Active listening techniques for

Trinity exam success

Richard Bradley
 Outcomes
By the end of the webinar…

…we will have considered how listening skills can and should be
taught rather than merely practiced.
…we will have examined various practical active listening techniques
and strategies suitable both for Trinity exam preparation/practice
and general listening skills development.
…we will have seen a range of effective online tools and resources
for listening skills development.
Course of study

HOME-
WORK

LESSON
(Listening Practice)
 Course of study

Listening Practice
Teaching students
SYNCHRONOUS
how to listen

ASYNCHRONOUS
(linear, non-linear, mixed)
`If they can´t say it, they can´t hear it.´
Probably the hardest thing about
understanding spoken English is
that English is a stress-timed
language. German is another
example of a stress-timed
language, while Spanish is syllable
–timed.
Probably the hardest thing about
understanding spoken English is
that English is a stress-timed
language. German is another
example of a stress-timed
language, while Spanish is syllable
–timed.
 Preparing a text to read aloud…developing
pronunciation awareness (Adrian Underhill)
´I have a dream that my four 1. Divide text into meaningful
little children will one day live chunks (that you can pause after)
in a nation where they will
not be judged by the colour of
their skin but by the content
of their character. I have a
dream today.`
Martin Luther King Jr. (1963)
 Preparing a text to read aloud…developing
pronunciation awareness
´I have a dream / that my four 1. Divide text into meaningful
little children/ will one day/ chunks (that you can pause after)
live in a nation/ where they 2. Highlight/underline all the
will not be judged by the stressed syllables
colour of their skin/ but by
the content of their
character./ I have a dream
today.`
Martin Luther King Jr. (1963)
 Preparing a text to read aloud…developing
pronunciation awareness
´I have a dream / that my four
little children/ will one day/
live in a nation/ where they
will not be judged by the
colour of their skin/ but by
the content of their
character./ I have a dream
today.`
Martin Luther King Jr. (1963)
1. Divide text into meaningful
chunks (that you can pause after)
2. Highlight/underline all the
stressed syllables.
3. Highlight/underline EXTRA-
stressed syllables (your own
interpretation).
 Preparing a text to read aloud…developing
pronunciation awareness
´I have a dream / that my four
little children/ will one day/
live in a nation/ where they
will not be judged by the
colour of their skin/ but by
the content of their
character./ I have a dream
today.`
Martin Luther King Jr. (1963)
1. Divide text into meaningful
chunks (that you can pause after)
2. Highlight/underline all the
stressed syllables.
3. Highlight/underline EXTRA-
stressed syllables (your own
interpretation).
4. Highlight/underline the schwa
/ə/. (When some syllables
become less clear, the
meaning becomes clearer)
 Preparing a text to read aloud…developing
pronunciation awareness (Adrian Underwood)
´I have a dream / that my 1. Divide text into meaningful
four little children/ will one chunks (that you can pause after)
day/ live in a nation/ where 2. Highlight/underline all the
stressed syllables.
they will not be judged by the
3. Highlight/underline EXTRA-
colour of their skin/ but by stressed syllables (your own
the content of their interpretation).
character./ I have a dream 4. Highlight/underline the schwa
today.` /ə/. (When some syllables
become less clear, the
Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) meaning becomes clearer)
 Dictations…
for raising awareness, not for testing

Mary was bored with life. She bit into her sandwich and
nodded her head to the beat of the juke-box. Suddenly
she looked up. Through the green-glazed window she
saw and heard an ancient blue Volvo screeching to a halt.
Out jumped a heavily armed gang of Cytherian human-
snatchers. `Not again,´ she muttered. She really wished
she had gone to a different pub. (By Me, inspired by
Robert Rankin)
 Trinity College London GESE and ISE exams

ANALYSE the commonalities and specific difficulties of each listening task

type…

TEACH the students about the commonalities and how to overcome these
difficulties…

GIVE/SHOW the students the resources to practice independently…

ISE Foundation (A2) ISE 1 (B1)
Factual Factual
NUMBERS/YEARS NUMBERS/YEARS
COUNTRIES/CONTINENTS COUNTRIES/CONTINENTS
SIMPLE BIOGRAPHIES SIMPLE BIOGRAPHIES
READING MAPS AND PLANS
(left/right top/bottom
prepositions of place
Trinity College London GESE and ISE exams
C omprehend

Retain (through memory or note-taking)

Respond
Note-taking and memorisation
 Note-taking (All ISE exams)
Graphic organisers
 3. Biography (ISE F/I)

1. The pros and cons of….. (ISE II)

2. Two children discussing what they

like about school… 4. More complex
responses (ISE III)
`We need to TEACH listening in our
schools, as a skill.` Julian Treasure
Receive

Appreciate

S ummarise

Ask
 Show and Tell
Extremely useful practice for…GESE Receive
and ISE A2/B1 Topic task
Appreciate

Summarise

Ask
 Interactive phase (GESE B2-C2)
Collaborative task (ISE B2-C2)
GESE Grade 7 (B2) Interactive task prompt. • Receive
For the next part, I`ll tell you something. Then, you have to
ask me questions to find out more information and make
comments. You need to keep the conversation going. • Appreciate
After four minutes, I`ll end the conversation. Are you
ready?
Many teenagers that I know, want to study at a university • Summarise
that is a long way from their home. I think there are two
sides to this.
(nb The language functions of the grade are being tested)
• Ask
(trinitycollege.com/qualifications/english-language/English-support-resources)
 The teacher as the Expert Listener
Non-verbal communication -
Demonstrate you are engaged, listen
with your eyes.
Verbal communication –
Keep your talking turns concise.
Keep the focus on them.
``Yes, that makes sense.``
``Exactly.``
At the end, ask a searching, deep
question.
Not just ``Very interesting. Thank
you for sharing.``
Give plenty of time for the student
to think and answer fully.
 Most people do
not listen with the
intent to Listening does
understand; they not mean
listen with the waiting to
When you talk, you intent to reply. speak!
are only repeating - Stephen Covey
what you already
know. But if you
listen, you may learn
LISTEN is an anagram If we were supposed
something new.
of to talk more than we
- Dalai Lama
SILENT listen, we`d have two
tongues and one ear.
- Mark Twain
Attitude to learning
 Curiosity is the motor of learning
APK KWL chart
Activate Prior Knowledge

One thing you know for sure

about the topic
One thing you think you know but
want to check
One thing some people say is true
but probably isn`t
Don`t just listen once and give up!

1. Listen for gist

2. Listen for more detail

3. Closer study with transcript

 Don`t just listen once and give up!
An iterative process…

for the teacher and each student.

meta-cognition
 Carol Dweck

YET!
Growth mindset

Not a fixed mindset

 Motivate!
ARCS Model of Motivation

John Keller
 …for younger learners?
• A…Watch this very short film of
my
daughter/son/sister/partner/best
friend talking about what…
• R…they can and can`t do.
• they like and don`t like doing.
• they did at the weekend.
• they are going to do in the
summer.
•
• C…Write down THREE
activities/things.
• Compare with your partner.
• Share with the class.
• Write ANY question you
would like to ask her/him.
(S…She/he will answer ALL
the questions in another film)
 Make active listening to English a daily ritual

A ritual
An action that is always done at a
fixed time and in the same way,
especially as part of a religious
or other ceremony.
 Asynchronous or synchronous?

Online resources
Children make recordings for classmates to
listen to…
Voki.com

Fotobabble.com

Storyjumper.com
 Jigsaw Listening
Similarities Rank and justify
and e.g. a travel destination,
differences book, university

Part to whole
e.g. building a
Jumbled excerpts biography of
to put in order someone
(and narrative
completion)
Emma Reed Julia Jojo

QuaranTeens
Jack Juno Gabrielle Henry
Teenagers reveal what
being in quarantine
during covid-19 is
Jackson Evan Max
really like.
ME
YouTube
 Practising dictations
Breakingnewsenglish.com/dictation.html
 `If they can´t say it, they can´t hear it.´

Chat-box phrase…

Youglish.com
BBC 6 minute English
(intermediate level)

Randall`s ESL Cyber Listening Lab

(AmE) esl-lab.com

Elllo.org
So…

…we considered how listening skills can and should be taught rather
than merely practiced.
…we examined various practical active listening techniques and
strategies suitable both for Trinity exam preparation/practice and
general listening skills development.
…we saw a range of effective online tools and resources for listening
skills development.
 Thank you
Facebook
Richard Bradley. Think the World
 Resources:
trinitycollege.com/qualifications/english-
References: language/English-support-resources
Field, J. (2010) Listening in the BBC.co.uk 6 minute English
Language classroom. UK: CUP. Randall`s ESL Cyber Listening Lab esl-
Dweck, C. (2017) Mindset: lab.com
changing the way you think to Elllo.org
fulfil your potential. UK: LBB
group Youglish.com
Treasure, J. (2017) How to be Breakingnewsenglish.com/dictation.html
heard. UK: Mango.
Voki.com
Fotobabble.com
Storyjumper.com