ELT365 · D153 — Top-Down Processing: Let Schema Do the Work

Idea — Top-down processing means using background knowledge, topic familiarity, and context to make sense of what you hear or read before decoding every word.

Example — You see ‘GATE 22 — BOARDING’ and instantly know what to do. You didn’t decode each letter; your schema did the work.

Try — Before playing a recording, give learners only the title and two key words. Ask: what do you expect to hear? Share predictions — then play.

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