Listening in Action: 101 Ways to Teach Listening

Listening in Action provides 101 clear, accessible, exciting ways to teach listening to learners of all ages and all levels. Listening in Action presents theoretically sound activities in four main section: Attentive Listening, Intensive Listening, Selective Listening, and Interactive Listening. Each activity provides links to online resources (such as free music, interviews, and YouTube videos) for constructing and expanding, as well as samples of activities in use.

Each activity indicates appropriate age and proficiency level of student. Each activity is also outlined in terms of Preparation, Class Procedures, and Follow Up Links. Bonus Variations are also provided.

Because listening is the foundation skill for language learning, students who use Listening in Action will develop not only their listening skills, but also their communication skills and general language ability.

Contents:
Introduction
What does “listening in action” mean?
What is listening?
What is listening ability?
What are learning styles?
What are the main principles for developing listening ability?
How can a teacher help students develop their listening ability?
How is Listening in Action organized?
How do I use the activities in Listening in Action?
What activities are in each section?
Section 1. Attentive Listening
Section 2. Intensive Listening
Section 3. Selective Listening
Section 4. Interactive Listening

Attentive listening
Activities
1. Classroom language
VARIATION 1.1: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

2. Demonstrations
VARIATION 2.1: LEADER SAYS

3. Music images
VARIATION 3.1: SIMILAR TUNES

4. Personal stories
VARIATION 4.1: JUST NARRATION
VARIATION 4.2: VIDEO DOCUMENTARY

5. Questions, please!
VARIATION 5.1: QUESTION PAUSES
VARIATION 5.2: INTERRUPTIONS
VARIATION 5.3: STORY BOARDS

6. Who’s who?
VARIATION 6.1: BLIP!
VARIATION 6.2: EVENT SQUARES

7. Listening skits
VARIATION 7.1: SCENES

8. Interview
VARIATION 8.1: FAMOUS PERSON

Section 2: Intensive listening
Activities
1. Say it again
VARIATION 1.1: TELEPHONE GAME
VARIATION 1.2: ADD ON

2. Discrimination
VARIATION 2.1: SEQUENCE
VARIATION 2.2: ODD ONE OUT

3. One-sided conversations
VARIATION 3.1: WORD CHAINS

4. Alternates
VARIATION 4.1: APPROPRIACY
VARIATION 4.2: NEWS VOCABULARY
VARIATION 4.3: REDUCED AND EXPANDED STORIES

5. Paraphrase
VARIATION 5.1: TEST PREP

6. Jigsaw dictation
VARIATION 6.1: PAIR DICTATION
VARIATION 6.2: FIXED FORMS

7. Short forms
VARIATION 7.1: “LONG OR SHORT?”
VARIATION 7.2: SECOND WORD

8. STRESS
VARIATION 8.1: CONTRAST
VARIATION 8.2: STATEMENT OR QUESTION?

9 BOUNDARIES
VARIATION 9.1: KEEP THE PACE

Section 3: Selective Listening
Activities
1. Cues game
VARIATION 1.1: TEAMS

2. Sound sequences
VARIATION 2.1: SOUND SKIT
VARIATION 2.2: SOUND BINGO
VARIATION 2.3: SOUND TRACK

3. That’s not right!
VARIATION 3.1: MEMORY GAME
VARIATION 3.2: THE CONTRADICTION GAME

4. Images
VARIATION 4.1: LISTEN FOR THIS!
VARIATION 4.2: ELICIT THE WORDS

5. Recorded messages
VARIATION 5.1: SERVICE ENCOUNTERS

6. Facts and figures
VARIATION 6.1: DOCUMENTARY

7. Story maps
VARIATION 7.1: PREDICT THE NEXT PART
VARIATION 7.2: ARGUMENT MAP
8. Talk show
VARIATION 8.1: WHOSE LINE?
VARIATION 8.2: OPINION GAP

9. In order
VARIATION 9.1: MONOLOGUES

10. Topic listening
VARIATION 10.1: WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS

11. Conversation clues
VARIATION 11.1: WHICH WAS IT?
VARIATION 11.2: TEST QUESTIONS

12. Episode
VARIATION 12.1: SELF-ACCESS

Section 4: Interactive listening
Activities
1. Group survey
VARIATION 1.1: PROJECT JOURNALIST

2. Self-introductions
VARIATION 2.1: BIOGRAPHY

3. Short speeches
VARIATION 3.1: IMPROMPTU SPEECHES

4. Map route
VARIATION 4.1: DIAGRAMS
VARIATION 4.2: CARTOON SQUARES

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