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.
