Course Description
This course is the second level of a series designed for students who wish to upgrade their listening skills in order to continue their education or improve their employment opportunities. Exercises will help students understand and respond appropriately when participating in longer conversations and communicating in non-routine situations. Listening texts will be based on sources such as t.v., radio, films, tapes and guest speakers. Some simple notetaking exercises, such as writing down key words and main points, will be introduced. Through these activities, students will continue to develop language skills.
Course Content
Listening
To follow conversations and discussions, informal reports and talks, and instructions
- Use pre-listening techniques to prepare for a listening task
- Identify topic, issues and problems, overall key idea, main ideas and key details
- Use active listening strategies
- Recognize conversational gambits
- Refer to pre-listening and reference materials, and use context clues (e.g., definitions, examples, restatements) to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases
- Take simple notes
To listen for discrete items including from online course materials and selected internet archives
- Listen for specific information (e.g., place or company names, categories, statistics)
- Listen for specific pronunciation elements (final sounds, reductions, voice tone and melody)
- Write from dictation
- Transcribe speech
- Complete graphs from listening tasks.
To use MyDouglas for listening assignments and to communicate with instructor and classmates.
Speaking
To participate in conversations and discussions, and listen and contribute actively.
Reading and Writing
To prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking
- Follow written assignment instructions
- Use pre-reading techniques
- Recognize purpose and/or issue, overall key idea, main ideas, and key details
- Follow sequences of information and ideas
- Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words
- Use readings as background material in speaking tasks
- Write reflectively
- Write notes, outlines, interview questions and answers, reports and summaries
- Use written materials in speaking tasks (e.g., informal reports).
Classroom Skills
Take responsibility for the following:
- attendance and punctuality
- class work and assignments
- participation and teamwork
Learning Activities
The instructor will facilitate, observe and evaluate students’ participation in communicative activities. Whole and small group instruction will be combined with individual assistance and student-directed learning. Students will participate in the setting of goals by identifying their communicative and language development needs, and will participate in the selection of learning activities.
Means of Assessment
- Complete assigned skill development tasks. These should include:
- Dictations, transcriptions, and dictocomps (retelling of a story)
- Identify topic, main ideas and details in conversations and presentations
- Complete listening activities. These could include:
- listening to pre-recorded telephone messages and taking notes on the information
- listening to news reports and taking ‘wh’ notes (“what, where. when,who”)
- listening to a short (5-10 minutes) video, or a longer movie in segments, and answering comprehension questions
- Complete at least three listening and speaking assignments. These could include include:
- investigating College resources (e.g. library)
- interviewing a faculty or staff member about a course or program in EASL
- obtaining detailed information about a procedure or event by phone
- participating by telephone in a chain or jigsaw message activity
- interviewing a member of the community (e.g. a church member, a neighbour)
- Complete at least one listening and notetaking project (individual or group). These could include:
- attending and taking notes on a study skills workshop or program information session at the College or similar venue
- attending and taking notes on a talk at a community center on a social or community issue
- Complete oral and written tasks to a specified level of language use accuracy
- Complete quizzes, both skill based and content based
- Complete at least one self-assessment of learning strategies, progress, and classroom skills to be discussed with the instructor
This is a Mastery Graded Course.
Textbook Materials
Students may be required to purchase textbooks and/or audio materials.