Idea — A gist task gives learners one broad question before they read or listen. It sets a purpose, activates schema, and stops word-by-word panic. One question only — more kills gist. Example — Gist…
Idea — Graded audio is scripted for a level; authentic audio is real-world speech. Authentic texts motivate and expose natural features, but you grade the task, not the text, to keep them usable. Example —…
Idea — Bottom-up processing means building meaning word by word, sound by sound, from the raw linguistic input. It is the slower, more effortful route — and the one weaker learners over-rely on. Example —…
Idea — Set a reason to listen before playing audio. A clear task focuses attention and turns passive exposure into purposeful practice; without one, learners drift or try to decode everything. Example — "Listen and…
Idea — Top-down processing means using prior knowledge — topic, context, genre — to make sense of a text before fully decoding it. It is fast and efficient when schema is strong. Example — A…
Idea — Before listening, learners should switch on what they already know about the topic — their schemata. Activated background knowledge fuels top-down prediction and makes the audio far easier. Example — Before a clip…
Idea — Receptive skills are listening and reading — skills where learners receive and decode language rather than produce it. Understanding them is the first step to teaching them well. Example — A student reads…
Idea — Speakers leave a lot unsaid; listeners infer attitude, relationship and intention from tone, stress and context. This sub-skill is often neglected but central to real understanding. Example — "Lovely. Just lovely." said flatly…
Idea — Productive skills (Days 182-211) rest on a few moves: separate fluency from accuracy, travel controlled to freer, raise student talking time, and treat writing as a process with revision. Example — Whether speaking…
Idea — Intensive or detailed listening targets precise meaning — exact words, grammar, attitude. It is demanding, so it usually comes last, after gist and specific-information stages have built confidence. Example — Distinguishing "I can"…