CONCEPT:

One broad definition of listening is:  

Constructing meaning through conscious attention to a source.

The source doesn’t actually have to come through the ears, or only through the ears, but generally there is an audio component to listening. 

Key terms are:

Constructing = the listener is the one who creates the meaning (not the input source)

Conscious = the listener sets an intention and exerts a conscious effort to arrive at meaning

Attention = the listener is making decisions about how to process the input

Source = what is available for the the listener to attend to

So when teaching listening you obviously need to select the sources you will use.  

holophrases

lists

announcements

news broadcasts

documentaries 

interviews 

dialogues

jokes

riddles

internal monologues

oral exams

office visits

consultations

sales calls 

oral presentations

songs

hymns

poems

prayers

chants

sermons

plays

stories 

anecdotes

children’s stories 

directions

demonstrations

debates

stand up comedy acts 

acting exercises 

religious sermons

rituals 

small talk (situational chat)

meetings

colloquiums 

seances

dreams

guided visualizations

audiobooks 

lectures (academic)

talks (e.g. TED talks)

social conversations

transactional conversations

TV programs

advertisements 
News broadcasts

Movies

…And all of these can be “authentic” (naturally occurring between fluent speakers) or “pedagogic” (altered to make them accessible to learners)

… And all of these can be presented in different media – live, audio only, video, audio-video, audio + text or graphics, video + text 

Staging the input

input will always be “manipulated” or “staged” in some way:

• selected by instructor to feature certain themes

• prepared by instructor to highlight various instructional targets (like vocabulary items or functions or grammar items)

• accompanied with text or visual imagery

• chunked into “digestible” bits

• paused at various points

• played or performed at variable speeds

• repeated in whole or in part

 

PERSONALIZE IT: 

•  What is the “optimal input” for your students?  Why do you think so? 

• Select 5 of these sources that you think are suitable for your students.

• For each source, identify at least one accessible resource that you can use right away. 

Share your responses.  Offer support and suggestions to your partner. 

About The Author

, Input Sources, Lateral Communications
Michael Rost, principal author of Pearson English Interactive, has been active in the areas of language teaching, learning technology and language acquisition research for over 25 years. His interest in bilingualism and language education began in the Peace Corps in West Africa and was fuelled during his 10 years as an educator in Japan and extensive touring as a lecturer in East Asia and Latin America. Formerly on the faculty of the TESOL programs at Temple University and the University of California, Berkeley, Michael now works as an independent researcher, author, and speaker based in San Francisco.