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Suggested Strategies for Listening Activities

I. Listen

A.  Listen to the audio without the transcript as many times as necessary to help you understand and remember the main ideas and important details.

     1.  Listen to the complete story/dialogue, take notes in your Listening Journal, and check your notes. (Listen 3 or more times.)

2.  Use the PAUSE  and REWIND buttons (if available) on the audio player to repeat difficult words, phrases, sentences and
     paragraphs.  Place the cursor on the pause button while listening to story.

     3.  If the listening is difficult or if the subject is new for you, read the transcript.  First, make sure you understand the main ideas
          before continuing. Then, go back and listen to the story without looking at the transcript.

4. Later, review your Listening Journal notes with the transcript to identify main ideas and/or important details you did not
    understand.

     B.  Listen to the audio to understand groups of words, “chunks” that are difficult to hear, but that you can understand when reading.

 1.    Listen to the conversation again.  Use the slider to go back and listen to the phrases (chunks) that are difficult to understand.  

 

 2.   Write phrases that were difficult to hear as separate words.  Then, check the phrases with the transcript.  Think about why these phrases were difficult to understand. 

 

II.  Read Transcript

A. To help you understand the story, learn new words, and review new grammar items.

      1.  Read the story/dialogue without the listening.  

      2.  Use vocabulary help:  glossaries, book, and on-line dictionaries.  Write new and difficult words/grammar items in your Listening 
           or Vocabulary Journal.. 

      3.  Listen and read word(s) or phrases to help you understand.

      4.    Review your Listening Journal notes with the transcript to identify main ideas and/or important details you may have missed.

   

 III.  Listening Comprehension Exercises - Multiple Choice (Multiple Choice is used because it is easy for the computer to score
         it.  However, if you really understand and remember the information, you should be able to answer most questions without looking
         at the choices.)

  A.  Read the question. Cover the answers with a piece of paper, or by scrolling down. What do you think the answer is?  Try to 
        answer the question without looking at the choices. 

  B.  Try looking at each choice one at a time.  Decide whether it is the right answer or not before going to the next choice.

  C.  If you are not sure, listen again.  Use the audio controls to listen to a specific part. Look at your notes in your Listening Journal to 
        help you.

  D.  Look at the choices.  Click the best choice.

  E.  If the answer is correct, can you explain WHY?  If the answer is wrong,  WHY IS IT WRONG?  Think about the information you
       heard.  Listen again, using audio controls to find specific information.

 

  IV.  Dictation

  A.  Listen to the complete story or watch the video. 

  B.  Think about your content. 

  C.  Listen to one sentence or phrase at a time.  Repeat the sentence/phrase as necessary.  (Write groups of words each time.)

  D.  Use hints to help you.  (If it is too difficult for you, listen to and read the transcript.)

  E.  Read your dictation and check and correct any mistakes when you finish.

  F.  Check your dictation with the transcript.  Circle the incorrect words and phrases, and note any that you left out.

  G.  Listen again and think about why it was difficult to understand and why you made the mistake.

ALC:  CALL Project