[MUSIC] Welcome back to. >> What Makes Listening Easy. >> I admit that I am uncertain at what to do at this point. I feel like I should just shut up and listen. In fact, that's what the producers are telling me to do. So I'll just may be stand over here into the corner, and you guys can take over! I've invited all past participants on the show. So, we are a full house. I guess this is looking more and more like a classroom, isn't it? The topic for today is, what makes listening easy for teachers? An interesting topic, no doubt. So, what is our game format? Let me check with our producers. Okay, yes. It looks like I will pose questions, and just let these panel of experts take over. They have each studied, thought carefully about the questions, which I gave them ahead of time. And have been invited to discuss. All right, my first question is simple. Can teachers actually help learners to develop better listening strategies? >> Thanks for inviting me back, Gard. I'd like to answer that question first, if I may. >> Most certainly. >> Research on language learner strategies and listening strategies in particular has produced mixed results. Holy cow, that does sound smart already. >> Thanks. As I was saying, strategy training as it is called has not yet yielded perfect results. Researchers did a whole range of studies to find out what good language learners and good listeners do. However we don't yet have a clear path on what we should teach as a result. We know what good listeners do, but we are not certain that just teaching poor listeners what good listeners do will make a difference. Does that make sense? >> Sorry, just taking some notes here. Okay, so just because a poor listener listens, learns what good listeners do doesn't automatically turn them into good listeners. >> Good job Mr. Ticulet, you earn a gold star for that one. But, that doesn't mean that teachers haven't learned a lot about what we can teach to help students become better listeners. Through the research we are getting a clearer path forward. Yes, let's talk about the basic concept of repeating. Many times a tea salt teacher will give a small audio clip, maybe a dialogue, maybe a small lecture or presentation. Now, it is quite common to give multiple opportunities for students to listen, but what we have noticed is that a teacher can help learners to develop better strategies by giving them specific and varied tasks during each opportunity. Most definitely. For example, the first time students listen, you might invite them to speak about what they know about the topic already, and then relax and simply pick up the main ideas. This kind of casual, relaxing kind of listening is what is often referred to as top-down processing. >> When learners listen the second time, you might write a number of questions on the board and tell them that you want them to listen for specific details. This kind of focused attention is a technique common to bottom-up processing. >> And there are so many ways to help students to shift their attention, and all of these can help students to build their sense of strategy use. For example, you could ask questions that invite students to infer what will happen next. And questions like that can improve their ability to infer. >> Which is a great strategy. You can also invite students to take notes and summarize afterwards, maybe even giving them assignments that will give them opportunities to speak, thus deliberately helping them to learn the strategies of reflection and preparation. >> Kind of like what you just did for us, Art. You gave us some questions, asked us to think about them, had us read and explore the ideas, and then invited us to speak here at this guest panel. >> Gosh, I didn't realize. That was a pretty good thing I did then. >> It was in some sense what you were doing, whether the students know it consciously or not, is developing a greater sense of language awareness in your students. And increasing their ability to think of language in different ways. You are developing and growing their repertoire of language learning strategies. I'm a genius, and I didn't even know it. >> Let's not get carried away Art. Wouldn't want to take away that gold star. >> Ha, I'm sorry, I just thought. >> Just kidding, Art. In fact we've all discussed this together, and we have decided on the winner. >> Wait, wait, wait. You're choosing the winner? Yes Mr. Ticulate and we choose- >> YOU. >> Well, I never. >> [APPLAUSE] >> I'm so honored. I ought to let other people take the show over more often. What am I going to tell my mother? >> [APPLAUSE] [MUSIC]
