Learning to Listen What’s the solution?

SHAUN WILDEN

Answer these questions

What is he reading? 

What’s her name?  

Who is Agatha Christie?  

What would the girl write about?  

When does she read?

- The reason for them listening is unclear

- They don’t / can’t employ the same strategies they would in L1and they think they have to understand every word.

- The pace of the listening is determined by the cd / itools psychologically the students have no control.

- Many different accents

- It’s quite tiring (many claim that listening a passive skill, far from it it is very active!)

- In a listening lesson, only 15 minutes is spent on the listening and then it is done in a test like way

Students find listening difficult because: (some ideas NOT all)

Solutions - Pre- Intermediate

If you would like to go to my home town stand to the left

If not stand to the right

If you would like to live in the country stand to the left

If you would like to live in a town stand to the right

If you would like to live in Wales stand to the left

If you would like to live in Scotland stand to the right

If you would like to live in England stand in the middle

Think about what your colleagues said….How did they tell you about their opinion?

What do you know about Wales?Make a list of words

e.g. sheep

How many of your words are in these pictures? Add any words you didn’t have

Listen to Bryn, Gareth and Bethan talk about Wales

Did they mention any of your words?

She missed him (could be she threw something at him, she didn’t see him, her heart pined)

No Sorry, I have a week off (can be heard a weak or wee cough)

She had a row over Xmas (when was the row? What was it about?)

What an idiot I am to teach! (Whose the idiot?)

From an activity by Mario Rinvolucri

Chinese Whispers

1. I was born on our farm in the village of Dolanog

2. I think I’ll never find a good job here.

3 .There isn’t much money in sheep-farming and the winters can be very hard.

4. I’ve lived in Llangollen all my life and I can’t wait to leave.

GHOUGHPHTHEIGHTTEEAUIf GH stands for P as in Hiccough If OUGH stands for O as in Dough If PHTH stands for T as in Phthisis If EIGH stands for A as in Neighbour If TTE stands for T as in Gazette If EAU stands for O as in Plateau The right way to spell potato should be ghoughphteightteeaus

http://dsmoya31410.blogspot.com/2007/02/you-say-ghoughphtheightteeau-i-say.html

100% sure Not 100% sure

Shaun

Agriculture

Read

Accessory

Jewellery (Jewelry)

Queuing

Handkerchief

Phishing

Vee Jay

Solutions - Pre- Intermediate

Listen to a radio programme about life in North Wales. Who wants to

a.leave North Walesb.stay in North Wales c.stay but thinks it will be difficult

Listen again and answer the questions:

1.What is Bryn’s first language?2.What does Bryn’s father do?3.What two disadvantages of life on the farm does Bryn mention?4.Why do tourists visit Llangollen? 5.Why doesn’t Gareth enjoy living there any more?6.What does Gareth plan to do in Cardiff or London?7.Where is Caernarfon?8.Why are young people leaving Caernarfon?9.Is Bethan happy to go and live in another place?

I was born on our farm in the village of Dolanog, a little village near Welshpool and I’ve lived there all my life. My first language is Welsh, we speak it at home, but I learnt English at school. My dad’s a sheep farmer and I’ve helped him on the farm for as long as I can remember. I think the Welsh countryside is a wonderful place to grow up. As a kid, me and my brothers had a lot of freedom to run about. Everyone is very friendly but life is difficult sometimes, there isn’t much money in sheep farming and winters can be hard.  I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. When I finish school I want to study agriculture at college but then I’ll come back to look after the farm with my dad.

I was born on our farm in the village of Dolanog, a little village near Welshpool and I’ve lived there all my life. My first ________ Welsh, we speak it at home, but I learnt English at ________. My dad’s a ________ farmer and I’ve helped him on the farm for as long as I can remember. I think the Welsh countryside is a wonderful place to grow up. As a kid, me and my brothers had a lot of freedom to run about. Everyone is very friendly but life is difficult sometimes, there isn’t much money in sheep farming and winters can be hard.  I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. When I finish school I want to study agriculture at college but then I’ll come back to look after the farm with my dad.

Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions

1.What are the advantages of living in your village, town or city?2.What are the disadvantages?3.Have you lived in the same place all your life?4.Do you want to live where you are now for the rest of your life? Why / Why not?

Solutions - Pre- Intermediate

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1. Stand to the left / right – in feedback asked what colleagues saidActivate your brain for the listening, possible language.

2. Make a list of things you know about WalesAll designed to make students think about possible words, give thema reason for listening and setting up a personalized listening. Usephoto to develop this and get in some speaking practice)

3. Listening to confirm ideasGentle listening (just for words) and personalized the listening.

4. (Chinese Whispers) and the ‘spelling game’To prepare students for more detailed listening, focusing on what might cause misunderstanding and also to pre-teach key words.

Pre-listening Tasks

6. Listen to answer the questions from the cbk exercise 2Give students chance to listen for detail. We may choose to play this as many times as necessary for the students to get the information. Also we should also students to discuss together before doing the class as this reduces stress.

5. Listen to answer the questions from the cbk exercise 1.Give students chance to listen for gist. Since they have already heard it once and we want to encourage listening for the main idea – play only once now. Also we should also students to discuss together before doing the class feedback as this reduces stress.

Listening Tasks

8. The remaining exercises in the bookTo give the students’ the chance to discuss what we listening to, which is how we often react in real life.

9. FillersTo give the students’ the chance to talk about where they live using the language modeled in the listening

7. Listen and read to help match words and pronunciation. Highlighting the schwa to show how weak forms affect speech, gapfill to give further listening, highlight intonation.To help raise students’ confidence in listening and teach the features of speech that affect listening.

Post Listening Tasks

Thank you for listening and participating

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@shaunwilden