Effective Listening Strategies with Tactics for Listening

Rob Peacock
Oxford University Press
Oxford and Suken Seminar for Secondary Teachers
2015
Session Aims

• Challenges of Teaching Listening

• Understanding the Listening Process
• Classroom Activities
• Links to Testing
• Tactics for Listening
• Questions
Today’s Presenter

• Rob Peacock
• From Hereford, England
Hereford

*
Today’s Presenter

• Rob Peacock
• From Hereford, England
• 15 years in Japan
• Oxford University Press Teacher Trainer
• 10 years teaching
How not to teach listening
How Not to Teach Listening

• What problems would your students have?

• What can the teacher do to help?
Some common listening
challenges

• Lack of motivation
• Students listen word for word
• New vocabulary
• Students cannot recognize words they know
• Sounds of English hard to recognize
• Students cannot produce language
Stages of listening

1. Pre-listening
2. While-listening
3. Post-listening
Top-down and bottom-up
processing

Bottom-up processes
Understanding the message piece-by-piece from the
speech stream
Top-down processes
Drawing on the listener's own prior knowledge to
help decode the message
Nation, I.S.P., and Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and
speaking. New York and London: Routledge.
Pre-listening
Half a crossword – student A
a d v e n t u r e

p a i n t i n g

g a r d e n i n g

c o l l e c t

o u t d o o r s
Half a crossword – student B
n
a
p t
a u h
s r i c
t e s o
i f t n
m r o c
e e r e
e y r
t t
i
m
e
Half a crossword – student A
a d v e n t u r e

p a i n t i n g

g a r d e n i n g

c o l l e c t

o u t d o o r s
Half a crossword – student B
n
a
p t
a u h
s r i c
t e s o
i f t n
m r o c
e e r e
e y r
t t
i
m
e
Pre-listening
For each photo, write 3 nouns and 3 verbs
Pre-listening
Write as many questions as you can.
What… Why…
When… Where…
How… Does/ Is he/she… Erica

Zach
Which activity does each person enjoy doing now?
Enjoy - like, love, my favorite, I’m happy …(ing)

Now - these days, nowadays, now

Past - when I was younger, a child/kid, used to

Pre-listening

• Set context
• Make predictions
• Create motivation, interest and purpose
• Top-down processes
a a? e? f?
f a? e? f?
b a? b? f?
c a? c? e? f?
e b? e? f?
Listening for details
Which phrase gave you the answer?
Zach: That’s what I like best about it.

Erica: That’s what I like best about it.

Brian: The best thing is that...

Evan: What I like best is...

Danielle: What I enjoy most is...

Marcus: What I love best is...

While-listening

• Confirm predictions
• Top-down and bottom-up processes
• Specific listening tasks
• Listening strategies
• From gist to detailed understanding
Post listening: pronunciation
Listen and mark the stressed syllable in
the underlined word.
/
1. He collects comic books.

/
2. They love playing golf.

/
3. She enjoys watching videos.
Post listening: dictation
Listen to the conversation. Write
the missing words.

A: What do you do in your free time, Lara?

B: I used to enjoy __________, but now I like _______ and
_________ .
A: Oh, not me! I enjoy collecting things. I collect _________
cards.
B: Do you do anything else?
A: Yes, I really enjoy __________ the internet and listening to
_________ .
Post listening: dictation
Listen to the conversation.
Write the missing words.

B: Do you play any sports?

A: I go ________ and _______________ in the winter. How
about you?
B: I like summer sports. I enjoy ___________ and ________ .
Post listening: dictation
Listen to the conversation. Write
the missing words.

A: What do you do in your free time, Lara?

painting but now I likecooking
B: I used to enjoy __________, _______ and
_________ .
gardening
baseball
A: Oh, not me! I enjoy collecting things. I collect _________
cards.
B: Do you do anything else?
surfing the internet and listening to
A: Yes, I really enjoy __________
music .
_________
Post listening: dictation
Listen to the conversation. Write
the missing words.

B: Do you play any sports?

skiing and snowboarding
A: I go ________ _______________ in the winter. How
about you?
hiking .
swimming and ________
B: I like summer sports. I enjoy ___________
Post listening: speaking

Work in pairs. Think about your own

hobbies and pastimes. Ask and answer
questions about them with a partner.
Post-listening

• Expand on theme
• From receptive to productive skills
• Pronunciation practice
• Dictation
• Conversation practice
Stages of listening

1. Pre-listening
2. While-listening
3. Post-listening
TOEIC Listening Test Part 1:
Photographs
Pre-listening
For each photo, write 3 nouns and 3 verbs
TOEIC Listening Test Part 3:
Conversations
Which activity does each person enjoy doing now?
a? e? f?
a? e? f?
a? b? f?
 Tactics for Listening

 Teach off the page

 Everyday language
 High interest topics
 Supplement main text
 Test preparation
 Unit Walkthrough
4 pages per unit

▪ Getting Ready ▪ Listening 2 ▪ Listening 3 ▪ Conversation

▪ Listening 1 Corner
▪ Pronunciation
▪ Dictation
▪ Conversation
TACTICS FOR TESTING
VOCABULARY
INDEX
Clearly shows that TFL
helps build students’ vocab.
Teachers can conveniently
assign vocabulary learning
for homework.
 Teaching Resources
Teacher’s Book with Testing Program & Resource CD-ROM

▪ Unit tests (with MP3 audio tracks)

▪ Midterm and final tests in the style of standardized tests (with MP3 audio
tracks)

▪ Vocabulary and Conversation Worksheets providing unit-preview and

expansion activities
Student Resources
Audio Download Center

▪ More listening practice

ANY TIME
ANYWHERE

▪ MP3 files available:

▪ Listening 3 activities
▪ Pronunciation & Dictation activities
▪ Tactics for Testing section
 Tactics for Listening

 Teach off the page

 Everyday language
 High interest topics
 Supplement main text
 Test preparation
Some common listening
challenges

• Lack of motivation
• Students listen word for word
• New vocabulary
• Students cannot recognize words they know
• Sounds of English hard to recognize
• Students cannot produce language
Some common listening
successes

 Students engaged and motivated

 Students focused on tasks
 New vocabulary understood
 Known vocabulary recognized
 Students understand natural English
 From receptive to productive skills