Chapter 14: In One Ear, Out the Other: Learning To Listen 201
Authentic listening texts give students a chance to hear how normal, natural
intonation really sounds. Sometimes students make so much effort that they
sound rather over the top. Or alternatively they make no effort and sound
dead pan.Films with robots such as the ‘Terminator’ series help students to hear the
effect of flat intonation.Whetting Students’ Appetites
In the real world listeners usually have a sense of purpose for listening. So
before you play your text, you need to prepare your students.Motivating students to listen
Occasionally teachers bring in a much loved reading or song and proceed with
great enthusiasm, only to find that the students have no idea what all the fuss
is about. This is why some initial talking up of the activity is ideal – because it
raises anticipation. You may have to add some cultural background as well to
aid comprehension.Before you turn on the machine, provide some information on:✓ Context and background: Talk to the class about the speakers, the situ-
ations referred to, the time period, location and so on. Not only does
this generate interest but it reduces the amount of work the students
have to do. With some basic questions about the text already answered,
they focus more on the specific task you set.
If, for example, your listening text is a Beatles number, you can begin
with pictures of the Fab Four and you can find out what the students
know about them. You can ask which Beatle is which? What’s so special
about them? Are they still alive and if so what are they doing now?
✓ Type of listening text: As there’s a vast array of text type to choose
from, try giving the students a multiple choice task by asking them, for
example, to identify whether they’re listening to a poem, story or play.
You can also talk about general features of the genre you’re dealing
with so that students can pay particular attention to word play such as
rhyme and alliteration. They can also listen out for the way the structure
identifies the genre. For instance, Once upon a time followed by the past
simple tense is almost certainly a fairy tale.