Today I would like to talk about listening skills. We know the differences between hearing and listening and yes... sometimes even I struggle with that. Frequently, I need to focus my attention on really listening to the person who is talking to me.
So, how can we make listening in our ESL classes not so boring? Well... I still remember the kind of exercises where you hear a conversation, and then you answer some questions. Not bad, but I remember it being a little stressful.
I would like to present you with a great ICT tool for making audio recordings: "Vocaroo". This is a great and easy tool, not only for you, but for your students too. Let's start!
Vocaroo was created in 2007 (and is still going strong). You can use it on any device (tablet, Chromebook, phone, etc.). I don't like the idea of using phones in my elementary classes, so I'm happy about this option.
You don't need to install any programs. To use it is as simple as pressing a button. And it's free of advertisements, which is great!
On the other hand, I would not use it for audio longer than 3 minutes or so. I would probably use another tool like Audacity. Why? Because if you have an unstable connection, you may lose all your information (bummer...).
After this introduction, I will present an example of an activity to practice listening in the class: Drawing dictation. We can use this tecnhique in different ways. This activity can be adapted to different levels, but I chose a 2nd-grade classroom for this purpose.
After,We can create a Google-fom adapted to our activity. They can check with this form and see how they did it:
This activity can be adapted and expanded to practice speaking skills. As you all know, everything is linked and related.
Bibliography:
- Bristish Council (2015). Lesson plan. Drawing Dictations. Retrieved on May 11, 2021, from: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/drawing-dictation
Hello Sonsoles!I liked you blog very much😍. I see it very complete and easy to navigate. I loved using the vocaroo tool for listening. It is very good to get ideas for my future as an English teacher. It is an easy and fun way to listen with children, creating meaningful and real activities for them. Nice job! Congratulations All the best