Tips and strategies to improve academic listening.

1. Guided
Independent
Learning
Workshop 1

2. This Guided Independent Learning session aims
to enable you to:
Analyse your needs.
Set goals for and plan your self study.
Review and select SAC support materials.
Develop a strategy to track your progress.
Prepare for different listening exam formats.
CELE Guided Independent Learning Workshop 2

3. What is your main problem with listening?
I feel anxious
The lecturer I don't know I feel sleepy
when
speaks too enough during long
listening to
fast vocabulary lectures
English
Different
I can only get It’s hard to listen
lecturers have
main ideas but / think / write at
different
not the details the same time
pronunciation
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4. 1. Why do you need to improve your listening?
2. How do you usually practice listening?
3. What resources do you use?
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5. Why do you need to improve your listening?
General Business Academic
English English English
To enjoy movies To do To understand
and songs in business with
English
lectures and
foreigners take better
To listen to To work for a notes
the news on multinational
BBC or CCN company
To speak with To work
foreigners overseas
To use the
internet CELE Guided Independent Learning Workshop 5

6. CELE Guided Independent Learning Workshop 6

7. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
What is the main
Vocabulary
topic of the text?
???
What is the speaker’s
argument? Organisation
Global and structure
Listening
What is the speaker’s
position?
Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
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8. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
key
What is the main
vocabulary text? Vocabulary
topic of thefor the
topic? ???
What is the speaker’s
Does the speaker use
argument? Organisation
Global and structure
any useful phrases?
Listening
What is the speaker’s
position?
Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
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9. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
How does the speaker
What is the main
key
organisethefor ideas?
vocabulary text? Vocabulary
topic of their the
topic? ??
What linking devices
is the speaker’s
does the speaker use?
Does the speaker use
argument? Organisation
Global and structure
any useful phrases?
Listening
How does the speaker
What is the speaker’s
build their argument?
position?
Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
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10. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
What does the speaker
How is the main the
tenses does
key
speaker use, and
vocabulary text? Vocabulary
topic of thefor ideas?
organise their the
why?
topic? ???
What linking devices
What is the speaker’s
Doesdoesspeaker use?
argument?the speaker
How the
does use Organisation
and structure
any useful possibility?
talk about phrases? Global
Listening
What does the speaker
How is the speaker’s
position? argument?
build their
Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
CELE Guided Independent Learning Workshop 10

11. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
How does thedoes the
What does the speaker
tenses speaker
How is the main
key
speaker use, and
pronounce key ideas?
vocabulary text? Vocabulary
topic of thefor the
organise their
why?
topic?
vocabulary?
What linking devices
What is the speaker’s
Doesdoes the speaker
How the
How doesspeaker use?
does use
argument?the speaker Organisation
and structure
any useful possibility?
talk about phrases?
use connected Global
Listening
What does the speaker
How is
speech? the speaker’s
position? argument?
build their
How do rhythm and
stress affect the Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
message?
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12. Every time you listen to something you should have a
goal.
How do the main this
How is youkey
tenseswant the
What does the speaker
does
listeningthefor ideas?
vocabulary develop
organise to text?
topic of use, and
speaker pronounce
speaker their the Vocabulary
yourvocabulary?
why? listening skill?
topic?
key ???
What linking devices
What is the speaker’s
Doesdoesspeaker use?
argument?the speaker
How does the
does the
How use Organisation
and structure
any useful possibility?
talk about phrases?
speaker use Global
Listening
What does the speaker
How is thespeech?
connected speaker’s
position? argument?
build their
How do rhythm and
stress affect the Pronunciation Grammar
Usage
message?
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13. When you listen, it is important to be able to take
notes. These are your record of what the speaker said,
so you need to take note of:
The aim is to The speaker’s
The main ideas
have notes argument
that give you
an accurate
record of what
the speaker The
Facts and
said. supporting
figures
evidence
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14. You can make notes more quickly and efficiently if you
develop your own shorthand.
< ≈ = >
less than approximately equals greater than
re: cf.
leading to regarding compared with therefore
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15.  Summary style notes give the main
points of the lecture.
 Responsive style notes give less
detail, and more of your
feelings, reactions and ideas on what
has been said.
When do you use each type and why?
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16. What type of listening resources do you
prefer to work with?
Computer CD/Cassette DVD
 Remember, the AV Suite (AB406) is a
dedicated study place to practice listening.
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17. The SAC has many books with audio CD or DVD.
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18. There are a wide range of resources
available to help you improve your
listening.
Explore the shelves
Consult the Guide to Use EASE for self-
in the SAC for
SAC and the SAC paced, guided
practice materials
Website for lecture listening
for academic
recommendations practice.
listening.
Your CELE tutor will
Use the VSAC Get familiar with the give you lots of
recommended exam format, advice about
academic listening instructions and strategies and
websites. time limits! resources.
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19.  Many academic lectures of around 20 minutes on
a great variety of subjects.
 Interactive transcripts are available.
 Subtitles (English, Chinese and many more…but
they are not always perfect!!).
 Lectures are downloadable to phone/mp3 player.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/howard_rhein
gold_on_collaboration.html
 Listen to the first 3:05 minutes and take notes.
 Use the interactive transcript to check if you
understood.
 What do you think of the presenter and his ideas?
Discuss with a friend.
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20. You can turn
the full
transcript on
and off
You can
turn
subtitles on
You can watch
and off
other lectures
with similar
themes
CELE Continuing Support
Programme 20

21. http://www.abc.net.au/learn/
The ABC Learn site has a large variety of useful
listening (and other) resources.
 English and Literacy
 Australia Network – Learning English
 English Bites or Nexus (for General English) or
 The Business of English (for Business English) or
 Study English and Passport to English (for IELTS)
The ABC also has a vast amount of current affairs, tv
programmes, documentaries, presentations, etc that
you can watch and listen to.
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22. • Be well prepared - know the exam format,
tasks and timing.
• Read directions/instructions VERY carefully.
E.g. Where do you write the answers? How
many words are expected? Full sentences?
• Read the questions VERY carefully. Be sure
of the task.
• Answer EVERY question.
• Pace yourself, stay alert and calm. Don’t
waste time and linger on a problematic
question, move on so you don’t lose track.
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23. You need to be very clear about the structure
and format e.g.
IELTS test - 4 modules (R/L/S/W) TOEFL iBT test - 4 sections (R/L/S/W)
Listening section Listening Section
Length: 40 minutes Part 1: 4-6 lectures (6 questions each)
4 parts: Transactional conversation to lecture Part 2: 2-3 conversations (5 questions each)
Length: 60-90 minutes
Try to get some past papers and get used to
the format of the test. If you know what you’re
expected to do during the exam you can focus
on listening during the test.
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24. • It takes a lot of regular practice to
prepare for a listening exam.
• There’s no value in studying the
night before the exam.
• Advance preparation will help you
feel prepared and confident.
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25. Your listening will improve more quickly if
you hear English often – aim to do extra
listening every day: films, TV series, news,
songs, anything!
Watch movies But make
and listen to sure
music in you also do
English focused
for fun and listening
enjoyment. practice for
your exam.
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