Running head: LISTENING MODULE
1
Listening Module
Task #1: Taxonomy of listening skills based upon Rubin’s descriptions of factors implicated
in L2 listening. The lists are from lower to higher level.
1. Visual support for texts
After listening with visual support for texts, respondents judge whether the text is
supported or not with visuals, whether the visuals are consistent with the speech, and whether
the visuals are helpful for their text comprehension.
2. Hesitation and pause phenomena
While listening to the conversation or lecture, respondents are asked to mark hesitation and
pausing points in the provided script. For more advanced level respondents, they are asked to
read the script aloud appropriately with pausing rules.
3. Stress and rhythmic patterning perception
Respondents are asked to mark stress location and intonation style while they are
listening.
4. Sandhi: assimilation, mutation, contraction, liason, and elision.
Respondents acknowledge various phonological modifications and assimilations,
mutations, contractions, liaisons, and elisions.
5. Syntactic modifications
Respondents listen to a conversation or lecture and answer to find synonyms, heteronyms,
parallel syntactic structures, and paraphrases. The test format can be multiple question or
open-ended in either oral or written English.
6. Note-taking
Respondents are required to take notes while they are listening. For the encoding process,
note taking can increase meaningful chunking, encoding of information and assimilation of
new and old information. For review/rehearsal process, note taking can provide information
LISTENING MODULE
2
for reconstruction
7. Strategy training
Respondents answer what kind of strategies they have learned and how they have learned
strategies. They show different levels of comprehension such as generating and refining
hypotheses, eliciting pertinent vocabulary, searching for main ideas, and key vocabulary
depending on the strategy training.
8. Negotiation of comprehensible input
Respondents are asked to find out where utterances were understood or needed repeating.
Three types of adjustment: input, interaction, and information choice are considered.
Task #2: After taking a critical look at the following rubric, I made some modifications
below it.
Level 1: Learners understand simple common words and phrases related to immediate needs
(greetings).
Level 2: Learners understand brief questions, short conversations supported by context, most
common word-order patterns and simple contractions.
Level 3: Learners understand discourse about personal situations including basic academic
and/or occupational matters. They begin to understand different time frames through
understanding of tenses, conditionals, modals, and passives. Colloquial speech is difficult as
are interpretations of mood, tone or intent of speakers.
Level 4: Learners understand linguistically complex discussions and factual reports. They can
understand the use of discourse markers, inferences, and pick up on emotional overtones.
Also they understand reductions, elisions, and blends found in spoken discourse.
My rubric (bolded parts are revised or added ones)
LISTENING MODULE
3
Level 1: beginner level comprehension
Learners understand simple common words and phrases related to immediate needs
(greetings, introduction, and daily small talk). They understand when other people
speak slower than normal or repeat the talking.
Level 2: basic comprehension
Learners understand brief questions and responses: Yes/ No question, WH questions, short
conversations supported by context, most common word-order patterns and simple
contractions. They figure out frequently used words and common structures. They
understand when other people speak a little bit slowly.
Level 3: pragmatic comprehension
Learners understand discourse about personal situations including basic academic and/ or
occupational matters. They can begin to understand different time frames through
understanding of tenses. And they recognize grammar to help the understanding of sentences
e.g. conditionals, modals, and passives. They can understand the purpose of conversation e.g.
complaints, suggestions, apology, etc. And they understand the tone and style of the speaker.
They understand when other people speak almost normal speed with native speakers.
Level 4: advanced level comprehension
They understand linguistically complex discussions and factual reports. They can understand
the use of discourse markers, inferences, and pick up on emotional overtones. They
understand the organization/ structure, connecting content e.g. cause and effect. And
they understand reproductions, elisions, and blends found in spoken discourse. They
understand main ideas and important details if they are not directly stated but implied.
LISTENING MODULE
They recognize how pieces of information are connected (for example, in a cause-andeffect relationship). They synthesize information, even when it is not presented in
sequence, and make correct inferences on the basis of that information. They
understand native like speaking.
Task #3 Tasks for each level in my rubric
Level 1
Cloze
Where do you live?
I have been here for a year.
Objective Formats
Would you like to go now?
a) In a few minutes.
b) I go there every day.
c) I usually go by taxi
Questions 1 through 2 refer to the following conversation.
(M) Excuse me, but you don’t look familiar. I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new
here?
(W) Yes, I am. I’m the new accountant. Yesterday was my first day.
(M) Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ben Reilly.
1. When did the woman join the company?
4
LISTENING MODULE
5
a) A few years ago
b) Next week
c) Yesterday
d) Two years ago
2. Who is the woman?
a) A new manager
b) A doctor
c) The new fund manager
d) The new accountant
Rationale: For this level, learners understand simple common words and phrases related to
immediate needs (greetings, introduction, and daily short talk). The answer choice repeats the
same words in the dialogue.
Level 2
Paraphrase Recognition
Listen to the sentence and choose the closest meaning in written answer sheet.
Students listen to:
A: Are you coming for a drink?
B: Can I take a rain check? I must get this finished tonight.
Students read and select the best paraphrase:
Q: What is the meaning of second person’s response?
a) I would like to take a permission to borrow a raincoat.
b) I would like to take an updated weather forecast.
LISTENING MODULE
6
c) I do not want to accept it now, but I would like to accept it at another time.
Objective Formats
Listen to the question and choose best response.
Dolores Cohen is holding on line two. Can you take it?
a) Yes, two o’clock sounds fine.
b) No. Ask her to call me back.
c) I think it’s time to let it go.
Questions 1 through 3 refer to the following conversation.
(M) Good afternoon. What can I do for you?
(W) I’d like to send this letter by standard mail. Then I need to send these packages. They are
part of a rush order, so I need them to arrive as soon as possible. What’s the fastest way to
mail them?
(M) I’d recommend priority deliver. Here, fill out this order form and check the “priority
deliver” box. The packages should arrive sometime tomorrow.
1. Where is this conversation probably taking place?
a) In a hotel
b) In a post office
c) In a hospital
d) In a school
LISTENING MODULE
7
2. What must the woman do?
a) Order a meal
b) Write a check
c) Deliver a box
d) Fill out a form
3. When will the package arrive?
a) In a few hours
b) Sometime tomorrow
c) Later today
d) Probably next week
Rationale: Respondents in level 2 are expected to understand short conversation supported by
context. In the paraphrased recognition, the question is supported by context. The
conversations are consisted of frequently used words and common structures.
Level 3
Paraphrase Recognition
Listen to the sentence and choose the closest meaning in written answer sheet.
Students listen to:
A: Give me a rain check for next week.
Students read and select the best paraphrase:
Q: What is the meaning of second person’s response?
a) I would like to take a permission to borrow a raincoat.
b) I would like to take an updated weather forecast.
LISTENING MODULE
8
c) I do not want to accept it now, but I would like to accept it at another time.
Note-Taking
Question 1-2, refer to the following conversation.
Student: Hello, Professor? Could I talk to you about something?
Professor: Sure, Sally. What’s the problem?
S: The thing is, I haven’t filled my American Literature requirement yet. The class is full for
this term and it isn’t offered next semester. But I’m supposed to graduate at the end of the
year.
P: So… you can’t graduate without it… Is that right?
S: Exactly. Is there anything I can do?
P: Let’s see… Uhm, have you heard of City College?
S: Yeah, of course. Why?
P: Well, we have an agreement with them that allows our students to take courses there. I’m
sure they have an American Lit class you could get into.
S: But it’s on the opposite side of the town. The commute would take hours out of my day…
P: Well, there is another American Lit course being offered here this semester, but it’s at the
graduate level. I know there are still plenty of spots open. It might be a litter more work, but I
think you could handle it.
S: I don’t know… I’m afraid that a class with all grad students would be too hard.
(David Cho Hackers TOEFL Speaking Basic 424)
Note-taking sample
Am. Lit. class full—graduate
1. City college—takes hours to commute
LISTENING MODULE
9
2. grad level—too hard
Question:
1.What’s the woman’s problem?
2. Fill the chart with the information you listened.
Professor’s suggestions
Student’s responses
City college
(takes hours to commute)
Grad level
(too hard)
Rationale: Respondents in this level are expected to understand the main idea and important
details if they are directed stated. In the paraphrase recognition, they recognize the tone and
style of speaker not supported by context. These questions are discourse about personal
situation including basic academic and/ or occupational matters. Therefore the learners in
level 3 can figure out these questions and answer.
Level 4
Objective Formats
Listen to a talk given by an inventor and answer to the question in written sheet.
It has been said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” This may be true in some cases,
but most things that people need already exist. We inventors tend to be dissatisfied people.
We see the drawbacks of products already in existence. Most people do. But while they
grumble, an inventor starts to visualize solutions. He or she is swept away into a passion for
remedying the problem. Not only are we dissatisfied, passionate problem solvers, we have to
be extremely optimistic to persist through the inevitable failures. Inventors thrive on failures.
Where most people give up, the inventor uses failures as stepping stones to new approaches
LISTENING MODULE
10
and then to eventual success. I shouldn’t say “success” because once the invention is
completed, we often see another fault. Sometimes the invention brings about a change that
requires another invention. Take an aspirin bottle, for example. Small children managed to
get into aspirin bottles with sometimes fatal results, so the childproof bottle cap was invented.
However, arthritis sufferers couldn’t open the bottle to get their medicine. Then, the two-way
cap was invented. The users can now choose the most convenient way to close the bottle.
Problem solved? No. A small child and an arthritis sufferer could share the same household.
What are we going to do about it? Let’s toss some ideas around to get your inventor brains
operating.
1. Why does the speaker mention aspirin bottles? ( a )
(a) To demonstrate the continuing process of invention
(b) To illustrate failures
(c) To show how inventions can cause fatalities
(d) To show that you can’t satisfy everybody all the time
2. What might happen as a result of this talk? ( c )
(a) A new bottle cap may be invented
(b) Some new approaches to medicine may be discussed.
(c) A debate about the characteristics of inventors may take place.
(d) The group may become dissatisfied with inventors.
3. How does the speaker close the talk? ( d )
(a) By opening the floor to questions
(b) By suggesting a break
LISTENING MODULE
11
(c) By giving some hints
(d) By involving the audience
Adapted from Gear, J., Gear, R. (2002). Cambridge preparation for the TOEFL test. 3rd ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p.150.
Rationale: The respondents in this level are expected to understand complex discussion and
factual reports. And they can figure out main ideas and details if they are not directly stated
but implied. So these questions ask respondents’ information synthesizing skills and making
inferences with provided content.
Task #4: I prepared a short academic lecture and analyzed text using vocabprofile.
Listen to a lecture in a music appreciation class. The professor is talking about a specific
genre of music.
The importance of background music in a film cannot be overstated. Background
music is instrumental in creating the mood the moviemaker wants to evoke. During the
infancy of cinema, the importance of music was understood, but the relationship between
music and the screen action was not fully appreciated. Thus, early musical material consisted
of whatever was available and often bore little relationship to the movie. Since the
technology for movies to include sound had not yet been developed, music was provided by
live musician who played whatever they wanted. A pianist good at improvisation was highly
regarded.
As the commercial potential of the cinema became apparent, producers realized the
advantage of each film having its own music. In 1908, Camille Saint-Saenes was
commissioned to compose music specifically for a French film. However, this idea was ahead
of its time and was not embraced by the movie industry. Perhaps cinema musicians weren’t
LISTENING MODULE
12
ready to learn new pieces for each movie that came along, or perhaps the costs were too high.
By 1913, special catalogs of music for specific dramatic purposes were available. Thus,
musicians had at their disposal music that could be used for any scene from any movie. Much
of this music consisted of works by famous composers and predated the advent of motion
pictures. For example, Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was a typical catalog piece for
wedding scenes and had been written before the appearance of motion pictures.
In 1922, a system that made possible the synchronization of recorded sound and image
was developed. The era of talking pictures began, thus making music an integral part of
filmmaking. At first, background music was used only if there was an orchestra or performer
on screen because it was believed that people would be bewildered about the origin of the
sound.
A 1930’s Western called Cimaron was the first film to experiment with background
music without a visible means of production. The composer for this sound track was Max
Steiner, a pioneer of film scoring. Steiner also composed the film score for Symphony of Six
Million in 1932, the first film to have music underscoring dialogue. The simple, somewhat
naïve music of early film scores quickly developed into the sophisticated musical experience
that moviegoers encounter today.
1. What is the lecture mainly about? ( c )
(a) The relationship between music and screen action
(b) The beginning of filmmaking
(c) The development of film music
(d) The importance of background music
2. The professor mentions three different composers. How does the music discussed in the
LISTENING MODULE
13
lecture related to the composers mention?
Write the letter of each name in the space where it belongs. Use each name only once.
(a) Camille Saint-Saens
(b) Max Steiner
(c) Mendelssohn
Composed music, but not for
Composed music for a
Composed music for
film
French film
soundtracks
(c)
(a)
(b)
3. The professor briefly explains a process. Summarize the process by putting the evens in
order. ( b – c – a – d )
Write the letter of sentence in the space where it belongs. Use each sentence only once.
(a) Music is heard, but without a visible means of production
(b) Music is performed by musicians in the movie theater
(c) Music is performed by musicians with the movie itself
(d) Music is underscoring the dialogue
4. Why does the professor mention Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March”? ( a )
(a) To illustrate what kind of music was available in catalogs
(b) To show how people might be confused if they could not see where the music was coming
from
(c) To give an example of music written specifically for a particular film
(d) To highlight the kind of music that a player could improvise
5. According to the professor, in what ways was Max Steiner a pioneer of film scoring?
LISTENING MODULE
14
(Choose 2 answers) ( b, c )
(a) He conducted music for films.
(b) He experimented with background music.
(c) He composed music to be played during dialogue.
(d) He wrote the sophisticated music of today.
6. What event probably had the most influence on film music? ( d )
(a) Camille Saint-Saens’s composition in 1908 of music for a specific film
(b) The catalogues of music for specific dramatic purposes in the early 1910s
(c) The synchronization of sound and image in 1922
(d) The experiments with background music for film in the early 1930s
Adapted from Gear, J., Gear, R. (2002). Cambridge preparation for the TOEFL test. 3rd ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 466-467.
Analysis of Vocabulary with Vocabfile
Families
Types
Tokens
Percent
114
132
285
76.00%
Function
(165)
(44.00%)
Content
(120)
(32.00%)
23
6.13%
K1 Words (11000):
K2 Words
12
14
1k+2k
(82.13%)
AWL Words17
17
18
20
5.33%
Off-List Words
?
40
47
12.53%
143+?
204
375
100%
Words in text (tokens):
375
LISTENING MODULE
15
Different Words (types):
204
Type-token ratio:
0.54
Tokens per type:
1.84
Lex density (content words/total)
0.56
Pertaining to onlist only
Tokens:
328
Types:
164
Families:
143
Tokens per family:
2.29
Types per family:
1.15
Anglo-Sax Index:
65.24%
Greco-Lat/Fr-Cognate Index
34.76%
Assessment for comprehension
I used multiple choice questions and ordering question to test listening comprehension.
The test format covers from general main idea to details, and included inference question to
see students’ understanding level.
Justification for Assessment options
I chose multiple choice questions. According to Coombe, Folse and Hubley (2007),
Objective formats like multiple choice questions (MCQs) and true/false (T/F) are often used
because they are reliable and easy to mark and analyze (p. 96). Using some distracters, test
takers should choose the most appropriate answer to the questions. The questions are aimed
to test students’ general understanding of main idea of lecture, and details.
I also added chart complete questions, they are required for the test takers compare,
analyze and categorize the information in the listening material. Therefore listeners need to
find out the different contents of each category and develop their listening comprehension
skills. The related, but contrastive information is usually referred, so this task will develop
LISTENING MODULE
16
students’ careful listening and clear understanding of content.
Task #5 Article summary and making connection between pedagogy and assessment.
Thompson, I., & Rubin, J. (1996). Can strategy instruction improve listening comprehension?
Foreign Language Annals, 2, 331–342.
Thompson & Rubin researched the effect of cognitive and metacognitive strategy
instruction on listening comprehension. The subjects were Russian language students in
college and research was conducted with authentic video materials; video segments,
television segments, and movies.
The experimental group was taught cognitive verifications, cognates, and storyline. The
cognitive strategies being taught were predicting, listening to the known, listening for
redundancies, listening to tone of voice and intonation, resourcing. And the metacognitive
strategies being taught were planning, defining goals, monitoring, and evaluating.
And special cognitive strategies were informed for each genre. Drama were focused on
the story line, interview were paid attention to the question and answer sequence, and news
were given consideration of who, what, where, when, and how.
The results indicated that systematic instruction in the use of cognitive and
metacognitive strategies would result in the improvement of listening comprehension. After
experiment, students recognized the reasons for applying strategies. For example, they
sounded off in order to get a general idea when they watch video first time. In other cases,
students reported that turning the picture off was helpful when they were listening news for
the second time because the visuals were distracting.
In spite of some limitations such as the size of the sample, the difficulty of the Russian
language, and the relatively short length of training, one dependent measure, video test,
showed a significant advantage of the experimental over the control group. The other
LISTENING MODULE
17
dependent measure, audio test did not reach significance. First, the audio test did not parallel
the type of instruction given. Throughout the strategy training, learners were instructed to use
the visual information contained in the videos to facilitate their listening comprehension;
however, this processing support was missing in the audio test. Second, many items in the
ETS audio test were not directly related to the genres that the teachers taught.
Connections between pedagogy and assessment
Based on this research, strategy instruction is considered as very efficient language
learning method. Especially, cognitive and metacognitive strategies have self deciding
elements in the learning process. So these strategies are encouraged to be used as the
classroom pedagody and assessment. For example, students can watch video with sound- off
(prediction based on visual cues) to get a general idea, or turn off the picture to avoid visuals’
distracting. According to Thompson & Rubin (1996)’s research, the experimental group
developed the ability to determine whether they wanted to listen to a passage again (planning),
and to state what precisely they were looking for in a replay (goal definition). Further,
another cognitive and metacognitive strategy is suggested in listening performance. As a pair
work, students jot down after predicting what the characters might say (prediction based on
knowledge of the language), watch the video again to verify prediction (verification), and as
another pair work, they jot down familiar words and phrases that they actually heard (familiar
elements).
Now, listening is considered as an active process not passive one, listeners select and
interpret information that comes from auditory and visual clues in order to define what is
going on and what the speakers are trying to express.
The application for the strategy in different level, the difference between expert and
novice learners should not be just in the array of strategies used, but rather in the manner in
LISTENING MODULE
18
which learners use self-management (metacognitive strategies) to define tasks, moreover,
select and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies. Therefore, the learners’ level of selfmanaging skill should be carefully considered. When learners are used to the strategy, the
learners can combine cognitive and metacognitive strategies, not only learn more but also can
transfer strategies from task to task and continue to use the strategies over time.
For the assessment, the test should parallel the type of instruction given. For example,
through strategy training, learners were instructed to use the visual information contained in
the videos to facilitate their listening comprehension. This processing support should be
accounted in test type whether providing visual things which could provide additional
information for listening comprehension.
Next, the genres in the test should be related to the ones that taught in the class in
advance. There are specific characters of each material used in strategy instruction. So
evaluation material should be designed depending on the type of listening like movie
segments, TV interview, news reports.
LISTENING MODULE
19
References
Coombe, Folse, & Hubley (2007) A practical guide to assessing English Language Learners.
University of Michigan Press.
Gear, J., Gear, R. (2002). Cambridge preparation for the TOEFL test. 3rd ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thompson, I., & Rubin, J. (1996). Can strategy instruction improve listening comprehension?
Foreign Language Annals, 2, 331–342.