CELTA - Teaching Listening Skills lesson 1

Introduction

This tutorial is designed to guide you through the stages of a listening skills lesson as taught in the CELTA program. Listening skills are crucial for language acquisition, and understanding how to effectively teach them can significantly enhance your students' learning experience. This guide will break down the key components and practical approaches necessary for teaching listening in a classroom setting.

Step 1: Preparing the Lesson

• Identify the objectives of the listening lesson:
  • Determine what specific listening skills you want your students to develop (e.g., understanding main ideas, specific details, or inferences).
• Choose appropriate listening materials:
  • Select audio or video content that is relevant and engaging for your students.
  • Ensure the difficulty level matches your students' proficiency.

Step 2: Pre-Listening Activities

• Activate students' prior knowledge:
  • Engage students in a discussion related to the listening topic to build context.
  • Introduce key vocabulary that will be used in the listening material.
• Set a purpose for listening:
  • Clearly explain to students what they should focus on while listening (e.g., specific questions to answer).

Step 3: While-Listening Activities

• Play the audio or video:
  • Ensure students are in a comfortable setting where they can focus.
• Monitor understanding:
  • Pause the audio at strategic points to check comprehension and clarify any confusion.
• Encourage note-taking:
  • Advise students to jot down important points or keywords as they listen.

Step 4: Post-Listening Activities

• Facilitate comprehension check:
  • Conduct a discussion or a Q&A session to assess understanding of the material.
  • Use tasks such as summarizing or paraphrasing to reinforce learning.
• Incorporate follow-up activities:
  • Design exercises that allow students to practice using the new vocabulary or concepts learned from the listening exercise.

Step 5: Reflection and Feedback

• Encourage student reflection:
  • Ask students to share what strategies helped them understand the listening material.
• Provide feedback:
  • Offer constructive criticism or praise based on students’ performance and participation.

Conclusion

Teaching listening skills is a multifaceted process that involves careful preparation and structured activities. By following these steps—preparation, pre-listening, while-listening, post-listening, and reflection—you can create an effective listening lesson that enhances your students' comprehension and engagement. Consider applying these techniques in your next lesson to observe improvements in your students' listening abilities.