Course Description
This course is the first level in a series for students who wish to upgrade their listening skills in order to continue their education or improve their employment opportunities. Exercises will help students understand and respond appropriately to communication in a variety of routine settings. Listening texts will be based on sources such as t.v., radio, films, tapes and guest speakers. The listening practice will also provide an opportunity for language skill development, including grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, sound discrimination, and recognition of basic stress and intonation patterns.
Course Content
Listening
To follow conversations and discussions, informal reports and talks, and instructions
- Use pre-listening techniques to prepare for a listening task
- Identify topic, overall key idea, and main ideas
- Use active listening strategies
- Refer to pre-listening materials and use context clues (e.g., definitions, examples) to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.
- Record information
- Use appropriate course technology to complete assignments.
To listen for discrete items
- Listen for specific information (e.g., names, phone numbers, dates)
- Listen for specific pronunciation elements (word stress, sentence/question stress, linking, phrasing)
- Write from dictation
Speaking
To participate in conversations and discussions
- To participate in conversations and discussions, and listen and contribute actively.
- Recognize their own influence within interpersonal communication.
- Identify effective and ineffective communication.
- Manage communication anxiety effectively.
Reading and Writing
To prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking
- Follow written assignment instructions
- Recognize topic, main ideas, key details
- Follow sequences of information and ideas
- Use simple context clues, (e.g., definitions)
- Write notes, messages, short reports and complete forms and assignments.
- Use notes for speaking tasks (e.g., informal presentations)
Classroom Skills
Take responsibility for the following:
- attendance and punctuality
- class work and assignments
- participation and teamwork
Learning Activities
The instructor will facilitate, observe and evaluate students' participation in communicative activities. Whole and small group instruction will be combined with individual assistance and student directed learning. Students will participate in the setting of goals by identifying their communicative and language development needs, and will participate in the selection of learning activities.
Means of Assessment
- Complete assigned skill development tasks. These could include:
- dictations and dictocomps (retelling of a story)
- speaking tapes and/or videos (e.g., responses to instructor questions; monologues)
- activities in pronunciation elements
- journal entries and/or contact assignment worksheets
- Identify topic, main idea, details in conversations, reports, talks, and instructions
- Participate in pair, group, and class conversation and discussion activities.
- Complete listening and notetaking activities. These could include:
- listening to pre-recorded telephone messages for key information
- listening to weather reports; note details
- Complete listening and speaking activities. These could include:
- leaving telephone messages (name and number)
- conducting telephone conversations with classmates
- obtaining simple information about College resources or procedures by phone or in person (e.g., hours of operation)
- interviewing a College student
- obtaining information about community center activities by phone or in person
- interviewing a member of the community (e.g., a neighbour, teacher, or church member)
- Complete oral and written tasks to a specified level of accuracy
- Complete quizzes both content and skill based
- Complete at least one self-assessment of learning strategies, progress, and classroom skills to be discussed with the instructor
This is a Mastery Graded Course.
Learning Outcomes
Overall Objective
Extend fluency and confidence in communicating for a range of personal, educational and/or employment purposes.
Specific Objectives
- Understand topic, main ideas and key details in simple contexts (e.g., conversations and discussions, informal reports and talks, instructional situations)
- Communicate adequately in simple contexts (as above) in culturally-appropriate ways, on relevant and practical topics using appropriate language functions
- Read to prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking skills and expand vocabulary
- Write with a specified level of accuracy to extend listening and speaking skills
- Assess progress
- Participate effectively in a college classroom
- Develop awareness of differences in interaction within personal, social and cultural activities.
- Demonstrate self-awareness in group situations.
- Recognize how personal rights and social responsibilities affect occupational and personal life.
Textbook Materials
Students may be required to purchase a textbook and/or audio materials.