Teaching Listening LLT 307!

The Nature of the L2 Listening Process Level-appropriate input  development (i.e., Krashen’s comprehensible input) Listening is fundamental to speaking DISCUSS: 1. What do you think are second language learners’ greatest difficulties with listening? 2. To what extent do you think listening can be taught? What do you think the role of the teacher is in a listening class? 3. RQ1: Second sentence of the chapter – No other type of language input is as easy to process as spoken language, received through listening. Do you agree with this statement? Why (not)? 4. RQ3: (Starting on p. 88) – What is meant by “bottom-up” and “top-down” listening. How/where does “schemata” fit in? And how could these models be represented visually? (Try drawing them out.) 5. Post Q1: The reading says little to nothing about integrating skills. How can listening activities be integrated with other skills? 6. Post Q2 : What are some types of pre-activities that might help learners comprehend and carry out listening tasks?

Top Down vs. Bottom Up Bottom Up processes rely on: Sounds (phonemes; [k] [t] [b] [p]) Words Phrases Top Down processes rely on: Context Topic World Text

Beginners-Activities Topics of immediate/personal relevance Bottom Up Discriminate intonation contours Discriminate phonemes (e.g., minimal pairs) ID morphological endings Recognize syllables and stress Be aware of fillers Select specific info. Top Down Discriminate emotion Get the gist Recognize topic Both Formal or Informal? Relate words  Categories Compare incoming info. to memory/experience

Intermediate-Activities Bottom Up Stress for content and function words Find stressed syllable Recognize words w/ reduced syllables Recognize linked words Recognize pertinent details Top Down ID register and tone ID speaker/topic ID main idea and details Inferences Both Stress for intent Recognize missing grammar (e.g., morphemes)

Advanced Focus on idioms, vocabulary, nuance A qualitative shift—using L2 to acquire content knowledge Top Down Predict content from topic, intro., direction, 1 section to next ID main idea ID point of view Both Use discourse markers to predict content Bottom up Use stress to recognize asides ID written and spoken contrasts ID ignorable performance slips ID definition markers

Pre-Post Framework for Listening Pre-listening Introduce new/important/targeted vocab Background info / activate schema While-listening Extensive listening (longer text) followed by general questions establishing context Intensive listening (shorter, repeated text) followed by detailed comprehension questions Post-listening Analysis of the language in the text inferring meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary

Design a Listening Activity Write (or find and modify) a simulated but authentic text, and decide what learners will do before, during, and after listening. Considerations L1, age/grade, proficiency, subject (if relevant) Principles on p. 89 of Peterson (2001)  Focus on bottom-up or top-down listening or both? Objectives Pre-post framework Contextualized, meaningful (vs. mechanical) Multiple areas of communicative competence? Strategies needed/helpful? Assessment

Assessing Listening The “classic” listening assessment (Pros? Cons?) Issues/challenges Impossible to assess directly (Appropriate) combination of top-down and bottom-up items Listening subsumes other skills/knowledge Responding to listening requires other skills/knowledge Unauthentic to just listen ACTFL Guidelines for Listening: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/otherresources/actflproficiencyguidelines/ACTFLGuidelinesListening.htm