The best CLT type of listening exercises in my opinion are the ones which resemble those in real life. Tasks where the students show their understanding by responding appropriately to what the others say.

To me listening is a natural extension of speaking. At its best these two skills are intertwined in lessons just like they are in normal life. Thus all speaking situations turn to listening practices at the same time.

Ideally listening skills develop when free speaking and listening are integrated in lessons or in free time, not in tests and exams.

Listening skills are rehearsed when …

1. we study a chapter in our textbook or we do a listening exercise in our workbook
2. we have a listening comprehension test of some kind (2. is the topic of the next article)
3. we advise students how they can practise listening skills in their free time doing something they enjoy and do not get tired of
4. listening is integrated with anything else we do orally in class (oral task on vocabulary, oral planning of a writing task in groups, practise grammar creatively in groups, task- or inquiry-based learning with a lot of planning and talking in groups)

Some examples of typical CLT-type listening tasks

What we are looking for in these CLT tasks is that the situation could happen in real life too. We just have to have some pre-task first to make sure enough material has been covered before the final task.

• Drawing or following a route on a map according to directions
• Doing a set of things following oral instructions
• Drawing a picture as it is described by someone
• Drawing weather forecast symbols on a map of a country as predicted
• Filling in a form, a table or a chart as instructed
• Responding in an appropriate manner to phrases in real-life situations ‘How are you today?’ ‘I’m very fine. And you, sir?‘ What kind of table do you want to have?’ ‘A table for three. My brother comes a bit later.’ ‘Is this all your luggage?’ ‘Yes, one suitcase and this bag.’
• Taking notes on a phone; a shopping list, home chore instructions etc.
• Interviewing a person and taking notes for the article

An example how to use photos in practising listening and grammar

Elementary school:

Linking a word or a sentence you hear with a photo. First together and then the same in groups. In weak groups you may need to differentiate and give the phrases to some students who read the sentences to the others. Good students produce sentences of their own.

1 In which photos can you see …? water, castle, river, food, sea, harbour, park, pond, people walking/sitting/running ... Here we are practising words and grammar at the same time. You can even fool around a bit: French fries, helicopter which are not visible in any of the photos.

2 Which photo? There are a lot of people enjoying a day out. There are many motor boats. There is a bridge that can open in the middle. There are people rowing boats. … Practising grammar There is/are structure at the same time!

3 Which photo? Student’s response: “I think this photo is the most interesting one because people are doing many things in it and the weather is great. /There is nothing green in this photo but a lot of blue and brown. …”

Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6

Junior high class, the same photos as above

Which photo am I taking about? A student is the speaker in exercise 1, 2 and 3. The instructions for the student are in the boxes below.

1 I will describe one of the photos with three sentences and you guess which one I am talking about. ( Start with ‘There is ... or There are …’)

2 I will describe one of the photos and describe what people are doing NOW in the background in this place (photo) even if you cannot see them. Which photo am I talking about? (linked with practising present continuous tense, much more demanding than having obvious photos since the speaker has to use a lot of imagination)

3 I will describe one of the photos and describe what people did in this place (photo) last week even if you were not there. Which photo am I talking about? (the past tense)

N.B. In 2 and 3 we have no way of knowing how much the students understood but at least they try their best and can always ask for repetition. Anyway, these tasks are more like games than testing and there in no stress in the whole situation.

4 The teacher or a good student is the speaker. One photo per pair and all photos are different.

4 All of you have a different photo. I will explain about one of the photos and you will have to raise your hand if you think I am talking about your photo. (Not too exciting since you have a pair to help you, a task that can be used at any level).

Senior high classes

Example 1, retelling a story, the photos above

Step 1: One student makes up a story based on the 4 – 6 photos above and the others take notes. One idea in the story must be true but it is not reveled to the others.

Step 2: The others take turns and retell the story using their notes.

Step 3: The other students try to find out which part of the story was true.

Example 2, co-operative learning

The class is planning a class trip to London and they need to decide where to go in London each day. (All groups have the same topic. Having a different topic would make the task even more demanding)

Step 1: Students are given a topic for the home group. They talk about it and take notes.

Step 2: The students explain he main points of their group in their next group and once again the others take notes. If there are,say, five groups everyone has to listen to five short presentations and take notes.

Step 3: The students return to their home group and discuss all the matters they have learnt. There may be a wrap-up session at the end of the lesson.

Example 3 An opinion line, understanding at sentence level

I totally agree.

I partially agree.

I partially disagree

I totally disagree.

1. Motorways are a good solution to traffic jams.
2. Roundabouts are ridiculous near the centre of towns.
3. 22-metre trucks should be forbidden on small country roads.
4. Electric cars are the solution for future cars.

You make an ‘opinion line’with signs in the class, such as above. The students hear an argument and move to the sign they think is ok with them. The teacher asks some of them to justify their opinion.

As you can see CLT-type listening tasks are rather easy to come by if you connect them with speaking activities.

LISTENING AT HOME AND IN FREE TIME

• Which of the listening strategies below do you know your students make use of in their free time?
• Have you done something to activate them?

1. Listen to English songs and try to catch the message in them or write the lyrics down on paper. Karaoke versions have the lyrics too. If you want to find the lyrics of a song, write the name of the song and the word ‘lyrics’ in the google box. I used to listen to hundreds of songs and sing along.
2. When looking for information in the internet, also listen to Youtube videos and documentaries on any topic that interests you. This is an excellent way to learn about your hobbies. Internal motivation guarantees learning better than aything else.
3. Watch English-speaking films or TV series with or without captions. This option is avaialble in many rented films.
4. Listen to English programmes on the radio or daily news, for example. In the early 70s I used to listen to Radio Luxenberg for songs and BBC news on the radio or TV. If you already know the content in your mother tongue, understanding the same things in English is rewarding.
5. Borrow e-books from the library and if you know the content, all the better because undertanding becomes easier. I wish I could have done this. More and more people enjoy listening to e-books.
6. While playing video games, listen to the speech there too. My sons used this source a lot. It is great fun but at the same time educational.
7. Read any texts that interests you to expand your vocabulary needed in listening. There is no understanding without words!
8. I would very much like the students to give one-minute presentations on what they have learnt when listening to media sources in their free time.
9. Finally, let the students find their own style to improve their listening skills.