The document discusses various aspects of listening in language education, highlighting the importance of both comprehension and acquisition in listening skills. It references several resources and approaches, including Ted talks on listening, contextual audio materials, and challenges in second language listening. Additionally, the text touches on the pros and cons of school uniforms in promoting equality among students.

1. Listening
Teaching skills or testing students?
Teresa Bestwick

2. We are losing our listening.
Julian Treasure
5 Ways to Listen Better (TED, July 2011)

4. This can lead to listening overload,
which in turn can cause inhibiting
anxiety.
Scott Thornbury
An A-Z of ELT (Macmillan)

5. Top-down and bottom-up
processing

6. Half a conversation
A: Would you like it wrapped? B:
A: It’s this green paper. B:
A: Well, there’s quite a big selection in the stationery
department. Do you want to choose something and
bring it here and I’ll wrap it for you? B:
A: Of course not. B:
Audio from Outcomes Pre-intermediate (Cengage)

7. ...provide minimal contextual information...
Scott Thornbury
An A-Z of ELT (Macmillan)

8. Listen to Sam talking to a friend about his family.
What sport does each person do now?
definitely maybe
Audio from KEY English Test for Schools 1
(Cambridge)

9. What do you know about dinosaurs?
When did dinosaurs live on Earth?
What types of dinosaurs were there?
What did dinosaurs eat?
Could any dinosaurs fly? Or swim?
Why did dinosaurs become extinct?
How do we know about dinosaurs today?
Where can you see dinosaurs today?
Audio from Footprints 4 (Macmillan)

10. Stress as an information marker
1. Are you going to the supermarket before lunch?
2. Is the supermarket open on Sunday?
3. Is Dave meeting us at the your house at 7?
4. We aren’t going to the cinema this weekend.

11. Grab it!
Audio from Preparing for Trinity ISE II (Global ELT)

12. Tony Lynch – Challenges and Issues in Second Language Listening

13. …get learners listening in both
directions.
Marc Hegelson
Learning to Listen

14. Two different perspectives:
Listening as comprehension
Listening as acquisition
Jack C. Richards
Teaching Listening and Speaking: From Theory to Practice

15. There can be no doubt that the traditional school uniform has its
advantages. For a start, it makes all students equal – they can’t
compete to be the most fashionable, to wear nicer clothes than their
peers. Moreover, school uniforms are inexpensive, saving parents
money. It’s true that if children didn’t have to wear uniforms, they
might have more freedom of expression. It might promote
creativity and originality. There is also the fact that school uniforms
are not always very comfortable to wear. However, I think all
students must be treated as equals. Therefore, my view on school
uniforms, and whether we need them, is very clear.
Preparing for Trinity ISE II (Global ELT)

16. When the script is given out, it should be for a specific purpose, such
as listening and underlining the grammar point.
Marc Hegelson
Learning to Listen

18. Listening at Home
Listen more than once
Listen for a purpose
Pause the listening regularly
Know, wonder, learn
Listen and repeat

19. Were you listening?

20. Image from finchsells.com

21. Thanks for listening!
Teresa Bestwick
viewsfromthewhiteboard.edublogs.org
@TeresaBestwick