Academic Listening (Pre-sessional 11)

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• take notes in lectures and seminars.
• develop strategies for improving your listening skills
• better understand academic staff and classmates in a variety of situations
• better understand lectures at University.

The Pre-sessional 11 - Academic Listening module will help you to develop your listening skills in a variety of university settings. For example, you will develop your ability to listen for gist and specific

information, and focuses in particular, on how to listen effectively in lectures and how to take useful notes while listening. You will attend a weekly lecture in order to practise the skills taught, and to accustom you to the style of lecture used in the UK. You will also take part in a lecture follow up session where you will discuss what was covered in the weekly lecture.

Areas that you will cover include:

1. Identifying the key points in a lecture (main and sup-topics)

2. Distinguishing key points from examples

3. Identifying ways in which a lecturer signals key points

4. Recognising when new terminology, terms and concepts are being introduced in a lecture

5. Identifying key phrases that indicate how a lecture is organised (structure of a lecture)

6. Developing strategies to use when spoken information not been heard/understood

7. Identifying phrases that indicate connections between ideas

8. Understanding emphasis in spoken communication

9. Identifying digression in academic speaking

10. Developing ability to understanding connected speech in English

Teaching and learning methods

You will experience a wide variety of teaching and learning methods including: full class teaching; individual, pair and group work in class; set tasks to be completed outside class; use of authentic texts; Independent Learning workshops; self-directed independent study and tutorials.

Resources & Reading list

Internet Resources

BBC Learning English: Academic Listening.

BBC Radio 4 podcasts.

UEFAP Listening.

Henry Stuart Talks: The Management & Marketing Collection.

BBC Radio 4: The Reith Lectures.

British Council Learn English: Listen and Watch.

BBC iPlayer.

British Council Learn English: Professionals Podcasts.

TED Talks.

Textbooks

A McNair and F Gooch (2013). Language for Study level 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

S Cottrell (2008). The Study Skills Handbook. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

S Ostrowska (2014). Unlock Listening and Speaking Skills 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

C Campbell and J Smith (2009). English for Academic Study: Listening. Course book. Reading: University of Reading.

R Lowes, H Peters and M Turner (2004). The International Students Study Guide. London: Sage Publications.

T Lynch (2004). Study Listening. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

L Lansford (2014). Unlock Listening and Speaking Skills 4. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

D Bell (2008). Passport to Academic Presentations. Reading: Garnet Education.

D Beglar and N Murray (2009). Contemporary Topics: Academic Listening & Note taking Skills Book 3. New York: Pearson Longman.

E Kisslinger and M Rost (2009). Contemporary Topics: Academic Listening & Note taking Skills Book 2.. New York: Pearson Longman.

Assessment strategy

Informal tasks designed to provide formative feedback on:

• listening skills
• strategies to improve your listening skills

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.