Dr Miranda Hamilton

May 25th 8.30am

May 27th 2.30pm

Developing listening skills - teacher guidesNew guides for teachers for A2 Key for Schools and B1 Preliminary for Schools

Teacher guides for developing listening skills

To show how the new teacher guides can be used as training and teaching resource:

Aims for today’s webinar:

• Designed with attention to teaching, learning and assessment

• Insights into the subskills of listening

• Pedagogy with an exam focus

• Practical teaching activities with integrated audio

• Teacher resource pack – linked to the teaching activities in the guide

Welcome to the new guides

Guides for teachers plus resource packs

• Listening as a language skill

• Pedagogy of listening with an exam focus

• Preparing learners for exam success

• With tips and activities with an exam focus

Why are the new guides such a valuable resource now?When face to face professional development is not an easy option

The guides will support you to support your learners

Achieved by making links between:

Insights into the skill of listening

Insights into the skill of listeningThe guide explores the subskills of listening

Prediction is a subskill …

a. you can practise in class but it’s not practical for the exam

or …b. useful in the classroom AND in the exam

Vote now and …

POLL

add comments into the chat box

Insights into the skill of listening

Prepare to listen, prepare to understand• Highlight key words • Discuss the questions and the topic• Anticipate vocabulary

Practice makes perfect• Learners know what to look for in the

questions on exam day … quickly!• Great preparation for the exam

The guide encourages practising prediction skills in class

Insights into the skill of listening

What is bottom up processing?

a. Building meaning from small units of sounds

or … b. Using what the speaker says to make sense of unfamiliar words

Vote now and …

POLL

add comments into the chat box

The guide explores the subskills of listening

Insights into the skill of listeningThe guide cracks the jargon and shows you how to practise:

Bottom up processing • Focus on the small stuff - the units of sounds• Building meaning from the small units of sounds

Top down processing• Looking at the bigger picture• Using what the speaker says to make sense

of unfamiliar words• Working out meaning from context

The guide - insights into listeningBegins by exploring what effective listening involves

• Each subskill of listening

• A definition

• An example from every day life

• Which part of the exam tests which subskill

Subskills – the guide illustrates learner strategies in practiceAchieved with thumbnail sketches of four learners

Following directionsUses knowledge of the worldKey words and context

Diego

Keen sports fanUses knowledge of the topicKey words

Chatting with friendsShe hears a new wordGuesses from context

Anecdote about friendsListens, guesses but waits …Listens for more information

Mahtab Jana

Yinxuan

How many words?• An activity to try after completing a normal listening

• Select a short phrase from the audio to play

• Cue up and play the micro listening

Task• Count the number of words you hear after ‘but …’

Practising bottom up processing in connected speechThe guide provides an activity – weak forms in connected speech

“Yeah with my sister. She loves it but ….

assets.cambridgeenglish.org/schools/audio/preliminary-for-schools-teacher-guide-part-1--1-of-2.mp3

Task• How many words did you hear after ‘but …’

• Type the number of words you heard into the chat box

Let’s check

Practising bottom up processing in connected speechActivity idea – weak forms in connected speech - How many words?

“Yeah with my sister. She loves it but …

assets.cambridgeenglish.org/schools/audio/preliminary-for-schools-teacher-guide-part-1--1-of-2.mp3

“ …I’m not as keen as she is”

Optional follow-up activityActivity - Weak forms in connected speech

“ I’m not as keen as she is”

Listen again and discuss

• Which words are stressed?

• Why are these words stressed?

• Why don’t we hear the other words as clearly?

not

keen

she

I’m

as x 2

is

Write the micro listening phrase on the board

Type your ideas into chat box

assets.cambridgeenglish.org/schools/audio/preliminary-for-schools-teacher-guide-part-1--1-of-2.mp3

“ I’m not as keen as she is”

not

keen

she

I’m

as x 2

is

Practising bottom up processingActivity idea – weak forms in connected speech - How many words?

How does the micro listening activity help learners?

• Raises learner awareness of sounds

• Raises learner awareness of • stressed words• unstressed words• helps learners develop noticing skills

• Helps learners become better listeners

Learner and teacher perspectives

Listening in another language - from the learner perspective

Type into the chat box, now!

What are the challenges for the learner?

Thinking caps on!

The guide explores the challenges of listening for the learner and for the teacher

…I am all ears!

Listening in another language - from the learner perspective

too fasttoo noisy!

language level

can’t see the speaker’s face

pronunciation unfamiliar topic

motivation self-belief

Some of the challenges for the learner

Teaching listening from the teacher perspectivePractical considerations and challenges

Time and space in the syllabus• How much time do you have?

Access to materials and audio• Are your materials compatible for exam

preparation

Feedback and checking understanding• Checking answers and understanding

Design features and support

Design featuresHyperlinks and navigational tools– taking you where you want to go, (and back again)

All about the listening examNo more searching for the Teacher Handbook – it’s all in the guide

Each exam part

Format of each task

Task description

What is being tested

Top tips are in the guide – the DOs and DON’TsFor each stage of a listening lesson

General advice

Before listening tips

After listening tips

While listening tips

Teacher tips exchange

Type ANY top tips into the chat

ALL your ideas are welcome!

a. Check answers as soon as the recording finishes when learners can still remember what they heard

orb. Give learners time after the recording has finished before checking answers in class

Tips for developing listening skillsWhat do you think?

INSERT POLL

Vote now and … add comments into the chat box

a. Check answers as soon as the recording finishes

when learners can still remember what they heard

orb. Wait a moment after the recording has finished

before checking answers.

Allow learners thinking time to reflect, process the

information and decide on their answers

Tips for developing listening skillsThe guide recommends …

Do …

Tips with links to activitiesCheck out the tips in the guide and follow the links to the activities

Make time to discuss the distractors • Discuss why is A correct • Ask why B and C are the wrong answers

Practise strategies to check the question • Highlight key words • Analyse the question and be prepared!

Do …

Hyperlink to Activity 3

Hyperlink to Activities 2 and 3

Activities in the guidesIntegrate teaching and learning with an assessment focus

• One activity for each part of the exam• Part of a task or a complete task + audio• Sample exam papers are not supplied• BUT link to Mock Test Toolkit is given

Step by step approach to teaching listening• to build learner confidence• to develop listening skills• to develop exam strategies for listening

about the task

activity aims

prepare

instructions

What about A2 Key for Schools??

audio links

the answers

B1 Preliminary for Schools

about the task

activity aims

prepare

instructions

answers

tips

What about activity design?

A2 Key for Schools

Pedagogy with an exam focus

Pedagogy with an exam focusStep by step approach to integrating teaching, learning and assessment

Prepare to listen

• Let’s talk all about writing• Now check this out!

• What do you think?

Next steps?

• Take a look at this

You hear an announcement about a story-writing competition

• Topic?

• Number of words?

• Prize or prizes?

Type your ideas into the chat

What was the last thing you wrote?

Pedagogy with an exam focusStep by step approach to integrating teaching and learning with assessment

Almost time to listen

It’s about the competition

You don’t have all the information

Check the question, highlight key words

Play detective

Next steps?

assets.cambridgeenglish.org/schools/audio/preliminary-for-schools-teacher-guide-part-3.mp3

Listen!

Pedagogy with an exam focusTeacher tips

Tools to help you to help your learners

Playing detectives

What type of word fits the gap?

Pedagogy with an exam focusReview the steps of the activity – what did we do?

Exam strategies but in slow motion

Prepare to listen

Review the task

Listen

Listen again and check

Whole class feedback

Think about the topic of this listening – optional follow-up?

Type your ideas into the chat box

Think about the topic of the listening – optional follow-up?

Exploit the topic of the listening for writing

Write a postcard to your best friend about your day walking up the mountain, write about:

• Where you went

• Who you were with

• What the weather was like

• Ask about your friend’s holiday

A2 Key for SchoolsActivity 1: Listening Part 1 – optional follow-up

A2 Key for SchoolsNo learner left behind

Supply the f____ letter of the missing words

Supply the audioscript – read and listen

Supply the f___t and l___t letters of the missing word

Teacher resources

Teacher resourcesLinks to the PDF throughout guide

• Resources for all the activities

• Classroom handouts

• Audioscripts

• Annotated audioscripts

• Answer keys

• Annotated answer keys

• Link to the Mock Test Toolkit

The back page of the guide

Links for the classroom• Teacher resources

• Lesson plans

Links for your professional development

• Webinar recordings

• CUP Research papers

With hyperlinks to:

Teacher guides for developing listening skillsReview

• Teaching and training resource to support the development of listening

• Designed with attention to teaching, learning and assessment

• Insights into the subskills of listening

• Top tips to support the development of listening skills

• Practical teaching activities with integrated audio

• Teacher resource pack – linked to the teaching activities in the guide

Thank you!