RECEPTIVE SKILLS: Listening & Reading

Basic Principles
I.

CONTENT
1. Interest 2. Usefulness

2. PURPOSE & EXPECTATIONS

A. Purpose B. Expectations

3. RECEPTIVE SKILLS
A. Predictive Skills B. Extracting Specific Information
Redundancy Scanning

C. Getting the General Picture D. Extracting Detailed Information A. Recognising Function & Discourse Patterns F. Deducing Meaning From Context

The Listener/Reader as Active Model Builders

Systemic knowledge is our linguistic knowledge (knowledge of phonological, syntactic & semantic components of the lang system).
1.

Schematic knowledge which is non-linguistic info. Its a mental structure made up of our knowledge, memory & experience which allows us to put what we learn into what we know.
2.

Background knowledge - factual - sociocultural Procedural knowledge - how language is used in discourse Knowledge of situation - physical setting, participants, etc. Knowledge of co-text - what has been/will be said (written) Knowledge of the language system - semantic - syntactic - phonological

schematic knowledge

context

systemic knowledge

Figure: Information sources in comprehension Anderson, A. & Lynch, T., 1988, Listening, Oxford, Oxford University Press, page 13.

A Basic Methodological Model for the Teaching of Receptive Skills

5 Basic Stages:
1. 2. 3. 4.

Lead-in Teacher directs comprehension task Students listen/read for task Teacher directs feedback

5.

Teacher text-related task

TEACHING LISTENING

1. BACKGROUND PROBLEMS
What causes the comprehension problems FL have & native speakers dont? LANGUAGE 2 assumptions: 1. what FL learners are doing is learning a language and no more 2. native speakers dont experience compared to FL learners. comprehension problems

II.

LEARNER PROBLEMS
1. trouble w/sounds 2. trying to understand every word. 3. cant understand fast, natural native speech. 4. find it difficult to keep up 5. Get tired

3. METHODOLOGICAL LISTENING STEP 1: PRE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES

A. Vocabulary B. Background Information C. Interest D. Motivation 1. 2. 3. Interest Purpose Specific Task

MODEL

FOR

STEP 2: WHILE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES TYPES OF WHILE READING ACTIVITIES 1. Short Responses

a. Obeying instructions b. Ticking off items c. True/False d. Detecting mistakes e. Cloze f. Guessing definitions g. Skimming & scanning

2. Longer Responses
a. Answering questions b. Note-taking c. Paraphrasing d. Summarising e. Long gap-filling

3. Extended Responses a. Problem-solving

b. Interpretation

STEP 3: POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES

4. THE EQUIPMENT

V. LISTENING WITH VIDEO

A. Types of Video
Authentic Bought, or recorded from television.
Feature films (fiction) Cartoons Documentaries News/ Weather Interviews Game shows (often based on words) Ads/ Commercials realistic interesting up-to-date original inexpensive mainly for higher levels no prepared workbook/ exercises

Made for Language Teaching Specifically designed for learning the target language. Produced by all the major publishers.
General courses Listening practice How to (eg presentations)

Strong Points

Strong Points
adapted to level practise specific structure/ vocabulary come w/ workbooks cued w/ minutes/ seconds rather unrealistic can be boring expensive date easily

Weak Points

Weak Points

B. Video-Specific Techniques:
1. Silent viewing

2. Freeze frame
3. Sound only

C. Methods of Exploiting Language

Grammar - tenses: Whats he doing/ going to do/ just done? - retell the sequence - prepositions: Wheres his hand? Vocabulary - description (scenes/ people/ objects) Listening - general comprehension - specific information (names, dates, numbers) Speaking - discussion (before/ during/ after: opinion, body language, acting, filming, etc.) - prediction (guess the end/ create interest) Writing - summary