Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking

1 Teaching ESL/EFLL istening and SpeakingUsing a framework based on principles of Teaching and learning, this guidefor teachers and teacher trainees provides a wealth of suggestions for help-ing learners at all levels of proficiency develop their Listening and speakingskills and fluency. By following these suggestions, which are organizedaround four strands meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output,language-focused learning, and fluency development teachers will beable to design and present a balanced programme for their ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking , and its companion text, Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and Writing, are similar in format and the kindsof topics covered, but do not need to be used together. Drawing onresearch and theory in applied linguistics, their focus is strongly hands-on,featuring easily applied principles, a large number of useful Teaching techniques, and guidelines for testing and Certificate, Diploma, Masters and Doctoral courses for teachers ofEnglish as a second or foreign language include a Teaching methods com-ponent.

2 The texts are designed for and have been field tested in S. P. Nation is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the School ofLinguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University inWellington, New Newton is a senior lecturer in the School of Linguistics andApplied Language Studies, Victoria University in Wellington, & Applied Linguistics Professional SeriesEli Hinkel, Series EditorNation Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and WritingNation/Newton Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and SpeakingKachru/Smith Cultures, Contexts, and world EnglishesMcKay/Bokhosrt-Heng International English in its Sociolinguistic Contexts:Towards a Socially Sensitive EIL PedagogyChristison/Murray, Eds Leadership in English Language Education: TheoreticalFoundations and Practical Skills for Changing TimesMcCafferty/Stam, Eds Gesture: Second Language Acquisition and ClassroomResearchLiu Idioms.

3 Description, Comprehension, Acquisition, and PedagogyChapelle/Enright/Jamison, Eds Building a Validity Argument for the Text ofEnglish as a Foreign Language Kondo-Brown/Brown, Eds Teaching Chinese, Japanese, and Korean HeritageStudents: Curriculum Needs, Materials, and AssessmentsYoumans Chicano-Anglo Conversations: Truth, Honesty, and PolitenessBirch English L2 Reading: Getting to the Bottom, Second EditionLuk/Lin Classroom Interactions as Cross-cultural Encounters: Native Speakers inEFL LessonsLevy/Stockwell CALL Dimensions: Issues and Options in Computer AssistedLanguage LearningNero, Ed. Dialects, Englishes, Creoles, and EducationBasturkmen Ideas and Options in English for Specific PurposesKumaravadivelu Understanding Language Teaching : From Method to PostmethodMcKay Researching Second Language ClassroomsEgbert/Petrie, Eds CALL Research PerspectivesCanagarajah, Ed. Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and PracticeAdamson Language Minority Students in American Schools: An Education in EnglishFotos/Browne, Eds New Perspectives on CALL for Second Language ClassroomsHinkel Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary andGrammarHinkel/Fotos, Eds New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second LanguageClassroomsHinkel Second Language Writers Text: Linguistic and Rhetorical FeaturesVisit for additional information on titles in the ESL& Applied Linguistics Professional SeriesTeaching ESL/EFLL istening and SpeakingI.

4 S. P. Nation and J. NewtonFirst published 2009by Routledge270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UKby Routledge2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4 RNRoutledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business 2009 Routledge, Taylor & FrancisAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any formor by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, includingphotocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNation, I. S. ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking / I. S. P. Nation and J. cm. (ESL & applied linguistics professional series)Includes bibliographical references and English language Study and Teaching Foreign English language SpokenEnglish Study and Listening Study and English teachers Newton, J.

5 (Jonathan)II. 20082008011763 ISBN10: 0 415 98969 8 (hbk)ISBN10: 0 415 98970 1 (pbk)ISBN10: 0 203 89170 8 (ebk)ISBN13: 978 0 415 98969 5 (hbk)ISBN13: 978 0 415 98970 1 (pbk)ISBN13: 978 0 203 89170 4 (ebk) To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge scollection of thousands of eBooks please go to This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 0-203-89170-8 Master e-book ISBNC ontentsPrefaceixAcknowledgementsxiii1 Parts and Goals of a Listening and Speaking Course1 The Four Strands1 Meaning-focused Input: Learning through Listening and Reading3 Meaning-focused Output: Learning through Speaking and Writing4 Language-focused Learning7 Becoming Fluent in Listening , Speaking , Reading and Writing9 Balancing the Four Strands10 Integrating the Four Strands11 Principles and the Four Strands12 Learning Goals142 Beginning to Listen and Speak in Another Language17 What Should They Learn?17 How Should the Teaching and Learning be Done?

6 19 Activities and Approaches for Teaching and Learning in a Beginners Course23 Techniques for Early Meaning-focused Speaking30 Planning a Listening and Speaking Programme for Beginners333 Listening37 Why Listening ?37 Models of Listening39 Types of Listening40 Listening Processes40vActivities for Meaning-focused Listening42 Supporting Listening46 Information Transfer47 Strategies51 Advanced Listening : Note-taking52 Monitoring Meaning-focused Listening574 Language-focused Learning through Dictation andRelated Activities59 Choosing Dictation Texts60 Pre-dictation Exercises61 Variations of Dictation62 Related Techniques65 Monitoring Dictation67 Dictogloss and Related Activities68 Dicto-comp69 Related Techniques705 Pronunciation75 The Importance of Pronunciation75 The Place of Pronunciation Instruction76 Goals77 Factors Affecting the Learning of Another Sound System78 Procedures and Techniques82 Fitting Pronunciation into a Course93 Monitoring Pronunciation956 Learning through Task-focused Interaction97 Encouraging Negotiation99 Using Written Input to Encourage Negotiation99 Using Information Distribution to Encourage Negotiation101 Factors Affecting the Amount and Type of Negotiation106 Using Learner Training to Encourage Negotiation107 Monitoring Negotiation110 Learning through Non-negotiated Interaction110

7 Monitoring Learners Beginning to Speak1127 Learning through Pushed Output115 Pushing Output116 Informal Speaking120 Formal Speaking121 The Nature of Formal Speaking122 Teaching Formal Speaking123A Process Approach to Formal Speaking125vi ContentsGuidelines for Presenting a Formal Talk127 Monitoring Formal Talks1298 Language-focused Learning: Deliberate Teaching131 The Value and Limits of Language-focused Learning131 Deliberate Vocabulary Learning132 The Requirements of Language-focused Vocabulary Instruction133 Techniques and Procedures for Vocabulary Learning135 Deliberate Grammar Learning138 Correcting Grammatical Errors141 The Effect of Correction142 Correction Procedures144 Fitting Language-focused Learning into a Course1479 Developing Fluency151 The Nature of Fluency151 Fluency and Accuracy152 Developing Fluency152 Designing Fluency Activities153 Fitting Fluency into a Course156 Developing Fluency in Listening and Speaking157 Techniques for Developing Fluency in Listening157 Techniques for Developing Fluency in Speaking161 Monitoring Fluency Tasks16210 Monitoring and Testing Progress165 Monitoring Progress165 Testing Listening and Speaking166 Listening Tests170 Speaking Tests171 Conclusion177 Appendix 1 The Survival Syllabus179 Appendix 2 Topic

8 Types183 Appendix 3 Topics for Listening and Speaking185 References187 Techniques Index199 Index203 Contents viiPrefaceThis book is intended for teachers of English as a second or foreign lan-guage. It can be used both for experienced teachers and for teachers intraining. In its earlier forms this book has been used on graduate diplomaand Masters level courses, and with teachers in book has two major features. First, it has a strong practicalemphasis around one hundred Teaching techniques are described in thebook. Second, it tries to provide a balanced programme for developing theskills of Listening and Speaking . It does this by using a framework calledthe four strands. These are called strands because they run through thewhole course. They are the strands of meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning, and fluency development. In awell-balanced language programme covering the four skills of Listening , Speaking , reading, and writing, each of the four strands should haveroughly equal amounts of time.

9 The organisation of the book largelyreflects these four have attempted to write the book using clear and simple possible, technical terms have been avoided. However, in a fewcases, with terms such as negotiation, pushed output, and extensive reading,technical terms have been used and explained in the text. This book thusdoes not require any previous knowledge of second language acquisitiontheory or language Teaching 1 gives an overview of the four strands. This overview is alsovery relevant for the companion book to this one, called Teaching ESL/EFLR eading and Writing. Chapters 2 and 3 deal largely with Listening (a form of meaning-focused input). Chapters 4, 5 and 8 deal withixlanguage-focused learning, paying particular attention to dictation andits related activities, and to pronunciation. Chapters 6 and 7 focus onspeaking (meaning-focused output).

10 These chapters look at how speak-ing activities can be designed to encourage language learning. Chapter 9deals with fluency development, which is the fourth of the English is taught as a foreign language, fluency development isoften neglected. Fluency development is important at all levels of pro-ficiency, and even beginners need to become fluent with the few itemsof language that they know. Chapter 10 deals with monitoring a result of working through this book, teachers should be able todesign a well-balanced Listening and Speaking course which provides agood range of opportunities for learning. The teacher s most importantjob is to plan so that the learners are learning useful things, so that the bestconditions for learning occur, and so that they are getting a balance oflearning opportunities. This book should help teachers do possible, the ideas in this book are research based.