TECHNIQUES
OF AND MATERIALS FOR TEACHING LISTENING
The
teaching of listening has attracted a greater level of interest in recent years
than it did in the past. University entrance exams, school leaving and other
examinations now often include a listening component, acknowledging that
listening skills are a core component of second language proficiency and also
reflecting the assumption that if listening is not tested, teachers won’t teach
it. The views of listening drew on the field of cognitive psychology, which
introduced the notions of bottom-up and top-down processing to the role of
prior knowledge and schema in comprehension. Listening came to be seen as an
interpretive process. Current views of listening hence emphasize the role of
the employing strategies to facilitate, monitor and evaluate his or her
listening.
The listening materials consist of a teacher’s handbook, a book of
teaching objectives and classroom activities, a pack of leaflets and posters
and a video of speaking and listening activities. As a starting point for a
school it may be useful to begin by looking in more detail at the pack of
leaflets and posters. On the back of the poster there are some key teaching
points.
There is also a progression poster which sets out
some criteria for assessing progress throughout the primary age range.
The
Listening Poster
The
poster outlines:
·
What children are doing when they are
listening
·
What children need to learn
·
How children show they have listened and
understood
·
Useful classroom techniques
Techniques
of teaching listening
1.
Babble
Gabble
This
technique encourages children to listen carefully to remember the plot and
sequence of events. The teacher starts by telling a story. Afterwards the
children work in pairs. One child retells the story to their partner as fast as
possible whilst including as much detail as possible. After a minute the
listener takes over to continue the tale. This pattern continues for a few
turns.
2.
Barrier
Games
Barrier games focus on
giving and receiving instructions in order to complete a task. They involve
careful listening and giving clear, explicit instructions. The speaker has to
provide clear instruction for the listener. The listener has to ask questions,
clarify understanding and gain information in order to complete the task. A
barrier can be used e.g. a screen, to separate the speaker and listener while
the instructions are being given.
3.
Word
Tennis
This involves making a story with a partner. Each person says one word
or phrase in turn so that they gradually build up a story. The children need to
listen carefully for key words, main points and events so that the story
continues to make sense.
4.
Draw
a Story
This
involves the children sitting and listening carefully to a story. The teacher
pauses at various points during the story and asks the children to draw the
relevant part of the story. At the end the children are encouraged to retell
the story using their pictures as prompts.
5.
Telephone
Conversations
The children are encouraged to sit back to back to hold a telephone
conversation. The content of the conversation can vary e.g. passing on
information, discussing problem or describing an event. The children need to
listen carefully because they cannot rely on gesture or facial expression.
6.
Ways
to Listen
Children need to be given opportunities to listen with a given focus.
They could listen to a topic and then work out questions they would like
answers to. They could be provided with headings to help them to listen
systematically. They could be encouraged to listen out for keywords. They could
be asked to make a picture in their heads as they listen.
7.
All
Change
The children
need to be made aware that a sentence can mean different things depending on
which words are emphasized. The teacher can say a sentence in monotone then
repeat the sentence using different intonation. The children should be given
the opportunity to discuss the impact of the change.
