Podcast
Questions and Answers
What key element does listening involve, beyond just receiving sounds?
What key element does listening involve, beyond just receiving sounds?
- Analyzing the speaker's body language.
- Attaching meaning to the spoken words. (correct)
- Memorizing the speaker's exact words.
- Repeating the words back to the speaker.
Which of the following best describes the role of a listener in communication?
Which of the following best describes the role of a listener in communication?
- Passively absorbing information.
- Focusing solely on the pronunciation of words.
- Actively trying to understand the intended message. (correct)
- Transcribing the spoken words verbatim.
Why might someone find listening difficult?
Why might someone find listening difficult?
- They forget what they heard quickly since there is only one chance to listen. (correct)
- They immediately recognize all words being used.
- They have the ability to easily go back and listen again.
- They aren't stressed about needing to respond immediately.
What contributes to the difficulty of listening comprehension?
What contributes to the difficulty of listening comprehension?
Why has listening been considered the 'forgotten' language skill?
Why has listening been considered the 'forgotten' language skill?
How have historical perspectives typically characterized listening comprehension?
How have historical perspectives typically characterized listening comprehension?
According to modern theories, what role do listeners take in constructing meaning?
According to modern theories, what role do listeners take in constructing meaning?
To fully grasp the facts and feelings in what they hear, what do listeners actively attend to?
To fully grasp the facts and feelings in what they hear, what do listeners actively attend to?
What linguistic components are required in the listening process?
What linguistic components are required in the listening process?
What type of competence involves understanding the social and cultural rules that affect communication?
What type of competence involves understanding the social and cultural rules that affect communication?
Which characteristic of the listening process refers to the unplanned and unrehearsed nature of much spoken communication?
Which characteristic of the listening process refers to the unplanned and unrehearsed nature of much spoken communication?
What does 'top-down processing' refer to in the context of listening?
What does 'top-down processing' refer to in the context of listening?
In 'bottom-up processing', how do listeners begin to decode a spoken message?
In 'bottom-up processing', how do listeners begin to decode a spoken message?
Which type of listening is employed when one listens for a specific detail or piece of information, such as a phone number or address?
Which type of listening is employed when one listens for a specific detail or piece of information, such as a phone number or address?
What type of listening is primarily used to form social bonds and maintain relationships?
What type of listening is primarily used to form social bonds and maintain relationships?
Which of the following constitutes a key principle of teaching listening?
Which of the following constitutes a key principle of teaching listening?
Why is it important to grade the difficulty level appropriately when teaching listening?
Why is it important to grade the difficulty level appropriately when teaching listening?
What is the primary purpose of pre-listening activities?
What is the primary purpose of pre-listening activities?
Which activity exemplifies a 'while-listening' task focused on meaning?
Which activity exemplifies a 'while-listening' task focused on meaning?
What is the main goal of 'while-listening' activities?
What is the main goal of 'while-listening' activities?
Which of the following is an example of a post-listening activity?
Which of the following is an example of a post-listening activity?
If a teacher asks their students to participate in debates, interviews, and role-play exercises, what part of the lesson are they likely emphasizing?
If a teacher asks their students to participate in debates, interviews, and role-play exercises, what part of the lesson are they likely emphasizing?
Which principle should teachers keep in mind when testing listening?
Which principle should teachers keep in mind when testing listening?
According to the final thoughts, what aspect of the incorrect answers is more important?
According to the final thoughts, what aspect of the incorrect answers is more important?
What is one of the principles of teaching listening?
What is one of the principles of teaching listening?
Flashcards
Listening
Listening
An active and interactional process where a listener receives speech sounds and tries to attach meaning.
Active listening
Active listening
The attempt to grasp facts and feelings by attending to what the speaker says, how they say it, and the context.
Bottom-up processing
Bottom-up processing
Using linguistic knowledge and ability to process acoustic signals, decoding phonemes, words, phrases, and sentences.
Top-down processing
Top-down processing
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Selective listening
Selective listening
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Global listening
Global listening
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Intensive listening
Intensive listening
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Transactional listening
Transactional listening
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Interactional listening
Interactional listening
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Critical listening
Critical listening
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Recreational listening
Recreational listening
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Pre-listening activities
Pre-listening activities
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While-listening activities
While-listening activities
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Post-listening activities
Post-listening activities
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Purpose of Pre-listening
Purpose of Pre-listening
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Show understanding
Show understanding
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Filling in gaps/blanks
Filling in gaps/blanks
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Sequencing
Sequencing
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Reflect on language
Reflect on language
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Study Notes
Teaching Listening
- Listening is an active and interactional process
- Listeners receive speech and try to attach meaning to words
- Listeners attempt to grasp the intended message and respond effectively
Difficulties in Listening
- Listening can be difficult because it requires processing speech in real-time
- Difficulty in listening often stems from not being able to go back and listen again
- Failure to recognize familiar words due to factors like stress, intonation, or dialect may occur
- Listeners may understand individual words without grasping the intended message
Language Teaching Background
- Listening has been a forgotten language skill for generations
- It has received little attention in language teaching and learning
- Listening comprehension has been characterized as a passive activity
- Theorists realized that listening is not a passive but an active process
- Listeners attempt to grasp what they hear by attending to parts of the speech
- Listeners are active in grasping facts and feelings presented in speech by attending to what is said, how it's said, and the context
Knowledge Needed for Listening
- Effective listening comprehension requires understanding the speaker's intended message
- Command over language components like phonology, lexicon, syntax, semantics, and text structure is needed
- Socio-cultural, strategic, and discourse competence are prerequsites
Charachteristics of Listening Preocesses
- Spontaneity
- Reliance on context and visual clues
- Listener responses directly impacting exchanges
- Speakers adjusting their speech
- As detailed in Ur (1996:106-7)
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Listening
- Holiday anecdote: Over lunch, a friend tells you a story about her recent holiday, which was a disaster
- You listen with interest and interject at appropriate moments to express surprise or sympathy
- Directions to a house: That evening, another friend calls to invite you to a party at her house the following Saturday
- As you've never been to her house before, she gives you directions
- Bottom-up processing uses linguistic knowledge such as phonemes, words, phrases, and sentences to process acoustic signals
- Top-down processing interprets the meaning from the context and world knowledge (Hedge, 2000)
Types of Listening
- Selective listening is for a specific piece of information
- Global listening is for overall gist
- Intensive listening is for precise information and detail (Ferguson, 2005)
- Transactional listening aims to obtain new information
- Interactional listening purposes to maintain social relationships
- Critical listening occurs in academic contexts
- Recreational listening is done for relaxation and entertainment (Rost, 1990)
Principles of Teaching Listening
- Focus on the process over solely the outcome
- Focus on the comprehension of meaning
- Grade the difficulty level of listening materials appropriately
- Use authentic materials to simulate real-world scenarios
- Use real-life activities that students can relate to
- Combine listening with other language skills to reinforce learning
Teaching Listening Methodology
- Pre-listening activities set the stage
- While-listening activities engage the listener during the task
- Post-listening activities provides for reflection
Pre-Listening
- Seeks to fulfill a purpose and engage background knowledge
- Teacher gives background information, followed by discussion and answer session
- Reviewing pictures leads to instructions for listening
- Reading relevant text results in written exercises
While-Listening
- Focuses on understanding of meaning and listening attentively
- Show understanding by physical response with information transfer
- Activities include filling in gaps, sequencing and detecting differences
- Ticking off items may involve matching as a result
Post-Listening
- Provides for reflection and the use of language from the listening
- Activities include, but are not limited to; jigsaw listening, writing letters, debates, role-plays, and simulations
Final Thoughts
- Avoid setting expectations beyond native speakers
- Emphasize functional listening for development
- Understanding process are more important than memorization
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