English Learning Strategies_the case of Listening Mr. Ying Liu ( 刘鹰 ) Students’ English Times 《学生双语报》

Students' Ensligh Times New Curriculum Standard and Learning Strategies Learning strategies: a short history. –Learning strategy, along with affect and attitude, cultural awareness ( 情感态度、文化意识 )is one of the three new goals defined in the new curriculum standard –Learning Strategies have been an area of intensive study in the west for the past few decades

Students' Ensligh Times The present situation in China Research –Few research projects or books on the subject yet in china –Learning strategies for Chinese students is not well researched Teachers –Few teachers are helping their students to develop efficient learning strategies

Students' Ensligh Times Layout of the Presentation Methods v.s Strategies Why Learning Strategies What Constitutes learning Strategies Learning Styles ： A Brief Introduction Global Learning Strategies: A Brief Introduction Specific Learning Strategies: using listening as a case study Questions and Answers

Students' Ensligh Times Methods V.S. Strategies Learning methods –Learning methods are well known notion in China –There are many different kinds of methods –Learning methods focused on skills, not learners Learning strategies –Focused on learners, instead of skills –Work at what be learnt, not what can be taught –Systematic, comprehensive, individualized and well documented process ( 系统性、全面性、个性化、文 档化 )

Students' Ensligh Times Why Learning Strategies? People learn differently Students apply their own strategies when learning,though they may not be conscious about them Without guidance, students own strategies can be inefficient

Students' Ensligh Times Benefits of Learning Strategies Teachers’ benefits –Learning Strategies make students efficient learners –Efficient learners are easy to teach Students’ benefits –Efficient learners are successful learners in many aspects –Efficient learners are happy learners and enjoy learning more

Students' Ensligh Times What Constitutes Learning Strategy Learner’s learning styles 学习风格 –Different learners have different learning styles Global Strategies 整体学习策略 –Planning, monitoring, assessing and documentation Specific Strategies 技能相关策略 –Listening, reading, writing, speaking and communication and interaction

Students' Ensligh Times Learning Styles: Oxford Cognitive 认知类型的区别 –Visual or auditory 视觉与听觉 –Logical or intuitive 逻辑与直觉 –Holistic or analytic 整体与分析 Personality 人格类型的区别 –Introvert or extrovert 内向与外向 –Thinking or feeling 思维与感觉 –Closure or Open 封闭与开放

Students' Ensligh Times Global Strategies Planning –Target oriented Monitoring –Regular and Irregular –Self, Collective, and Supervising Accessing –Formal and Informal Documenting –Written and shared

Students' Ensligh Times Target Oriented Planning:smart System Specific 具体的 Measurable 可量度的 Attainable 可取得的 Relevant 相关的 Traceable 可追踪的

Students' Ensligh Times Listening Comprehension Why Listening Comprehension –Most poorly developed in China Low scores on every level of test Poor performance The Most Important Skill –Speaking –Writing –Learning in general Readily Available

Students' Ensligh Times Listening Strategy: An Overview Problems –Listening has been a big problem at all levels of education –No systematically designed strategies in either teaching or learning Resources –Abundant –Neither efficient nor systematic, only focused on tests types, with few exceptions

Students' Ensligh Times Four Dimensions of Listening Transactional Language Functions –Message oriented and Business type Inter_actional Language Functions –Person oriented and Social type Top down processing –Prior knowledge and general idea Bottom up processing –Sounds to words, structure to meaning

Students' Ensligh Times Four Modes in Listening Top down mode –Inter_actional: party talk –Transactional: travel safety rules Bottom up mode –Interactional: jokes –Transactional: instructions on testing

Students' Ensligh Times Four Kinds of Listening Practices Listening and Repeating –To listen and repeat or memorize Listening and Answering Comprehension Questions –Widely used in testing Task Listening –To listen and do something with the information Interactive Listening –Real life conversations

Students' Ensligh Times Systematic Training Programs for Listening (I) Interactive listing –Only possible for a tiny percentage of students –Has little practical relevance for most Chinese students A systematic programs for Chinese students should include listening and repeating, task listening and listening and answer comprehension questions Task listening should be the center of gravity

Students' Ensligh Times Systematic Training Programs for Listening (II) Good for beginners To get familiar with sounds of English words and the language flow of English Single word level: stress of syllabus Sentence level:tones, stress and rhythm Materials should be simple and slow Recognition of sounds in stead of meanings Move to task listening as soon as possible

Students' Ensligh Times Systematic Training Programs for Listening (III) Task Listening –A practical and good strategy for real life interactive listening as well as testing Task listening as a center –Listening materials, from simple,slow,created listening materials to real life materials,e.g new broadcasting and movies, songs and lectures, speeches etc –Tasks, from simple and created tasks for specific skills to real life tasks

Students' Ensligh Times Systematic Training Programs for Listening (IV) Listing and Answering Comprehension Questions –Useful only in testing setting, and should be treated as such Focus should be on types of comprehension questions and skills that will help students answer them with the least effort – Should be the last stage of training –Should take the minimum time required for the test preparation

Students' Ensligh Times From Sound to Sentences: A Micro Skill Study Sound May Change in Language Flow –Sound Change with a Reason: contents or functional Stress and Rhythm: two critical points for fluent listening compression –Stress, what sounds clear and similar or same as the sound in dictionaries –Rhythm, what is connected and where to pause

Students' Ensligh Times DIY Cloze Test For Listening （ I ） Start with a short passage that is between 3 to 5 minutes Play no more than three times, and ask students take down what they can hear clearly, and for the words that can’t be heard clearly use underlines instead Ask the students fill the underlined space with the appreciate words

Students' Ensligh Times DIY Cloze Test for Listening (II) Check the finished passage with the original scripts and make corrections If the mistakes are within 10-15% range move to the last step Play the passage again, and ask the students compare the sounds of underlined words with the sounds described in dictionaries and find out why.

Students' Ensligh Times Summary Why Learning Strategies Global Learning Strategies Specific Learning Strategies: listening comprehension

Students' Ensligh Times Contact Information 刘鹰 《学生双语报》 电话： Official Website: Personal Website: