3 Using audio recordings
There are several listening activities that you can do with students in your classes. However, it can also be good for students to listen to other voices. You can do this by bringing audio recordings into the classroom. Some examples are:
- recordings taped from the radio and played on a tape recorder
- songs played on a tape recorder or CD player
- songs played on an MP3/4 player or a mobile phone
- audio recordings made by teachers, students or other people by a mobile phone (for example, teachers can record a dialogue)
- audio books played on a CD player or downloaded to a laptop or MP3 player
- audio recordings downloaded onto a mobile phone or laptop (see Resource 3) or links to audio recordings that have been developed for learners of English.
 Pause for thought What are the benefits of using audio recordings in your classroom? Discuss this with a colleague if you can. |
While it is good for you to speak as much English as possible with your students, it is also important that they hear a variety of voices and accents. Audio recordings can provide different models of spoken English. This can help students with pronunciation. Using audio recordings also adds variety to lessons, and some students will enjoy being in a class that uses technology.
Now read a case study about a teacher who uses audio recordings in the classroom.
Case Study 3: Listening to the news with Ms Sengupta
Ms Sengupta loves English and always tries to improve her own language abilities. Whenever she can, she reads English books and magazines, and she watches TV programmes and movies in English. She knows that she has learned a lot by listening to programmes and movies: she’s learned words and phrases, her pronunciation has improved, and she can understand people from other countries better. She believes that it is important for learners of a language to listen to as much of that language as possible, and she tries to give her students the opportunity to listen to as much English as possible, from as many different people as possible. Read her account of how she used audio recordings in her class to improve listening skills.
I teach Class IX. I regularly record the news of the day from All India Radio [http://allindiaradio.gov.in/ default.aspx [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ] on my mobile phone and take the recording into my class. I have bought some inexpensive portable speakers that I can use for audio recordings, so that all of the students can hear. Before I play the recording, I plug the speaker wires into my mobile phone. That way the volume is loud enough for the whole class to hear.
Before I play the recording of the news, I ask my students what the latest news is. I ask them this in English but allow them to reply in any language they feel comfortable talking in. Not many of them listen to the news in English. But this activity gets them thinking about the topic of the news. I can then introduce them to some new words that appear in the news items. This prepares them for the recording they are going to listen to. For example, I might say something like:
I then play the audio recording. I know that it is difficult to listen to a lot of English at one time, so I keep it short. I play just three or four news items and play them twice.
Once they have noted down some news items, I say:
I ask the students to work in pairs, because that way all students get a chance to think and talk about what they heard. If I ask students one by one, only a few members of the class will participate. I give my students a few minutes to discuss and write down what they heard. Then I ask them to say how many news items they heard, and to say in English what each one was about. I try to get them to speak English, but I really want to know if they have understood the general meaning of the recordings. So if they don’t reply in English, I ask them in their home language what they have understood [Figure 3].
Once I knew that the students understood what the news items were about, I wanted them to listen out for more information about each news item. So I played the recording again. Before I played it, I asked my students some questions about each news item.
I played the recording, and this time my students tried to listen out for the answers to my questions. After playing the recording, I gave the students two or three minutes to discuss the answers to the questions I asked in pairs. Then I asked them to answer the questions. Sometimes I ask more questions and play the recording again. At the end of the lesson, I played the recording again. By this time, the students understood much more of the recordings.
I now do this activity regularly in my classes, about once a week. It is quite simple to do as I can follow the same procedure with all news items, so I don’t have to prepare much before the classes. My students are getting better at listening to English, and they are learning many new words and phrases. They are also feeling much more confident about listening to and using English, and they are preparing for work or study in the future.
Activity 3: Try in the classroom: listening to the news
Now it’s your turn. If you have access to a device where you can make a recording (such as a mobile phone, MP3/4 player or a computer), try using an audio recording in your classroom. You will find links to audio recordings that have been developed for learners of English in Resource 3.
- Select an audio recording that is suitable for your students and that they will find interesting. Choose a recording that is short.
- Listen to the audio recording before the class. Write down some questions to ask your students about the piece. You don’t need many; five to eight questions is fine. (See Resource 2 for some of the classroom language you might need to do this activity.)
- In class, write questions on the blackboard before you play the audio recording. This will get your students thinking about the topic. It will also help them to focus on key points. It gives them a reason for listening, and it helps them to listen for specific information.
- Play the recording and then give your students some time to discuss the questions in pairs or groups.
- If your students need it, play the recording again. Then ask for answers to the questions. Remember that you can pause the recording whenever you like. This can be very useful if the recording is long, or if your students are having problems finding the answers to questions.
Pause for thought After trying this activity with your students, think about the following questions:
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Students will probably find an activity like this quite challenging the first time they do it. Preparing the students before they listen will make it easier for them to follow. Follow the steps from Case Study 3: introduce students to the topic of the text before they listen, and some of the vocabulary they will hear. Provide questions to give students a reason for listening.
Tell your students that the language might be difficult to understand. Tell them that this is normal, and that they should not worry. Encourage your students as much as possible. With more practice, they will get used to listening to English.
If you found it difficult to find suitable audio recordings to use with your students, some tips are provided below.
- If you are nervous about using technology in the classroom (mobile phones, tape recorders, laptops, CD players), practise using the equipment outside the classroom first so that you feel confident using it.
- You could also ask for the help of another teacher who is good with technology if you are not very confident yourself. You might even have one or two students who can help. Young people are often very good with technology!
- Always make sure that you listen to audio recordings before you play them in the classroom. This ensures that the material is suitable.
- Make sure that all of the students in your classroom can hear. Speakers will be necessary for classroom use, especially with large groups. A set of small portable speakers would be suitable. If speakers are not available, you can ask students to listen to the recording in small groups, one group at a time.
- Play audio recordings more than once. The first time that the students listen, they can try to understand the general meaning; the second time, they can listen out for specific information.
Don’t play long audio recordings. Keep them short and pause often, especially if your students are having problems. You want to give your students confidence.
2 Asking questions to help students listen