Advanced Listening and Speaking for Students of English as a Second Language

Listening

To follow conversations, discussions, reports and lectures

1. Use pre-listening techniques to prepare for a listening task
2. Identify purpose and/or issue, overall key idea, main ideas, and key details
3. Use active listening strategies
4. Use discourse and conversational markers to follow the organization of a discussion or talk
5. Refer to pre-listening and reference materials, and use context clues (e.g., synonyms) to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases
6. Take notes
7. Use notes to complete assignments
8. Use notes to prepare for quizzes
9. Recognize the difference between supported and unsupported arguments
10. Identify implicit issues and problems

To listen for discrete items

1. Write from dictation
2. Transcribe speech
3. Write from dictocomps (retelling a story)
4. Listen for how information is organized (e.g., process, reasons, comparison/contrast)
5. Listen for specific pronunciation elements (special intonation patterns, vowel and consonant sounds) 

Speaking

1. To participate in conversations and discussions
   • As participant
     • Listen and actively contribute
     • Use appropriate language functions and gambits (short expressions used to open, close and extend conversation)
       • Use all functions and gambits  from 100 and 200 levels
       • Use functions appropriately  for expressing possibility, speculating, and critiquing
       • Use gambits appropriately for  participating in discussion
       • Identify issues and problems and respond appropriately
   • As leader
     • Give instructions for group tasks
     • Assign responsibilities
     • Use gambits to effectively maintain discussion
     • Ask questions
     • Encourage participants to participate
     • Manage turn-taking
     • Keep group on task
     • Report discussion outcomes
   • As interviewer
     • Prepare questions
     • Explain purpose
     • Ask/clarify questions
     • Take notes
     • Synthesize/summarize notes
2. To prepare and deliver formal and informal reports and presentations
   • Select topic
   • Develop purpose and focus
   • Gather information/prepare outline
   • Identify, locate, and cite source material, and demonstrate an understanding of plagiarism.
   • Develop introduction, body, conclusion
   • Prepare visuals and explain models, formulas, graphs, tables, or other schematics
   • Rehearse/obtain feedback
   • Prepare note cards
   • Use effective presentation style: eye contact, body language, vocal delivery, and language use
   • Prepare questions for follow-up discussion
3. Give impromptu talks on spontaneous topics and under timed conditions
4. Use pronunciation elements appropriately
5. Recognize cultural differences, and show awareness of the general features of own culture and associated world views

Reading and Writing

To prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking

1. Follow written instructions
2. Use pre-reading techniques
3. Identify purpose and/or issue, overall key idea, main ideas, and key details
4. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases
5. Use readings in speaking tasks
6. Write reflectively
7. Write notes, outlines, interview questions and answers, reports, summaries and paragraphs
8. Use written materials in speaking tasks (e.g., reports)

Accuracy

For explicit instruction and evaluation

1. All accuracy items from 100 and 200 levels
2. Perfect tenses: Past Perfect, Future Perfect, all conditionals
3. Verbals: infinitives, gerunds, base forms
4. Word forms: nouns, adjectives, adverbs
5. Pronunciation elements
   • All pronunciation elements from 100 and 200 levels
   • Special intonation patterns, vowel and consonant sounds
6. Articles

Classroom skills

Take responsibility for the following:

1. Attendance and punctuality
2. Class work and assignments
3. Participation and teamwork
4. Communication and completion of simple information management tasks using appropriate technology (Internet, course website, etc)