2009-05-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

Teaching Listening

Listening skills are vital for your learners. Of the 'four skills,' listening is by far the most frequently used. Listening and speaking are often taught together, but beginners, especially non-literate ones, should be given more listening than speaking practice. It's important to speak as close to natural speed as possible, although with beginners some slowing is usually necessary. Without reducing your speaking speed, you can make your language easier to comprehend by simplifying your vocabulary, using shorter sentences, and increasing the number and length of pauses in your speech.

Listening is divided into pre-listening, during listening and post listening. Before listening (pre listening), there are three things that we should be considered, how can we motivate students by making the topic relevant and interesting to them?, What knowledge is already known to the students and how can that knowledge be activated for new knowledge to be built upon? And What language support, e.g. key vocabulary and key structures, do students need in order to understand the text?

Beside that there are several term that we must give attention, for example prediction, a good listener is a good prediction, a listener need a guidance in this situation. A little explanation from teacher is good help. Teacher can use picture (if any) to make students focus and attract with the topic that is listening about. If there is no pictures find a picture or draw a picture that related to the listening text.

Setting the scene, to help students provide the background information to activate learners’ schema in order to be better prepared to understand what they hear. Another term is Listening for the gist to ask students one or two questions that focus on the main idea or the tone or mood of the whole passage.

After we prepare pre-listening we have to continue to while listening, here are some preparation :

No specific response

To reduce anxiety by listening any kind of material that is interesting, humorous, or dramatic.

Listen and tick

Example:

Directions: You are going to listen to three students giving their opinions about their school subjects. Listen carefully and decide if they like or dislike the subjects. Put a ‘√’ for ‘like’ and a ‘x’ for ‘dislike’.

No specific response

To reduce anxiety by listening any kind of material that is interesting, humorous, or dramatic.

Listen and tick

Example:

SUBJECT	LINDA	TUTY	DINA
ENGLISH
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY

Listen and sequence

Asking students to find out the order of things based on what they hear. This helps students build up their confidence and prepare them for the real world where they will not be able to understand everything they hear.Example:

Directions: Listen to announcement of the order of the games at a sports meeting. Mark the following games with number 1-5 according to the order they are played.

Listen and Act

The use of TPR, concentrating on learning language by listening and responding physically to commands or directions.

Examples:

- Stand up

- Pretend like you’re walking through mud.

Listen and Draw

The students are asked to draw pictures, diagrams, etc. on paper. This activity works very well as an information gap activity . One student draws a simple picture and then tells his /her partner how to draw it.

After students have finish to listen all the content they have to do some activity to complete this session. Teacher can give one or more this activity:

Multiple-choice questions

To prepare students to have MC question tests.

Answering questions

- the answers found in the passage.

- questions about the attitude

(the person was angry, happy etc.)

- inference questions.

Note taking and gap-filling

- Students take notes while listening.

- Students listen again and completing their notes.

- Students do not have to use original

words from the text.

Dictogloss

- The teacher reads the text two or three times.

- The students make a summary on what they hear.

- The students discuss their notes with their friends to reconstruct the passage.

- The teacher gives the original passage to compare.

3. Reconstruction

Based on their notes, the students work in pairs or groups to reconstruct the passage

4. Analysis and correction

- The students compare their work with the original passage.

- The students discuss their mistakes and analyze them.

- The teacher reads the passage to enhance comprehension.

Or the teacher can give another activity such as role play debate discussion.

2009-05-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

Using Drama with Children

English Teaching Theatre makes students aware that English is not just words, structures and idioms, but it is a lively, dramatics and versatile means of communication. It emphasize too, that learning and teaching can and should be pleasurable.

Dramatizing means that he children become actively involve in a text this personalization makes language more meaningful and memorable than drilling and mechanical repetition.

Why Use Drama Activities?

Drama helps children to activate language and have fun. Using drama activities has clear advantages for language learning. It encourage children to speak and gives them the chance to communicate, event with limited language, using nonverbal communication, such as body movement and facial expression.

Drama motivates children

Drama is familiar with children

Drama helps children build confidence

Drama helps children build skills in group dynamics

Drama is appropriate for children’s different children styles

Language personalization

Language in context

Cross-curricular content

The pace of the lesson

Practical advice on using drama in the classroom

Choose the right activity

The learner’s interests

The learner’s need

The learner’s age

And even the time of the day.

Give feedback

Give feedback on what the children have done., not only the end product but also the process they went through, the way they cooperate with each other, and how they came to the decision.

For participation in a drama activity, and especially in a performance, you can give the colorful, specially designed certificates to the young actors.

Miming story

Students will willingly compose their own story. They welcome the chance to show what they can do with the language.

give students a list of words you want them to know or to review. For example: heart, friend, apple, and eat.
ask student to compose a story using the words.
when they have finish writing their story, have students take turn miming their story while the rest of the class tries to guess the whole of story.

Miming game

Children use actions or gestures to indicate the word and other students guess the word. This game can be played in a team or group.

1. Make a set of miming cards based on the content that students have studying.

2. Next have a student select a card and pantomime the item on the a card.

3. The other student guess what is being mimed.

Transform a story in to mini plays

Choose a simple story that student have been studying.
Create a script for the story with as many parts as there are students in the class.
Have students practice learning the different parts.
Have student prepare costumes and props.
Put on the play for other classes and/or parents.

Teaching English