Chapter 4

Listening for advanced level learners

Helgesen, M. & Brown, S. (2007). Listening [w/CD]. McGraw-Hill: New York.

ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines

• Summaries of all ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines• This book discusses listening for novice,

intermediate, and advanced proficiency language learners.

• This chapter focuses on advanced learners.

Advanced Listening Abilities

• Able to understand:– Main ideas and most details– Speech about a variety of topics, including those

beyond the immediate situation.– Interviews, short lectures if the topic is familiar,

and factual reports such as the news.

Discourse Issues

• At this level, learners need to improve listening to longer texts

• This is often ESP (English for specific purposes)– EAP (English for academic purposes)– Job/career listening skills

• Also– Interpersonal skills– Disorganized or non-linear listening

Cultural Issues

• Connotations are the hidden meanings behind language.– There is a need to go beyond dictionary definitions.

• Cultural literacy is the ability understand culturally embedded language, norms, expectations, and so forth.

• Issues of L1 interference in listening, speaking, and (non-)verbal feedback (back channeling).

Authentic Texts

• The use of “authentic” materials is a significant focus in CLT– Genuine text authenticity

• Created for real-life purpose. Not intended as a teaching aid. Not altered for the classroom

– Altered text authenticity• No change in meaning (or language). Extracts or shorter segments are presented for

easier consumption.

– Adapted text authenticity• Meaning is the same, but the original has been edited for use in a classroom

(vocabulary/grammar). The information is authentic, but the form is not.– Elaborated text

– Simulated text authenticity• Text was created specifically for the classroom, but it was created as if it were for an

authentic use

– Inauthentic texts• Created with little concern for the appearance of authenticity

Authentic Tasks

• Target tasks (real world) vs. Pedagogical tasks (classroom)– Genuine task authenticity

• Tasks done in ways and for reasons they would be in the real world.

– Simulated task authenticity• Task that reflects a real world task, but modifies it for

classroom practice and assessment.

– Pedagogical task authenticity• No attempt is made to make the task resemble a real world

task.

Build on what learners already know about listening

• Build on what learners already know about listening.– Techniques used with lower-level learners can be paired

with more difficult texts.• Increased difficulty of tasks– More sophisticated learning strategies (pp. 65-68)

• Metacognitive strategies– Strategies that cause us to evaluate our own learning

processes.• Self-regulation, Meta-memory, & Meta-comprehension• Questioning, reflecting, journaling, planning, etc…

Teach the culture as well as the language

• Provide cultural information that is not always included in activities with authentic materials.

• As a teacher, you need to take the time to learn this cultural information as well to better serve your learners.

• Draw connections between your students’ background and the background shared by participants in the text

Help learners understand the structure of longer texts

• Help learners understand common formats of different genres: lectures, stories, news reports, etc…

• Micro-skills (pp. 109-110) (mostly for lectures, but true for many genres)– Identify:

• What the lecture is about• How topic changes over time• Main ideas and their connections• Relationship between different parts (cause/effect, main argument, conclusion)• Discourse markers (connecting words/phrases)• Picking out important information and topic changes from language and voice.• Vocabulary• Understanding words from context• Speaker’s attitude (language, tone, etc.)

– Recognize• Difference between relevant and irrelevant topics• Body language used to indicate important ideas, changes in topic, etc.

Tasks and Materials

• Condensing– Collecting and organizing information.

• Extending– Providing opinions, predictions, rationales, and so forth

that go beyond the text.• Modeling– Listening as an example of how learners can interact, such

as role plays.• Conversing• Songs, movies, TV, & stories

Assessment

• Focus on norm-referenced tests (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, etc.)– TOEIC

• Listen to question, choose best response• Main ideas and details based on short conversation• Short talk or announcement and answer questions about main ideas, details, and purpose of

speaker.

– Responsive listening – listen and choose from several answers.– Information transfer questions – Choose picture or other response based on

short text.• Classroom assessment for beginner/intermediate works as well.• Portfolio

– Selective collection of learner’s work with reflections on their performance. • Listening activities from both inside and outside of class.• Formal assessments as well as informal activities.

– Digital portfolios provide many options for use with multimedia.

Hints

• Great general listening hints (origin pp. 120-121)– Don’t try to listen to all the words and sentences.– Don’t stop listening when facing unknown words.– Don’t focus on sentence structures.– Don’t try to translate the dialogues into your first

language.