ELI 80(2) – ADVANCED LISTENING AND SPEAKING
Fall 2001
MWF 12:30 – 1:20 PM
Moore 102
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Office Hours:
Mary Ryan
Moore 479
mryan@hawaii.edu
MW 1:30 – 2:30 in
Moore 153 (PC Lab)
or by appointment
COURSE GOALS
The purpose of this course is to develop your listening and speaking skills so that you
will be more successful in your university courses. You will improve your ability to:
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Understand lectures and other students
Take effective notes
Express yourself fluently, including pronunciation help if needed
Participate fully in small group and whole class discussions using culturally
appropriate language and behavior
Give presentations
REQUIRED TEXTS
 Templeton, M. and Fitzgerald, S.S. 1999. Great Presentation Skills. New York:
McGraw Hill

English Language Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 2000. ELI 80 Primis:
Listening Comprehension II. New York: McGraw Hill.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
 A minimum 50 page 4” x 6” spiral ruled index card notebook.
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An English only dictionary that provides example sentences, such as the Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary or the Longman Dictionary of English Language
and Culture.
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A 3-ring binder with loose-leaf paper that you can bring to each class meeting.
This will help you to keep your work, notes, and classroom handouts together in
an organized manner.
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A blank videocassette tape
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
 Regular textbook assignments
These may be in-class or homework assignments. Always come to class
prepared to discuss any readings.
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Expert Interview Project
You will interview an expert in your field based on a questionnaire that you create.
You will then have the option of writing a 2 - 4 page paper or giving an oral
presentation about the interview.
This project was really successful and helpful for the students. I’ll definitely do it
again.
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Idiom Dictionary
You will create your own personal dictionary of idioms that you heard or read
about in class discussions, listening activities, homework, or anywhere outside of
class!
This one worked great for some students who did this as a LISTENING project,
but for many it was worthless because they just copied idioms out of the
dictionary the day before it was due. The point was for students to collect idioms
from real-life listening situations, including our class but also outside it. I tried to
use a lot of idioms in class and point them out when I did.
I think that next semester I might do 2 idioms each Friday instead, or break the
project into smaller parts. Maybe I will require them to listen for 10 idioms
outside of class, for example, AFTER we’ve looked at a lot of idioms in class so
they know what to listen for.
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Group Presentation
You will get together in small groups and prepare a presentation based on
various videos or other audio / visual sources related to a topic of the group’s
choosing.
This was a successful project. I gave students a tour of Wong A/V first per Leslie
Ashburn’s idea, and it helped.
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Individual Presentation
Near the end of the semester, you will deliver an individual presentation that will
be videotaped and followed by a one-on-one consultation with the instructor. As
with the group presentation, you may choose your own topic. You can present
on something that you are working on in another class.
The videotaping worked. These presentations were useful for students, but since
I had a big class, I needed to find a way to break up all the class days spent on
presentations.
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Discussion Leader and Small Group Work
You will prepare for and lead small group discussions on assigned readings from
the text. You are also expected to be an attentive listener and active participant
in all small group work, whether or not you are the leader.
This was also very useful and I will do it again, although this time I will include
more lessons on HOW to lead group discussions first. I will also make it clearer
how I will grade the discussion leaders.
Overall, I would also like to add more pronunciation practice and specific listening
type activities. Several students complained that they didn’t feel like the class
matched what they were tested on in the ELIPT. I might add a weekly dictation,
plus more pure ESL listening comp lessons in addition to the lecture-watching
and note-taking practice.
I’m also considering an oral journal on audio tape. It would be a lot of work, but
the students would really benefit from a way to chart progress.
GRADING AND ATTENDANCE POLICY
This is a Credit/No Credit course. This means that in order to pass this class, you
must receive a cumulative final score of 80% or higher on the assignments listed
above.
Attendance and participation are crucial components of this score. Since this class
focuses specifically on listening and speaking, much of the work will be done in class.
Accordingly, if your attendance falls below 85%, i.e., you miss more than 6 of our
43 class meetings, you will automatically receive a grade of No Credit.
Punctuality is also important. Please be in your seat and ready to begin working by
12:30. Late entrances disrupt the class for everyone and show disrespect to the
teacher. Two tardy arrivals will be considered the same as one absence.
Regular and punctual class attendance is essential in order for you to
continually develop and refine your language abilities.
If you are late or absent, it is your responsibility to contact the teacher or other
students to find out what you missed.
Please feel free to ask questions both in and outside of class, and to communicate
with the instructor in person or via email if you are having any problems or concerns
about fulfilling the class requirements. No late assignments will be accepted unless
you and the teacher have made prior arrangements. This wasn’t true! Of course I’m
not going to refuse to accept any late assignments. I need to come up with a more
realistic policy
I wish I hadn’t been so strict on all this at the beginning! A lot of students felt I was
too strict, and several complained that I treated them like elementary school
students. I am going to change this part. I would probably change the attendance
to match the grade requirements, 80%. And I wouldn’t make a tardy worth a full
50% of an absence. Maybe 25% instead.
I also need to add something about plagiarism.
IMPORTANT DATES
September 3:
Labor Day Holiday
November 12:
Veteran’s Day Holiday
November 23:
Thanksgiving Holiday
December 12:
Last Class