Seven Keys to Boosting
Your Listening Skills
by Randall Davis
www.esl-lab.com
Instructions for Teachers: The following handouts accompany the
presentation on how students can increase their listening comprehension
skills, not just in English, but any language they study. The presentation is
geared toward low-intermediate to advanced students.
However, based on students' needs and other classroom activities, a teacher
might decide on doing some, all, or none of the worksheets. Therefore, you
are encouraged to review the handouts and select the activities that might
support your students' needs the best. Furthermore, you are invited to
modify, edit, or add the handouts to suit your needs.
www.esl-lab.com - Boosting Your Listening Skills, 1
Name: _________________________
Seven Keys to Boosting Your Listening Skills
Assignment Sheet
Purpose: To understand the main points of the lecture on developing listening skills and
discuss how the concepts apply to your individual learning process.
Presentation Overview: Randall Davis, a language teacher and creator of online listening
materials, shares seven things students can do to improve their listening skills, in part, based
on his own experiences.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Part 1 - Language Learner Survey: Answer each sentence on a scale from 1 - 4. Then,
discuss your answers with a partner and the class.
4 = Definitely true
|
3 = Somewhat true
|
2 = Somewhat not true
|
1 = Definitely not true
A. I understand 90%+ of what my language teacher says to me.
4
3
2
1
B. I ask my teacher questions in class when I don't understand him/her.
4
3
2
1
C. I ask other students questions when I don't understand them.
4
3
2
1
D. I pretend to understand what others say in English when I can't figure out what they are
saying.
4
3
2
1
E. I actively look for opportunities to use my listening and speaking skills outside of the
classroom.
4
3
2
1
Discussion: What do your answers tell you about your study habits? Do you feel that you use
the most effective strategies to learn? Why or why not?
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PART 2 - Pre-Listening Questions: Discuss these questions with a partner or in a group
before listening to the lecture.

What makes understanding English difficult for many students?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Living overseas where English is the native language doesn't guarantee that a foreign
student will learn it. Therefore, what factors might determine whether a student picks
up (= learns) the language or not?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

What are some of the keys to improving listening skills in any language? Have you
tried any of these, and if so, have they helped you improve your own learning?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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PART 3 - Key Vocabulary/Expressions: Match the word or expression with its meaning as
seen in a sample sentence. The answers are found at the bottom of page 6.
Section 1
1. ___ strategy (noun)
A) Without a method or ______ for learning, students make little
progress in building their skills.
2. ___ know-how (noun)
B) A ________ can be the result of poor communication skills.
3. ___ goal
C) You can make more progress by setting a specific _________.
Without clear plans, learning English is only a dream.
4. ___ misunderstanding (noun)
D) The idea that the people from that country are unfriendly is just a
negative _________. Don't believe everything you hear on TV.
5. ___stereotype (noun; also verb)
E) She has the ___________ to start her own business.
Section 2
1. ___ (be/feel) hesitant (adjective)
A) Learners can improve their language skills by listening to
__________ conversations that haven't been recorded or edited for
students.
2. ___ active (adjective)
B) The students are always very _________ in class. They ask great
questions and are never afraid to participate in discussions..
3. ___ authentic (adjective)
C) Please participate more in class. You're usually so ________ that I
don't know if you are understanding or interested in the class.
4. ___ passive (adjective)
D) Some students ________ to talk in front of the class because they
are afraid of making mistakes.
Section 3
1.
___ brainstorm (verb)
A) Reading books can help ________ your knowledge of the world.
2.
___ broaden (verb)
B) Could you please _________your homework instead of playing
video games?
3.
___ master (verb)
C) If you're going to listening to a long lecture, you might pick up more
from the content if you ________ some of the ideas beforehand.
4.
___ figure out (verb)
D) People tend to ________________ about the exotic things they see
in other countries. This can lead to negative stereotyping.
5.
___ focus on (verb)
E) Can you help me ____________ the problem in this sentence? I
can't find the mistake.
6.
___ (be) familiar with (verb)
F) Students can come up with new ideas for their writing assignments
if they _______________ a few minutes in the pre-writing process.
7.
___ maintain (verb)
G) She was able to __________ the language in two years.
Unbelievable! Now, she works as a translator.
8.
___ pinpoint something
H) Sometimes, I can't __________ what my classmates are saying
because of their pronunciation and grammar.
9.
___ predict (verb)
I)
10.
___ recycle (verb)
J) Language learners sometimes have to ________ their ideas, or say
them in a different way, so they are understood.
Try to ___________ good eye contact when you speak with other
people.
11. ___ restate (verb)
K) When you _____________ your vocabulary in different situations,
you will soon find that you can use them better.
12. ___ sensationalize (verb)
L) If you're not very _______________ the culture, then should should
read up on it before you travel.
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PART 3 – Discussion Questions: Answer each question based on the lecture and your own
experiences.
1. (00.35) What is Randall's background as a language teacher?
2. (03.15) How do pre-listening activities help language students? Please give specific
examples and ideas.
3. (08.47) What study hints does Randall suggest for building vocabulary? How do you
study vocabulary currently? Although Randall didn't discuss slang, what do you think
are some benefits and potential dangers of learning informal speech?
4. (12.56) How can students stay actively involved in conversations when they don't
understand? Based on your own ideas, what are some reasons why students
sometimes don't speak up with they get lost?
5. (14.50) Why is the sentence, "I don't understand," a very ineffective statement in
English?
6. (19.50) According to Randall, how can studying grammar affect your listening ability?
What have been your experiences in studying grammar? Do/did you find your teacher's
lessons helpful to improve your communication skills? Why or why not?
7. (24.00) What are word reductions and how are they related to listening skills?
8. (25.00) What is the connection between culture and listening skills?
9. (26.15) Why is understanding other cultures so difficult? Is living overseas the key to
understanding other cultures? Why or why not?
10. Why is there no guarantee that a person who travels and lives overseas will learn the
target language?
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Part 4 – Application: Discuss these questions with a partner or in a group. Try to use some
of the vocabulary from Page 2 in your responses.
1. How will your study habits change or remain the same based on what you heard in the
lecture?
2. What are three activities you can do outside of class to improve your listening skills?
Explain how these things will help you personally.
Section 1: a,e,c,b,d Section 2: d,b,a,c Section 3: f,a,g,h,b,l,i,e,c,k,j,d
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Multimedia Web Sites for Improving Listening Comprehension Skills
These sites represent a very small collection of multimedia resources on the Internet.
[ media format | online use and/or downloadable | level ]
ESL Oriented
Breaking English - (news and commentaries)
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com
[ MP3 | download | intermediate to advanced ]
Daily ESL – (everyday conversation topics)
http://www.dailyesl.com
[ Win | online | high beginning to intermediate ]
English Language Listening Lab Online http://www.elllo.org
[ Flash, MP3 | online-download |
beginning to advanced ]
English Listening Lounge – (unscripted interviews)
http://www.englishlistening.com
[ Flash | online | beginning to advanced ]
ESL Podcast –
http://www.eslpod.com
[ MP3 | download | intermediate to advanced ]
Fonetiks – (pronunciation)
http://www.fonetiks.org
Learning Resources –(news stories) http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/home.html
[ Real | online | intermediate to advanced ]
Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab –
http://www.esl-lab.com
[ Flash / Real / Win | online | all levels ]
English Trailers – (movie previews)
http://www.english-trailers.com
[ QuickTime | online | intermediate to advanced ]
Train Your Accent – (accent reduction training)
http://www.trainyouraccent.com
[ Win | online | intermediate to advanced ]
Do you know of a useful Web site for listening?
Let me know.
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General Audience
ABC – (TV shows)
http://www.abc.go.com/
[ Flash | online | Intermediate to Advanced ]
BBC World Service - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
[ Flash / MP3 / Real | online | beginning to advanced ]
Hulu - http://www.hulu.com
[ Flash / | online | beginning to advanced ]
Living on Earth – (environmental issues)
http://www.loe.org/
[ MP3 | download | advanced ]
National Geographic - http://pulseplanet.nationalgeographic.com
[ Real / Win | online | beginning to advanced ]
National Public Radio – http://npr.com
[ Flash / MP3 | online | beginning to advanced ]
Online NewsHour - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/newshour_index.html
[ MP3 | online | beginning to advanced ]
Pulse of the Planet – (nature and science)
http://www.pulseplanet.com
[ MP3 | download | advanced ]
Radio Diaries - http://www.radiodiaries.org
[ Real / MP3 | download | advanced ]
This I Believe – Recorded essays on life lessons
http://thisibelieve.org
[ Flash | online | intermediate to advanced ]
Voice of America Special English –
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/
[ MP3 | download | advanced ]