The idea — Not all errors need correcting immediately. Interrupting a fluency task for accuracy correction kills communication. Correcting everything demoralises. The question is always: what is this task for? In practice — During fluency…
The idea — Assessment for learning means using information about what learners know to adjust your teaching in real time. It is not a test at the end — it is a pulse-check during. In…
The idea — In a mixed-ability class, the same task reaches different learners differently. Rather than designing three separate tasks, design one task with variable challenge — open the top and support the bottom. In…
The idea — Peer observation feedback fails when it is vague (‘great energy’), when it is a list of everything, or when it arrives without an anchor to evidence. Effective feedback is specific, referenced, and…
Quick check — no notes. Answer from memory, then compare with a colleague or the recap below. What is the difference between gist and detail listening tasks? Name two types of while-listening task that work…
Idea — L1 phonological systems can interfere with listening in English. Learners may systematically mishear phoneme contrasts that don’t exist in their first language, no matter how many times they listen. Example — Japanese learners…
Idea — Native speakers link, reduce, and swallow sounds in ways that standard pronunciation syllabi don’t cover. Learners trained only on careful speech are unprepared for real connected speech. Example — ‘What are you going…
Idea — Asking ‘Did you understand?’ after a listening is useless: learners who didn’t understand don’t know they didn’t understand, and those who did understand have nothing useful to say. Example — Instead, ask a…
Idea — Prediction activates schema, reduces anxiety, and gives learners a purpose for listening. When learners predict and then check their predictions, comprehension improves even when they are wrong. Example — Show the title of…
Idea — Inference means working out what is implied but not stated. In listening, this includes reading between the lines — detecting sarcasm, implication, or unstated attitude. It is a higher-order skill worth teaching explicitly.…