HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS TIPS AND HINTS FOR LEARNING A LANGUAGE MORE EFFECTIVELY

Transcription

1 HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS TIPS AND HINTS FOR LEARNING A LANGUAGE MORE EFFECTIVELY

2 SIX TOPICS SIX PRESENTATIONS How to make the most of your language class How to increase your vocabulary How to make grammar work How to read in a foreign language How to write in a foreign language How to improve you listening and speaking skills

3 LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS Listening and speaking are vital elements of our communication with the world. We have learned and practiced these skills from earliest childhood. Good listening and speaking skills can be transferred into the language we are learning.

4 What we hear when we listen In our native language, we rarely pay close attention to what we hear. We use a filter to extract the information necessary to us. We employ a range of markers to assist us in our understanding, ranging from context information to best guess.

5 How we listen... We may listen for a global understanding, for the gist of what s been said. We may listen for selective information. Most times, our listening involves a combination of the two strategies.

6 Hurdles Speed Range of vocabulary Complexity of the grammar used Sound quality of the text (background noise, intonation, rhythm, volume, etc.) Content quality of the text (dialect, slang, etc.) Lack of supportive information, like context, visual information, etc.

7 Strategies for effective listening Analyse your listening habits in class and outside. Activate your existing listening skills. Be prepared to work with different text types and different types of exercises. Plan your listening activities and prepare your listening exercises.

8 Working with different text types and different types of exercises Use a variety of listening exercises according to the level of your learning and similar to those you are doing in class. Use authentic listening sources of the language you are learning, like radio. Use audio-visual sources for both purposes as we rarely only depend on aural input.

9 Plan your listening activities and prepare your listening exercises Plan for the listening task. Decide in advance what to listen for. Activate your linguistic or background knowledge. Set up your context, including room for predictions and guesses. Modify your strategies if necessary. PLAN

10 Get organized! Discuss your listening skills with your teacher and get advice on exercises and strategies. Use a variety of sources, from other course books to the LRC resources, from internet sites to the telephone. Keep a log of your activities and re-visit exercises to monitor your progress.

11 SPEAKING Speaking is daunting: We may feel exposed We may feel insecure We may feel less intelligent We may not be able to show our personality as we may wish.

12 How do we learn to speak? Is your teddy tired? - TE - Teddy - Teddy tired - Teddy is tired - My teddy is tired

13 Some basics Communication is an essential need to motivate us. Find like-minded people in the classroom or outside who tolerate your mistakes. Make the target language the true medium of information. Practice speaking as often as you can.

14 In the classroom Use the target language for all organisational communication with your teacher and your fellow learners. Ask the teacher for a list of typical phrases. Repeat (quietly) as much as possible what comes from a native speaker, i.e. your teacher, a listening text, a video clip. You learn by example!

15 Say it aloud! Speak aloud whenever possible. Create opportunities to say as much aloud in your new language. Train your vocal apparatus as you would train any muscle for better performance.

16 Phonetics How are you? Wie geht es dir? Ça va? Qué tal estás?

17 Outside of the classroom Use all available sources outside of the classroom. Think of the French bakery around the corner, the assistant in the travel agency, your fellow students, your friends and your family. Look out for a language pal on the internet. Use your Language Resources Centre!

18 Thank You! ígracias! Grazie! Merci!