Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Welcome to Listening Methodologies
Hi Everyone! I have decided to create a blog for the class, so that it is easier for us to have discussions about the readings and homework assignments throughout the week. This week, you should be adding your comments to the the two questions we discussed in class, as well as the questions that I wrote on the board. Now that you have had a little more time to think about it, I would like you to share you thoughts.
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7 comments:
To add to the discussion, just click "comments" here, and we will be able to read it!
Emiko Mido
1. First, we can use movies, songs, dialogues, and news from internet as a listening activity. At that time, We should prepare exercises for comprehension check(ex. fill in the blanks, true or false), and enough information to let students understand what the speaks say.
Second, we can use games. For example, teacher has a picture and he describes the picture verbally. Students listen to the teacher and draw the picture by following what the teacher says.
Third, we can let students have a discussion. If students cannot listen to what the other student says, they cannot precede it, so they will try to listen to each other carefully.
2.We can use quiz, true or false, questions which is related to the context. Those ideas are based on the paper work, but we can make sure their comprehension verbally, too. For example, we can ask questions which students can answer immediately. We can use activities like "Simon says~."
3. Movies, CDs, internet
4.Personally, I don't recommend students use a dictionary during the class because they can learn a lot from their teacher. However, I think dictionary use is helpful as self study increase vocabulary. Some people say that pronunciation sounds weird because it comes out through the speaker, but I believe that students can get ideas from that and practice saying that word by themselvres,so I think dictionary use is a good idea.
5.Absolutely,no. A lot of students have trouble to catch the speakers who are out of school. That's why many students want to stay with host families or join conversation partner program.
6. We can learn grammar and speaking by listening. That's the way how babies learn their native languages. In addition, we cannot pronounce the words without hearing, so listening influences speaking a lot. However, if we want to write and read English sentences, we need education for them. This means we cannot learn them only by listening like grammar and speaking. Therefore, I don't think reading and writing connect with listening directly.
1. In the context of English as a second/foreign language, how can we teach listening?
I think repetition and practice are the most effective and important things in language learning and teaching. For these, we can use CD, cassette player, computer, etc. However, these kinds of activities seem to be boring. To make it up, we can tell the students some interesting stories related to what they're listening, or have them play some fun games. These are also good listening activities. And a lot of compliment and encouragement for an each student is also very important.
2. How can we know that our students have successfully listened to something?
There are a few ways to test students' listening. First, we use a quiz or test. The cloze test is a very good example. The test can require the students to express the main idea or the supporting details. Also, we can just ask students what they listened to. Having the students make a visible task is very good way, too. For example, doing what they listen to, finding the right place on the map listening to a given direction, cooking, drawing, and so on.
3. Types of media that can be used
CD, computer, TV, Internet, available English speakers
4. What about dictionary use?
As I already said in the class, I don't like dictionary use in the listening class because it disturbs the students' concentration on the listening. If they look up a word or an expression in the dictionary, they see the spelling, and they begin to depend on it, not the sound any more.
5. Should the teacher be the only person the students should practice listening to?
I don't think so. The teachers usually speak more clearly and slowly in the class than other people. For successful listening, the students should practice listening to as many English speakers as possible. Watching TV and listening to the news, interviews, and songs can be also good ways for the students.
6. How does listening connect with the other skills?
Listening is the basic skill for other skills. Language learning starts from listening. When we are familiar with and recognize what we listen to, we pronounce it. This is the beginning of speaking. After this, we learn letters to read and write. If we know and recognize the exact sound, learning letters is easier. It is because the sound is very closely related to the spell, not 100% though. So, listening should precede reading and writing. For grammar, if we listen to a pattern sentences enough to be familiar with that, it is memorized of itself, so we even don't need to think about the grammar. In this way, listening should be followed by other skills.
1. I think that listening activity may be the best through the conversation with teachers and students. For the non-native speaker teacher like us,the teachers can use many aims for listening teaching such as CD player, computers. there are good flash file and programs for listening activities in many ESL sites. many good activities can be helpful for listening teaching also like interview activity which is effective for concentrating on information between speakers and listeners and communication skills. Showing students how to listening with using imagination can be a good part of teaching because we listen usually some certain information that we need. In case of this listening, using imagination in our brain is helpful.
2. For checking students' successful listening, we can use TPR(Total Physical Responses) for quick checking, and simple quiz such as filling the cloze for questions for information will be good after the end of class. For advance classes, summary of article or news by oral or writing can be good. Having them dictate and compose about listening topic can be good because these activities may not be completed without understanding the listening.
3. Cassette, CD player, Drama, Movie, News, Audio books, etc.
4. I don’t recommend English dictionary in class. Although, using dictionary enables listening activities to connect with speaking or other parts of ESL. For example, students can check the words spelling that they heard but they don’t know. However, I think listening is a kind of part of communication skills. There is seldom someone who communicates with dictionary.
5. No. students can practice anywhere, anytime. With native speaker friends, in a market, while watching TV or even during parties. Listening practice can be everywhere. In addition, listening in real life might be more helpful than in class because there are connected with students’ lives directly. It makes communication skills effective.
6. Listening skills can be connected with any skills because listening is input skills in communication. Other skill can connect with listening in many ways. For example, in casual conversation, we should use listening and speaking at the same time and we also use listening when we are watching TV or movie. In case of grammar, one of my friends sometimes uses reading the sentence and listening for grammar correction. She practice a lot of watching and listening the drama, ‘Friends’ so she used to use grammar naturally. As those reasons, I think listening cannot be perfect without other communication skills
There are a variety of methods and tools to teach listening. CD's provide music and dialogue. Film can also be used. One great tool mention in class is the use of the Internet. It provides access to just about every kind of media.
We can gauge whether students have understood through comprehension checks throughout the teaching and from the results of student production (in various forms such as exams, cloze exercises, etc).
In reference to the use of dictionaries in the classroom, I think it's ok to use - as it provides quick access to meanings - but should be used sparingly. In real conversations, we won't usually use a dictionary, and in order to best prepare for an actual conversation, students should try to refrain from using them.
The teacher shouldn't be the only voice that students listen to. Real conversations don't just take place with one voice and so practices shouldn't just use one voice either. We can use recorded dialogues, our own voices, student voices, and etc. This helps to simulate the varying speeds of speech in natural contexts - which is what students will probably have to deal with.
Listening and speaking are very closely related. It is impossible to learn how to speak a second language if one has never heard it. Like a child, learners first learn through lots of listening. Grammar if often inductively learned through listening. Grammar patterns in speech associates the learning of grammar with listening. Writing and listening are not as closely related but students can write what they hear. The ability to do both in a foreign language can be an activity for advanced students.
1- I think there are lots of the way to teach listening with variety material, such as song and movie.
2- In the class, we can use the comprehension check to make sure whether students have successfully listened to something or not. With the simple question, test, and quiz during the class, teacher can check about understanding of contents. In the concrete, there are many activities to do that like fill in the blank, fill in the cloze, true or false, asking the question to the one of the class or all the students.
3-Available English audio materials, for example DVD, CD, Movie, News, internet
4. Suppose to that I am a teacher and I have a class in ESL, maybe I will prohibit to use the dictionary in my class. Because I think students can’t get a chance to guess the meaning of the new vocabulary, if students use the dictionary. In my case, whenever I find the new word in the class, first time I don’t check the meaning using the dictionary and I try to figure out the meaning by myself. After that, I use the dictionary, because I think it is the best way to remember the meaning of the new word. When I find the meaning with the dictionary in the first time, I forget the word easily. Therefore I don’t like use the dictionary in the class.
5. I think that is not good way to the students, because students have to familiar with many native speakers as they can as possible. Most people have their own way to speak, such as intonation, speaking speed, and pronunciation. Therefore teacher can’t be the only person the students should practice listening. It is not good way.
6. All the part of the English learning is connected with each other parts, especially listenig is the fundamental part of language development. We can improve speaking ability and we can make plentiful in writing by listening. When we listen the other people’s speaking, we can learn new expression, so we can use that expression in speaking and writing. Therefore I think listening is the basic part in the language.
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