Strategies for listening, note taking and discussion

September 15, 2008 in EAP, curriculum, methodology, skills, word lists | No comments

These notes are based on a presentation given by Theresa Doğuelli University. The presentation was after sales service from Oxford University Press on the Lecture Ready series of academic English text books.

The aim of the book is strategy training and this was where Teresa began her presentation. The differences between a strategy, skill, plan and tactic were explored. One of the ideas that came out of the discussion was that a strategy is more flexible than a plan - leaving the learner the chioce of how to tackle the task rather than a less flexible and less adaptable plan.

Useful learner strategies in a listening/note taking course

In no particular order of importance:

  • getting the big picture as soon as possible
  • focusing on details
  • don’t panic
  • exploiting existing knowledge
  • using a knowledge of discourse markers
  • learning how to interrupt and ask questions
  • visualizing words
  • inferring and deducing
  • developing a tolerance for linguistic ambiguities

A possible organisation of a listening/note-taking course in an EAP setting

1. Build on background knowledge by:

  • using and opener to think about the topic
  • using a short reading passage
  • vocabulary developing activities
  • reviewing what learners already know about the topic.

2. Prepare for and listen to take notes:

  • listening for lecture specific language
  • reading and/or listening to a practice lecture
  • focussing on general and academic words lists (AWL)
  • exploiting and developing note taking skills
  • developing note taking trough practice

3. Listening and note taking stages

  • review and predict (micro-practice activities)
  • attend the actual lecture
  • evaluation of notes self/peer assessment
  • using summarising activities
    • see also ’scaffolding’.

4.  Discussion of the issues

  • structured strategy practice
  • free practise/discussion of ideas
  • discussion of strategies L1 or L2?
    • See also ‘cardversations’

Note that this is not the only valid way of organising note taking training, but is the approach we shall be taking with our new course book during this new academic year. Let’s see how things work out in practice.

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