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LITERACY @ ECSD
10 Best Practices for Teaching Listening to Adult Literacy Learners (ALL)
Listening is a critical skill for ALL who are trying to learn a new language at the same time as learning literacy skills. The 10 best practices below are a result of research from our instructor Tammy Wells when she completed her M.Ed. TESL capping project in the spring of 2019 from the University of Alberta. These best practices are part of our In-house Literacy training series!
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GOALS: Explain the purpose or goal for listening to make listening a meaningful process for literacy learners (Bell, 2013;Bow Valley College, 2018; Brown, 2011; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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ALLOW FIRST LANGUAGE (L1): Allow the use of the learners’ first language for clarification of instructions (Bow Valley College, 2018; CCLB, 2016; Condelli et al., 2009).
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ROUTINE: Establish a predictable routine for listening lessons complete with reflections (Bell, 2013; Bow Valley College, 2018; CCLB, 2017; Siegel & Siegel, 2015; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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ACTIVE LISTENING: Elicit active listening responses which require limited or no reading and writing (Bell, 2013; Bow Valley College, 2018; Brown, 2011; Chaudron, 1985; Nation & Newton, 2009).
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MEANINGFUL INPUT: Use learner-generated texts based on shared experiences from the Language Experience Approach (LEA) or use content from learners’ lives as meaningful input for listening (Bell, 2013; Bow Valley College, 2018; CCLB, 2017; Condelli et al., 2008; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012; Vinogradov, 2009; Vinogradov & Bigelow, 2010).
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LEVEL-APPROPRIATE MATERIALS: Use listening materials with few unknown words and a slower speed of delivery (120 words per minute for low-proficiency listeners). Recommended difficulty is i minus 1 or even i minus 2 where i is referred to as the learner’s current level (Cross, 2011; Renandya, 2012; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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TEACH NOT TEST: Lower learners’ anxiety by teaching learners how to listen in a metacognitive way; practice listening without testing (Bow Valley College, 2018; Brunfaut & Revesz, 2015; Field, 2008; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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COLLABORATION: Use pairs and small groups for peer collaboration to teach the process of listening and provide peer support (Bell, 2013; Bow Valley College, 2018; CCLB, 2016; Condelli et al., 2009; Field, 2008; Severinsen et al., 2018; Vandergrift, 2004; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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BOTTOM-UP PROCESSING: Practice listening discrimination of pronunciation features through bottom-up processing perception activities appropriate for Adult Literacy Learners (CCLB, 2012a; Derwing & Munro, 2015; Field, 2008; Goh, 2000; Siegel & Siegel, 2015; Vandergrift & Goh, 2012).
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VARY TEACHING TECHNIQUES: Teach listening using multiple modalities within a holistic approach (Condelli et al., 2009; Ngyuen & Abbott, 2016; Siegel, 2014).