Time 25 min
Destribute handout 4. Ask students to follow the instructions in the handout. When they finish ask them to get to their own groups to share the findings.
Handout 4
THE AISHWARYA BACHCHAN SURVEY:
Write five questions about Aishwarya Bachchan in the table. Do this in pairs/groups. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. Without your partner, interview other students. Write down their answers.
STUDENT 1
_____________
STUDENT 2
_____________
STUDENT 3
_____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.
Return to your original group and share and talk about what you found out. Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings. Activity 4
Time 15 min
Distribute handout 5 to each student and ask to write a 100 words paragraph about the Indian actress. When everybody finish, ask them to exchange the papers within the group to get feedback on the structure and organization of a paragraph
Handout 5
WRITING:
Write about Aishwarya Bachchan for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work. HOMEWORK
Choose one of the tasks to complete at home.
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about Aishwarya Bachchan. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. AISHWARYA BACHCHAN POSTER: Make a poster showing the different stages of the life of Aishwarya Bachchan. Show your poster to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?
4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about Aishwarya Bachchan. Include an imaginary interview with her. Write about what she does every day and what she thinks about.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
5. LETTER: Write a letter to Aishwarya Bachchan. Ask her three questions about her life. Give her three suggestions on what she should do in her future. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your “Aishwarya Bachchan expert” partner(s) will try and answer your questions.
CONCLUSION The researchers attempted to review some of the factors that influence students‘ English listening comprehension skill and the strategies for improving their listening comprehension. Students do not have an innate understanding of what effective listeners do; therefore, it is the responsibility of teachers to share that knowledge with them. Perhaps the most valuable way to teach listening skills is for teachers to model them themselves, creating an environment which encourages listening. Teachers can create such an environment by positive interaction, actively listening to all students and responding in an open and appropriate manner. Teachers should avoid responding either condescendingly or sarcastically. As much as possible, they should minimize distractions and interruptions. An emphasis on listening comprehension as well as the application of listening strategies will help students to decode English input and to achieve greater success in English learning. We must shift our listening classroom from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-based one. To improve students‘listening ability, teachers should base their teaching on theoretical principles. And because of the limitations in resources and teacher training, both textbooks and teacher‘s books should take the responsibility of guiding teachers throughout their teaching, which should inform teachers of relevant theories, and offer suggestions on what activities should be carried out in listening classes and how to train students in various listening strategies. English listening competence is a complex skill that needs conscious development. It can be best developed with practice when students reflect on the process of listening without the threat of evaluation. Guiding students through the process of listening provides them with the knowledge from which they can successfully complete a listening task; it also motivates them and puts them in control of their learning. By focusing on the process of listening, students can acquire a useful tool to raise their English comprehensive competence. Listening comprehension levels affect the capacity for improvement in other language skills such as speaking, reading, writing and translating. The study suggests sound reasons for emphasizing listening comprehension, which highlights the importance of spending much more time doing it. It is important for the teacher to provide numerous opportunities for students to practice listening skills and to become actively engaged in the listening process.
We have outlined the main reasons for teaching listening comprehension in a foreign language. It is now widely accepted that oral communication plays a vital role in second language teaching for it provides an exposure to language which is a fundamental requirement for the learner. Progress in listening guarantees a basis for development of other language skills. Spoken language provides a means of interaction where participation is a significant component of the listening program.
We have provided a methodological organization of the listening comprehension process and we have discussed the principles of developing receptive skills of the learner. All subtypes of listening provide a natural progression from activities that entail minimal verbal interaction to those that involve a maximum of interaction. The goal of any activity is to provide the optimal challenge for the students. Since learners’ listening abilities vary, teachers should note how the activities could be adapted to the learners’ capabilities.
In showing a considerable variety of listening activities we have explored some of the many ways to help students acquire the confidence to use their skills for self-expression in language situations. Different activities and procedures provide the development of the listening for communicative tasks and for extracting general or certain specific points in the discourse.
Students’ poor listening ability is a big problem. To solve the problem, in this paper, I have argued that teachers should teach the students more listening strategies in EFL listening classroom. To make my argument more practical and plausible, I also gave some general theoretical explanations and principles of teaching listening comprehension; investigated the problems with listening comprehension and found solutions to them; provided the list of the strategies and activities to promote listening; explored the ways of assessing listening comprehension; and designed four lesson plans for listening classes as samples for teachers to implement in their EFL classes. I am sure that my work will be of great demand among researchers and practitioners as it has both these components.