Listening Exercise

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An Introduction to Listening

Academic English for Undergraduate Study

Lecture 1

Introduction and Overview of Module

Introduction to Listening Skills

This lecture and its associated materials have been produced by Mr. Kelvin Ng (MBA, Cambridge) of iAcademy for the

purposes of lecturing on the above described subject and the material should be viewed in this context. The work does

not constitute professional advice and no warranties are made regarding the information presented. The Author and

iAcademy do not accept any liability for the consequences of any action taken as a result of the work or any

recommendations made or inferred. Permission to use any of these materials must be first granted by iAcademy.

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Agenda

• Introduction to your Instructors

• Introduction to the Module

• Week 1 Lecture Coverage

– Difference between Listening and Hearing

– Why Listening Skills are Important

– Obstacles to Listening

– How to be a better Listener

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Module Leader

• Kelvin Ng (MBA, Cambridge)

– Chief Operating Officer, Islington College, NEP

– Director Academic Operations, iAcademy, SIN

– Visiting Lecturer

• Chulalongkorn University, THA

• Thammasat University, THA

• Levels taught: BE, BBA, MBA, PhD at the faculties of

Accountancy and Business Administration and Economics

– Previous Appointments

• Helios Programme Commercial Analyst at British

Petroleum (BP), UK

• European Growth Strategy Consultant at Linkedin, US

• Business Development Manager and Consultant at Procter

and Gamble (P&G), SG

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Introduction to the Module

• Overview of Module

– What can you expect?

• Learning Objectives

– How will you benefit?

• Learning Strategy

– How you will learn?

• Assessment Overview

– How you will be tested?

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Overview of Module

• Academic English for Undergraduate Study

• Aim: Bridge the gap between pre-tertiary

English language education and the required

standard at University E.g.Tasks High School / A Levels University

Essays About 200 to 250 words

For English

>= 500 words

For many modules

Research and

Additional Reading

None or Little

Only text books

Required

Academic Books and

Articles

Reports Simple

Up to 500 to 1,000 words

Complex with proper

Organization

Up to 12,000 words

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Overview of Module

Foundational English Knowledge

- Grammar, Punctuation, Vocabulary… etc.

Listen

ing

Sp

ea

kin

g

Re

ad

ing

Writin

g

Academic English for

Undergraduate Study

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Learning

Objectives

Academic English for Undergraduate Study

MarketingEntrepreneurship

Human Resources

IT

Foundation

for all your

other

modules!

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Learning Strategy

• English for Undergraduate Study

• Taught over 1 academic year (2 academic

semesters)

• Total 24 weeks of class (12 weeks each

semester)

• Each week consists of 1 Lecture (2 Hours) and 1

tutorial (2 Hours)

– Lecture: Learn how to acquire English skills

– Tutorial: Review and practice English skills through

in-class assignments to actually acquire them

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Learning Strategy

Semester 1

Listening ReadingSpeaking Writing

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12Video Assessment: Week 7

Examination: Week 13/14

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Learning Strategy

• English cannot be learnt by memorizing. It is

learnt through constant use and practice.

• It can be difficult to learn English elsewhere

because everyone prefers to speak their local

language.

• We want to provide you the environment to

practice and improve quickly.

Attendance for all classes is

important!

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Assessment Details

• English for Undergraduate Study

• 4 Assessments (2 in 1st semester, 2 in 2nd

semester)

• All assessments on an individual basis

• 1st semester

– 1. Reading and Speaking Test (Week 7, 25%)

– 2. Written Unseen Exam (Week 13/14, 25%)

• 2nd semester

– 3. Research Report and Presentation (Week 7, 25%)

– 4. Written Unseen Exam (Week 13/14, 25%)

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Assessment Details

• Module Grading Standards in the UK

Range of

MarksGrade Remarks

70 - 100 AExcellent: outstanding performance with only minor

errors

60 - 69 BVery Good: above the average standard but with

some errors

50 - 59 CGood: generally sound work with a number of

notable errors

43 - 49 D Satisfactory: fair but with significant shortcomings

40 - 42 E Sufficient: performance meets the minimum criteria

0 - 39 FFail: performance does not meet the minimum

criteria and considerable further work is required

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Assessment Details

More Information about the 1st

assessment will be provided in

Week 5.

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Any Questions?

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Let’s get started with Lecture 1

An Introduction to Listening

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But First… Lets see some

examples of why good English is

Important!

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Why English is Important

• Play Videos

– English Teacher From India

– Airplane pilot with communication problems

– Ken Lee or Without you by Mariah Carey

What can we learn from these 3

videos?

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Therefore…

It is important for your career, salary

and future prospects.

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An Introduction to the 4

key English Skills

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4 Key English Skills

• Listening skills:

– Getting the key points

– Understanding what and how

– Getting the details

– Includes: Note-taking - listening and writing

simultaneously (at the same time); Predicting what

will be said next; Answering questions asked

“God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we

can hear twice as much as we say.”

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• Reading skills:

– Getting the key points via skimming and scanning

– Understanding what and how

– Getting the details

– Includes: The importance of context (Background),

predicting what will be written next, and guessing

the meaning of unknown words

“I love books way more than movies. Movies tell you what to

think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for

yourself.”

― Karen Marie Moning

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• Speaking skills:

– Speaking clearly, using the right Volume, Tone, and

Speed.

– Understanding and speaking with Accents

– Pronunciation and intonation

– Includes: Making academic presentations to large

groups of strangers

“It is your responsibility to ensure that people

understand what you say.”

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• Writing skills:

– General Essay planning and writing

– Paraphrasing, Summary Writing and Academic

Essay and Report Writing

– Includes: The use of linking devices (words and

phrases), Improving sentence structure, Improving

paragraph structure, Grammar and vocabulary

“Either write something worth reading or do

something worth writing. “

- Benjamin Franklin

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Lecture 1 Coverage

• Difference between Listening and Hearing

• Why Listening Skills are Important

• Obstacles to Listening

• How to be a better Listener

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What is Hearing?

• How do we hear a sound?

– Sound waves enter our ear, causing the ear drum to

vibrate.

– The vibrating ear drum causes other parts of the ear

to transmit electrical signals to the brain.

– Our brain interprets these electrical signals as

sound.

• Quiet now… how many different sounds can

you identify?

• Why were you not aware of these sounds

before?

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Because you were

listening to me!

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Lets do a listening experiment

• Watch this video. Play video:

– Indian Music Video – Original

What was the song

about?

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Lets do a listening experiment

• Watch the same Music Video again. Play Video:

– Indian Music Video - With Lyrics

Was it different from

what you thought it

was? WHY?

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Hearing and Listening

• Hearing is a “physical” activity

– You can listen to many different sounds at the same

time.

– Everyone hears the same sounds.

• Listening is a “mental” activity

– You can only listen to 1 sound effectively at any

time.

– You interpret what you are listening yourself.

– Other people listening to the same sound may

interpret its meaning differently from you.

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Amazing Facts about our Ears

• You hear 4 X faster than other can talk.

– A skilled listener can listen, understand and respond

intelligently to any question. A vital life skill!

• You continue to hear sounds, even when you are

sleeping!

• Ears help to you hear and maintain balance.

• Your ears are designed to dislodge ear wax out of

your ears naturally.

Sources: http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/ears.html

http://www.turnittotheleft.com/educational/funFacts.pdf

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Listening and Leadership

• All famous leaders are good speakers.

• They are good speakers because they are first

Great Listeners.

• Let’s see how Great Listeners can listen, quickly

understand and respond skilfully to any question

or situation.

• Play Video of a debate between 2 UK Prime

Ministers:

– David Cameron vs Gordon Brown

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If you cannot listen and

understand the situation

correctly, you will fail in any

social situation.

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Listening and Education

• If listening is such an important skill, are schools

teaching it?

• NO. Listening is a language skill we use the most,

but is taught the least.

Skill Learned Used Taught

Listening 1st 45% Least

Speaking 2nd 35% Next least

Reading 3rd 15% Next most

Writing 4th 9% most

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What Interrupts Listening?

• Physical obstacles E.g.

– The speaker is speaking too softly or you are seated

too far away

– There are physical barriers that prevent you from

listening

– Your friends are speaking loudly next to you or there

is a lot of distracting noise

– You are feeling unwell or uncomfortable

• Remember: You can only listen and focus on 1

thing as any 1 time.

– Play the recording, Simultaneous Talking

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What Interrupts Listening?

• Mental obstacles E.g.

– You are distracted and thinking of other issues

– You disagree with the speaker and think only about

why he is wrong and how to argue back

• Bad Attitude obstacles E.g.

– You think that the class is boring and not worth your

time because you are weak in that subject or

assuming you know everything already (Arrogance)

– You don’t like the speaker or your classmates

– Hearing only what you like (Selective listening)

• Play videos, Only Hear The Good Stuff 1, 2 and 3

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How to be a Better Listener

• Step 1: Get Ready to Listen

– Stop talking (You and your friends)

– Block out personal distractions and thoughts

– Sit up and look attentive. Your body language will

signal to your mind to focus.

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• Step 2: Listen Actively

– Be patient. Don’t be quick to disagree jump to

conclusions.

– Empathize. How does the speaker feel? Do not

interrupt before the speaker has finished speaking.

– Listen for Content: The Big Idea, What and How

things work, The Details.

– Listen for Feelings: The speaker’s voice (Loud or

Soft), tone (Angry, Sad, Excited, Happy..?) and speed

(Fast or Slow, Are there meaningful pauses?)

– Look at the speaker’s body language (Face, hands…)

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• Step 2: Listen Actively

– Give feedback and support to the speaker

• Show Interest: Sit up straight and look directly at the

speaker. Nod to show that you understand. Smile, laugh,

and let the speaker know that you are really listening.

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• Step 3: Verify your

Understanding

– Ask, Clarify and Paraphrase to

check whether you fully

understand what was said.

• “Sir, do you mean… ?”

• “Sir, am I correct to say that… ?”

• “Madam, can you explain…

again?”

• “Madam, can you provide an

example about what you just

taught… ?”

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Social Business Skill:

You listen not only with your ears but also

with your face and body language.

If you want others to show interest in you,

first show interest in them.

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Any Questions?

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Listening Exercise 1: The Big Idea

• Watch this Video and listen for the Big Idea.

– TED - St John on Success

• Jot down notes and answer this question:

What leads to Success?

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Listening Exercise 1: The Big Idea

• Discussion Points:

– Was everyone able to list down the 8 key factors

that lead to success?

– How did some people listen more successfully than

other?

– How can we listen and understand anything more

effectively?

To listen effectively, we also need to learn how to

listen and take good notes at the same time

(Week 2)

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Summary: Week 1 Lecture

• Listening is 1 out of 4 key language skills.

• Listening effectively allows us to learn and think

more effectively.

• Beware the 3 key barriers to good listening

– Physical, Mental and Bad Attitude obstacles

• Remember the 3 Steps to better listening

– Get Ready to Listen

– Listen Actively

– Verify your Understanding

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What to Expect: Week 1 Tutorial

• Listening Comprehension exercises

– Listen to a series of audio recordings

– To get used to listening to and understanding

different western English accents

– To improve listening comprehension skills

– Practice advanced IELTS Listening Exercises

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Listening Exercise

Documents

Transcript of Listening Exercise