen toincoming messages?

•Top-Down Processing•Interactive Processing•Bottom-Up Processing

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Top-down versus Bottom-up

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Top-Down Processing• Activates previous knowledge

• Driven by learner factors: the listeners’

expectationsunderstanding of the topiccontextknowledge of the world

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(Peterson, 2001)

Bottom-Up Processing• Uses background knowledge

• Driven by text factors

soundswordsphrasesstress/intonation patterns

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(Peterson, 2001)

Purposes for listening

• Interactional

For enjoyment, pleasure,and sociability

• small talk• anecdotes• teacher talk on personal topics

Listener oriented

• Transactional

To convey factualinformation

•follow instructions•complete a task•discussion

Message oriented10

(Morley, 2002)

Principles for listening• Encourage students to listen as often and as much as

possible.

• Help students prepare to listen.

• Be aware that once may not be enough.

• Encourage students to respond to the content of what theylisten to, not just the language.

• Be aware that different listening stages demand differentlistening tasks.

• Remember: Good teachers exploit listening texts to thefullest.

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(Harmer, 2007)

Designing listening techniques

For input to convert to intake•use techniques that specifically develop listeningcomprehension competence;

•use techniques that are intrinsically motivating;

•utilize authentic language and contexts;

•carefully consider the form of listeners’ responses doing, choosing, transferring, answering, condensing,

extending, duplicating, modeling, conversing

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(Brown, 2001)

• Include both bottom-up and top-downlistening techniques

• Encourage the development of listeningstrategieskey wordsnonverbal cuespredictingactivating background knowledgeguessing at meaningseeking clarificationlistening for the gist

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(Brown, 2001)

Designing listeningtechniques, cont’d

Selective listening:Prepositions(Use the Teaching Listening Handout 1)•Warm up

•If possible, use the following link to listen to thesong, “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaRNrDaoMqw&feat

ure=related

•ActivityStudents listen and write the prepositions.

•Is one listening enough? 14

Teaching Listening Handout 1: Teaching Listening Strategies Activity

Instructional Models ofListening andLanguage Instruction

By Joan Morley

(Brown, 2001)

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Model #1:Listening and Repeating• Learner goalspattern drillsrepeat dialoguesimitate pronunciation patternsmemorize formulaic expressions

• Valuehigher order cognitive processing or propositional

language structuringnot necessarily an intentional focus 16

Model #2:Quiz-show format (LACQ)• LACQ: Listen and Answer Comprehension

Questions

• Learner goalsto process discrete pieces of informationto listen and answer primarily factual questions

• Valueincrease speed and accuracy of recallincrease stock of students’ vocabulary and

grammar constructionnot interactive two-way communicationatypical of everyday life situations

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Model #3: Listen and Do• Learner goalsto process spoken discourse for functional

purposese.g. solve a problem, find the gist

to listen and do something with the infoe.g. take notes, complete a task

• Valueinstruction is task- not question- orientedhelps learners develop cognitive and

metacognitive language learning strategies18

Teaching Listening Handout 1: Teaching Listening Strategies Activity

Model #4: Interactive ListeningUse the Teaching Listening Handout 2• Learner Goalsto develop aural and oral skills in semiformal

interactive academic communicatione.g. student presentation and discussion activities

to develop critical listening, critical thinking, andeffective speaking abilitiese.g. Q&A, discourse rules – interrupting, agreeing,

questioning, etc.

• Valueopportunity to engage in and develop

communicative competence – linguistic,discourse, sociolinguistic, and strategic (the goalof CLT)

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Teaching Listening Handout 2: Interactive Listening

Listening Reflection:Sample Listening Activity

• Please go to Davies, 2008, page 79, Task.• Read the Task, follow the instructions, and do the

activity on p. 80.• Only look at p. 81 after you have designed your

activity.• Compare your activity with that suggested on p. 81.• Keep in mind the following lesson stages as you

develop your lesson:Pre-listening/Warm up

• Activate top-down and bottom-up schemaWhile-listening (doing)Post-listening

• Discuss, personalize, connect with real life

What was good and what would you do differently ?

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References• Brown, D. (2001). Teaching by principle–an interactive approach to

language pedagogy. Addison Wesley Longman: New York.• Celce-Murcia, M. (2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign

Language (p.70). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.• Davies, P. & Pearse, E. (2000). Success in English teaching. New

York, NY: Oxford University Press.• Farrell, T. (2006). Succeeding with English language learners.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.• Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English. Edinburgh: Pearson

Longman.• Morley, J. (2002). Aural comprehension Instruction: Principles and

practices. In M. Celce-Murcia. Teaching English as a second orforeign language 3rd Edition. Boston, MA: Longman.

• Nunan, D. (Ed.) (2003). Practical English language teaching. McGrawHill.

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