LEARNER AUTONOMY IN LISTENING COMPREHENSION FOR INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING

 

Hella Klink

Petra Schattschneider

 

 

Target group

 

Teacher trainers and teacher trainees of MFL

 

German teacher trainees have already passed their State Exam 1st Degree which means they have finished their university studies, i.e. the first phase of German teacher training.

During the two-year teacher training course (i.e. the second phase of German teacher training) they will acquire theoretical knowledge in didactics, methodology and general pedagogy in the seminar as well as teaching practice at school.

This module can be adapted to the requirements of other teacher training systems.

 

Focus

 

The didactics of receptive listening

 

We believe that basing our module on constructivist insights, enhances our teacher trainees’ teaching skills of receptive listening. Thus we focus on the reactivation of previous knowledge, strategies and collaborative learning. We have not included reception in interactive listening situations.

 

Objectives

 

On the basis of our module, learners develop didactic and methodological concepts of listening comprehension which enable them to handle different learning or teaching situations. By becoming aware of the processes involved in listening comprehension, the teacher trainees:

·        discover listening strategies

·        are enabled to plan, structure and give a lesson focusing on listening comprehension

·        develop and apply instruments of /for (self-)evaluation.

 

Structure and procedure

 

Our module of learner autonomy in teacher training sets out from an initial phase of guidance by the teacher trainer. It finally leads to the trainees’ (self-)evaluation by applying the principles of self-management and directed attention.

This module concentrates on the basic features of learning and teaching listening comprehension. Since our approach is guided by the principles of learner autonomy, there is no special time frame.

As a part of a “spiral” curriculum, this topic must be grasped by the teacher trainees themselves as well as by the teacher trainers during the training course.

 


Material

 

Appendix 1: Lluis Llach, L’estaca

Appendix 2: transcript of a Spanish interview (Pinochet)

Appendix 3: excerpt from Algo de mi vida  by Pablo Neruda (classroom material)

Appendix 4: transcript of a scene from a Spanish video on Andalucía (classroom material)

 

Rationale

 

On entering the second phase of teacher training, German teacher trainees have already passed their State Exam 1st Degree, which means they have finished their university studies. So they know about the importance of listening comprehension as the primary activity within the acquisition process of L2. They are also aware of the fact that there is a basic distinction between bottom-up (data driven) and top-down (concept driven) processing.[1]

 

Furthermore, they are familiar with the principles of modern foreign language teaching[2]. On the other hand, they lack practice and experience with regard to the use of texts for listening comprehension  in the foreign language classroom, i.e. they only have a rather vague or superficial understanding of actually teaching listening comprehension.

 

As the trainees are faced with the actual requirements of teaching on an everyday basis, it is of prime importance to them that they obtain practical advice as to how to plan a lesson (i.e. structure or lesson plan and methodological approach) as well as how to find material for the classroom. This is why they are highly likely to want their trainers to provide them with material suitable for listening comprehension in the classroom.

 

Although most of our (adult) trainees prefer to proceed autonomously, they nevertheless expect their teacher trainer to comment on the progress and results of their work, give constructive criticism and challenge them. The teacher trainer, on the other hand, aims at helping to instil professional behaviour in these future teachers who ideally question their own decisions as to the latter’s compatibility with both the results of current second language teaching research and the general guidelines / curriculum.

 

“Autonomy” means that they structure the work process themselves, e.g. by distributing tasks among the members of their group. Thus they choose a speaker, fix the topics and objectives of their discussion, determine the time limit for each phase of their group work, fix the conditions / modes of presentation as well as feedback, etc.

 


For a learner autonomy-focused approach to be successful the time span of a teacher training course must not be disregarded, i.e. learner autonomy phases should stand in efficient proportion to guided learning. Ultimately, we hope to install learner autonomy in our teacher trainees and, as a consequence, in their school pupils as well.

 

Roughly speaking, our module of learner autonomy in teacher training sets out from an initial phase of guidance by the teacher trainer. It finally leads to the trainees’ (self-)evaluation via processes built on the principles of self-management and directed attention.[3]

 

Testing the module

So far, we have tried out the ideas in this module once during a two-day seminar with about 30 trainees from three teacher training institutions. Our topic was “Listening Comprehension in the Spanish Classroom with Different Levels”.

 

 

PREPARATORY STAGE

 

We started the seminar with the questionnaire below which was meant to serve the following three purposes:

1.     To help us carry out a survey into our trainees’ individual experiences and previous knowledge in order to raise their consciousness of their preconceptions and presuppositions as to the role of listening comprehension in the foreign language classroom.

2.     To provide a common basis for the final evaluation (cf. p. 8), which required our trainees to determine the progress they had made in their individual learning processes. (This involved modifying and/ or revising their concepts; deepening their methodological understanding; increasing of their own collection of texts suitable for listening comprehension etc.).

3.     To facilitate the final plenary discussion of the limitations and opportunities of a learner autonomy-focused approach to listening comprehension in the classroom as well as in teacher training.

 

Getting started

1.      What do you expect from the seminar?

2.      Please evaluate the importance of texts for listening comprehension in the language classroom.

3.      In your opinion, what function(s) do listening texts have?

 

Observations

4.      Do the teachers at your school use texts for listening comprehension?

5.      If so, what kinds of texts are these?

6.      How often do they use these texts?

7.      What difficulties may occur in lessons focusing on listening comprehension?


 

Teaching experiences

8.      Have you had any experiences of listening comprehension practice?

9.      If you haven’t, why not?

10. If you have, what kinds of texts have you used?

texts from course books

recordings of radio programs

songs

other kinds:..................

 

Planning lessons

11. What sources do you make use of in order to find texts suitable for listening comprehension?

12.   Please outline a short sequence of teaching/ learning ideas aimed at the development or improvement of listening strategies in the classroom.

 

 

After filling out the questionnaire, the teacher trainees are invited to reactivate and systematize knowledge acquired prior to this phase (university studies, general knowledge, etc.) as well as their own practical experiences gathered as teacher trainers and during their own years as students at school. To aid this process, the trainees are asked to warm up before their first session of listening comprehension, by informing themselves about the topic. They might consult the general guidelines presented in the curriculum as well as resource books and secondary literature accessible to them (see Bibliography).

 

The teacher trainer provides a wide range of authentic listening materials and a bank of secondary literature (content material). With the aim of raising the trainees’ consciousness of strategies employed during the process of listening, the trainer selects a text of medium difficulty for an audio-presentation to the seminar group. For example, a Portuguese or Catalan text could be given to trainees of Spanish because they need to reactivate their knowledge of Roman languages as pupils in Spanish lessons often do by making use of their knowledge of Latin or French.

 

Given some trainees’ need for models, the trainer should also supply them with material already adapted for use in the classroom, i.e. with accompanying tasks, worksheets, etc. (process material).

 

As a result of these preparations, the topic can be dealt with more efficiently, because essential aspects of the theory of listening comprehension (cf. rationale) and the different methodological approaches can be agreed upon more quickly. What is more, trainees are likely to become aware of and express desiderata.

 


FIRST STAGE: STOCKTAKING - THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS (GUIDANCE)

 

Phase 1: introduction[4]

 

Taking into consideration the level of the group[5] as well as the amount of preparatory work done at home, the terminology of listening comprehension is introduced and the trainees are led to an understanding of the relevance of listening comprehension for/ within the acquisition of a foreign language as well as the importance of listening strategies in general.

 

Phase 2: experience

 

The trainees are presented with the (Catalan / Portuguese/...) text mentioned earlier (see Appendix 1). While listening to it, they jot down what they actually understand and which strategies they employ to decode an audio-text that bears some affinity with a language they know. In other words, this phase aims at making them aware of their own strategies of listening to and processing audio-information.

 

Phase 3: reflection

 

While the whole group is discussing the conclusions of phase 1 and the experiences of the previous phase, trainees develop a cluster illustrating the different aspects connected with the topic of listening comprehension. (cf. figure 1). Whatever its concrete form, this cluster should include theoretical and practical considerations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fig. 1

SECOND STAGE: ORIENTATION AND GROUP FORMATION            (SELF-MANAGEMENT)

 

The teacher trainer hands the moderation over to the plenum of trainees who then choose their chairperson(s). From this point on the trainer adopts the role of an adviser with a supportive function.

In the ensuing round table discussion the teacher trainees might reflect upon the possible exploitation of listening strategies in the classroom. The function of this discussion, however, is to facilitate group formation on the basis of common interests:

By discussing their concepts and ideas, the trainees come to a decision about a particular aspect from the cluster that they think is an appropriate starting-point in order to approach the phenomenon of listening comprehension. It is envisaged that trainees form groups (based on the division of labour) according to the categories expressed in figure 1. For example, they might choose to start from the theoretical background or a text type such as a news program, etc.

 

 

THIRD STAGE: GROUP WORK                                    (DIRECTED ATTENTION)

 

The individual groups agree on how they want to proceed. In detail this means:

 

1.      Agreements concerning the objectives

·      The imaginary group members presented here have decided to work on an interview with Pinochet (cf. Appendix 2). They want to plan a lesson for advanced learners of English or Spanish. Their special focus is on using either text to enhance their students’ listening comprehension skills.

·      They also agree upon the following steps and objectives:

a)   Every group member has to fully understand the text in question before dealing with it in the group. This implies an individual analysis of the text (vocabulary, content, structure, style,..)

b)   The group has to determine what the learning objectives are for the course they want to teach. This entails an implicit or even explicit didactic analysis and didactic reduction.[6]

c)   The group members have to meet the requirements and standards set by the curriculum, the consensus in current discussions on teaching approaches, etc.

 

2.      Agreements concerning the distribution of tasks

On seeing that there are process-related and product-related tasks, the group members allocate the following responsibilities to each other:

·      As regards the organization of their work, they will have to decide who is to be the group’s chair(wo)man, secretary, presenter, ....

·      With respect to the school classroom, they will have to design material for the pupils, plan student-centered tasks, think of possible forms of evaluation,...

 

3.      Agreements concerning the work schedule

The group should work out a program that generally reflects the following order:

·      individual listening to and analysis of the news program/ interview

·      group analysis of:

a)     the content of the text (topic, subtopics, sense units, keywords, speaker, ...)

b)     listening strategies ( intelligent guessing, inferring, selective listening, note-taking,...)

·      application to the classroom (teaching objectives, methodological approach, exercises, evaluation).

 

4.      Realization / putting into practice

·      The teacher trainees agree on a possible methodological approach to the particular text by discussing, examining and rejecting different ideas. To justify their decision, they analyze the specific operations and processes carried out while listening to the text and try to pinpoint the reasons for their reactions.

·      Subsequently, they choose exercises and activities that they consider to be suitable to develop their students’ listening skill (e.g. discriminating between different sounds, identifying internationalisms, making use of listener’s expectations, gap-filling, etc.).

·      All in all, the structure of their lesson plan should indicate the teacher trainees’ efforts to be guided by the principles of modern foreign language teaching/ learning (see rationale and footnote) as well as the scope of possible strategies employed in listening comprehension (listening for gist, selective and detailed listening, ...).

 

In detail, this process might result in a sequence of lessons such as the one sketched below:

 

1)     For use of the interview with Pinochet in a foreign language classroom, the teacher trainees draw the students into the situation by creating a courtroom scenario. As the text is quite difficult, its presentation is divided into four sense units each of which is accompanied by a specially designed exercise.

 

2)     a) They then prepare a gap-filling exercise for the first part that focuses on the lexical sets of dictatorship and political crime in order to draw the learner’s attention to these items.

 

b) Before listening to the second paragraph, the students are handed out some true or false sentences aimed at a more detailed understanding of the interview.

 

c) Having realized that the third part is a very complex one, the trainees first check the gist of the text, after which they test their students’ detailed comprehension by repeatedly listening to the tape.

 

d) The last sense unit is very difficult to understand which is why the trainees decide to back it up with a transcription that gives visual support to the passage. After this combined reading-listening exercise, students show they understand the text by formulating a key content question.

 

3)     Follow-up activities range from grammar exercises (conditional clauses) and creative writing (Write a newspaper article / a letter to the editor) to recording personal reflections and comments.

 

 


FOURTH STAGE: PRESENTATION                                        ( (SELF-)EVALUATION)

 

The teacher trainees come together in the plenum and each group presents their results to the others. On the basis of criteria previously agreed upon, both the work process and the actual planning of the lesson are discussed and (theoretically) evaluated by the plenum.

 

The group itself should evaluate their results in a practical way by means of microteaching, thus comparing the original objectives with the outcome in the classroom. With hindsight, the trainees can revise their lesson plan or their teaching objectives. In any case, opportunity should be given for the individual trainees to keep track of their own progress and to set new goals for themselves.

 

Evaluation can also take place in the classroom, either by means of a questionnaire for the students or by using exercises / tests as a way of providing feedback on the quality of the teaching/ learning process.

 

After the seminar we handed our trainees another questionnaire, which we hoped would give us feedback on the organization of the seminar. At the same time, we wanted to encourage our trainees to evaluate themselves critically[7].

 

 

FINAL EVALUATION OF THE PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS OF THE SEMINAR

 

Regarding the trainer

 

Elements of guidance

 

Organization of the seminar:

 

·      Comment on the choice of material.

·      To what extent has the structure of this seminar been suitable for promoting efficient and productive work?

·      What new insights have you gained from your discussions on pedagogical skills?

·      What new insights have you gained during the seminar in general?

 

Future perspectives:

·      What should teacher trainers change in a future seminar?

 

Regarding the trainees

 

Elements of self-directed activities / learning

 

Self-reflection:

 

·      How actively have I participated?

·      What have I contributed to the group’s discussions on pedagogical skills?

·      How constructive have my contributions been?

·      How have I dealt with objective feedback?

 

 

 

 Future perspectives:

·      What ought I to do differently in a future seminar?

 

 


Appendix 1

 

 

Lluis Llach, L’ estaca (1968)

 

L’avi Siset em parlava

de bon matí al portal

mentre el sol esperavem

i els carros veiem passar.

 

Siset, que no veus l’estaca

on estem tots lligats?

Si no podem desfer-nos-en

mai no podrem caminar!

 

Si estirem tots, ella caurà

i molt de temps no pot durar,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba

ben corcada deu ser ja.

 

Si jo l’estiro fort per aquí

i tu l’estires fort per allà,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba,

i ens podrem alliberar.

 

L’avi Siset ja no diu res,

mal vent que se l’emporta,

ell qui sap cap a quin indret

i jo a sota el portal

i mentre passen els nous vailets

estiro el coll per cantar

el darrer cant den Siset,

el darrer que em va ensenyar.

 

Si estirem tots, ella caurà

i molt de temps no pot durar,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba,

ben corcada deu ser ja.

 

Si jo l’estiro fort per aquí

i tu l’estires fort per alla,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba,

i ens podrem alliberar.

 

Pero, Siset, fa molt temps ja,

les mans se’m van escorxant,

i quan la força se me’n va

ellla és més ampla i més gran.

 

Ben cert sé que está podrida

peró és que, Siset, pesa tant,

que a cops la força m’oblida.

Torna’m a dir el teu cant

 

 


Appendix 2

 

 

Transcript of the interview with María Dolores Arroyo Macero

 

Una de los 15 abogados de la Audiencia nacional personados en la causa de Pinochet es María Dolores Arroyo Macero que ejerce paralelamente su profesión entre Madrid y Munich. Nuestra colaboradora Katya Borras ha conversado con la letrada Arroyo sobre los distintos cauces que puede tomar el asunto del ex-dictador chileno.

-      Yo estoy personada por la Asociación libre de abogados. Hay varias organizaciones que estamos personados (!) en la causa. Nuestra misión es ejercer la acción popular contra el dictador Pinochet y los otros generales del régimen de Chile y también he estado en el régimen de Argentina contra los delitos de genocidio, torturas y terrorismo de estado

-      El ministro de  exteriores chilenos ha llevado varios días intentando solucionar el conflicto por vía diplomática a favor de Pinochet. Una de las posibilidades por las que aboga es que Pinochet sea extraditado a Chile y que sea juzgado en su país. ¿Eso es lo posible?

-      Bueno en teoría podría ser posible. Lo que pasa es que por las presiones de los militares en Chile lo veo prácticamente imposible. Ahora mismo hay 14 querellas interpuestas en Chile contra Pinochet, pero bueno es difícil saber si van a prosperar o no teniendo en cuenta además que el 35% de la población chilena está en contra de que se le juzgue, que la presión militar todavía es bastante fuerte pues ...

-      Si se extradita a España, ¿qué es lo que podría ocurrir?

-      Si se extraditase, en España sería juzgado con un juicio justo como cualquier ciudadano que presuntamente haya cometido un delito. Tendrá todas las garantías jurídicas y, bueno, por supuesto está claro que no va a ir a la cárcel porque es mayor de 70 años. Pero por lo menos saldría a la luz todo lo que esta persona que nosotros entendemos realizó o sea todas las acusaciones penales y tendría una sentencia. Bueno, si es que se le condena. Eso ya depende de los jueces.

-      Siendo mayor de 70 años. ¿Qué significa? ¿que lo pueden volver a poner en libertad?

-      Bueno estaría bajo arresto, es decir no pisaría la cárcel, pero tampoco tendría una libertad de movimiento. Sería una situación intermedia, pero por supuesto estarían todas garantizadas lo que (!) su salud y su supervivencia. Es decir esta persona, pues, seguramente estaría en un piso custodiado, como está ahora mismo en Londres, no.

-      ¿Qué pasaría con las cuentas suizas?

-      Ese es el tema. Que las cuentas suizas están ahora mismo solicitado el embargo. Entonces si eso  se llegase a producir en la  sentencia, pues, embargarían, o sea el embargo ya sería complimentado y, bueno, iría para las  indemnización (!) de  las víctimas o sea sería un reparto proporcional

-      Todo este caso Pinochet, el juez Garzón y el derecho internacional: Se puede hablar de una revolución del derecho internacional con todo lo que ha ocurrido?

-      En cierto modo, sí, bueno, el derecho internacional al estar ratificado por España, todos los convenios internacionales que, según el artículo 96 de la constitución española pasan a ser derecho interno con lo cual son directamente aplicables en los tribunales. Lo que pasa es que como ya se dijo también en la vista ante la  audiencia nacional normalmente el derecho internacional se estudia cuando una persona, o sea estudia derecho en la facultad pero luego casi nunca se aplica en los tribunales y yo creo que en este sentido sí que es una revolución que realmente se haya aplicado en un tema así el derecho internacional y puede ser un .. un precedente para casos posteriores como por ejemplo no, o sea no tiene por qué ser sólo los regímenes dictatoriales de América del Sur sino que puede ser cualquier aberración que se cometa en otro país, en el mundo árabe como por ejemplo ahora mismo yo, según mi opinión, el genocidio que se está  cometiendo contra las mujeres en el régimen de los talíbares, ¿no?

 

 


Appendix 3

 

 

Excerpt from Algo de mi vida by Pablo Neruda

 

Buenos días, ¿puedo pasar? me llamo Pablo Neruda. Soy poeta. Vengo llegando ahora del norte, del sur, del centro, del mar, de una mina que visité en Copiapó vengo llegando de mi casa  de Isla Negra  y te pido permiso para entrar en tu casa para leerte mis versos para que conversemos. Pensé que en la intimidad deberíamos leer, escuchar no mis versos últimos que pueden tener experiencia de tantos otros que escribí sino los primeros, mis primeros poemas escritos en Cautín en mi infancia antes de los quince años cuando se abrían los ojos de mi conciencia y cuando aún el panorama de la vida se veía tan oscuro para mí como el cielo del sur en invierno, barrios sin luz.(...) Ayer mirando el último crepúsculo yo era un manchón de  musgo ante unas ruinas. Las ciudades, hollines y venganzas, la cochinada gris de los suburbios, la oficina que encorva las espaldas, el jefe de ojos turbios, sangre de un arrebol sobre los cerros, sangre sobre las calles y las plazas, dolor de corazones rotos,  podre de estíos y de lágrimas, un río abraza el arrabal como una mano helada que tienta en las tinieblas;  sobre sus aguas se avergüenzan de verse las estrellas. Y las casas que esconden los deseos detrás de las ventanas luminosas mientras afuera el viento lleva un poco de barro a cada rosa. Lejos la bruma de las olvidanzas, humos espesos, tajamares rotos,  y el campo, el campo verde en que jadean los bueyes y los  hombres sudorosos. Y aquí estoy yo brotado entre las ruinas mordiendo solo todas las tristezas como si el llanto fuera una semilla y yo el único surco de la tierra.

 

source: Algo de mi vida, original recording by Pablo Neruda (cassette “La otra música  Alerce 85 / Valparaíso)

length: 3 min 20 sec. (slightly abridged version)

 

 

I. Preguntas sobre el contenido de la charla:

1.      El texto, que escucha usted, lo presenta el propio Pablo Neruda. ¿Cómo introduce su charla?

2.      ¿De dónde viene Neruda en el momento de presentar la charla?

3.      ¿Por qué no quiere leer sus últimos versos?

 

II. Preguntas sobre algunos aspectos estilísticos en la charla que llaman la atención:

1.      Neruda utiliza en su charla algunas comparaciones y metáforas. Apunte al menos dos comparaciones y dos metáforas.

2.      Enumere tres detalles que caracterizan la vida de Neruda después de que se le abrieran los ojos de la conciencia.

3.      ¿Qué le pareció a usted la charla de Neruda? Dé un breve juicio refiriéndose también a la manera de presentarla.


Appendix 4

 

 

Transcript of a video clip on Andalucía

 

This is the transcription of a scene from an authentic Spanish video as we gave it to our students

(advanced beginners / intermediate level; 1st year of Spanish). The text was only slightly adapted (cf. sentences / expressions in brackets.).

 

Vídeo: Conozca España - Andalucía (8’)

 

Andalucía es la región más extensa y poblada de España. Sus paisajes de variados contrastes, su clima envuelto en sol y su alegre música recorren el mundo [difundiendo la imagen fácil de identificar].

 

La ciudad de Granada fue sede de los últimos reyes árabes.  Hasta el siglo XV en este reducto musulmán florecieron las Artes y las Letras, prosperando una interesante civilización  que nos ha dejado blancos pueblos de estrechas callejas, un cante y un baile con profundo arraigo en el pueblo y un conjunto monumental único: la Alhambra y el Generalife.

 

La Alhambra y el Generalife de Granada eran el palacio y los jardines de los reyes musulmanes. Su exquisitez es inigualable. [En ellos, la luz del sol y el canto del agua saltarina estrechan su existencia con sutil armonía.]

 

En el interior de Andalucía, a orillas del río Guadalquivir, los romanos se asentaron en la ciudad de Hispalis, que dejaría paso siglos más tarde a la actual Sevilla.

 

Sevilla debe a los árabes muchos de sus monumentos más famosos, como la Torre de Oro, la Giralda y el Alcázar. Más tarde, los Reyes Católicos anexaron Andalucía a la corona, tras la conquista de Granada.

Se inició una etapa de gran prosperidad, basada en el comercio con América recientemente colonizada.

 

Es delicioso en Sevilla pasear por sus barrios de Santa Cruz,  Macarena o Triana al que se considera cuna del cante flamenco, con sus estrechas callejas llenas de patios y balcones engalanados con flores. Callejas para pasear y perderse en su trazado laberíntico, [contemplando trabajadas rejas y florecidos balcones.]

 

También en el interior de Andalucía, no lejos de Sevilla, se encuentra la ciudad de Córdoba llamada la sultana por su gran belleza. Córdoba fue junto con la Meca un gran centro de espiritualidad musulmana. Su fabulosa Mezquita y el Palacio de Medina Azahara forman un conjunto de gran esplendor artístico.


Bibliography

 

 

I. Classroom Material

 

Conozca España (Spanish videotape)

 

Radio Nacional de España, Programa de Cooperación Cultural Internacional, apartado 156.201, 28080 MADRID (tapes, tapescripts and classroom material)

 

II. Reference literature

 

Bahns, J., “Hörverstehen im Fremdsprachenunterricht: Nicht nur überprüfen, sondern schulen und fördern”. In: Jung, Udo O. H. (Hrsg.), Praktische Handreichungen für den Fremdsprachenlehrer.Bayreuther Beiträge zur Glottodidaktik. Band 2. Frankfurt am Main 1998, 2. Auflage, Verlag Peter Lang GmbH, 261-268.

 

council of europe (hg), Modern Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. A Common European Framework of Reference. strasbourg 1998. cc-lang (95) 5 rev v

 

Dirven, R., “Von der Hörfertigkeit zum Hörverstehen”. In: Jung, U. O. H. (Hrsg.), Praktische Handreichungen für den Fremdsprachenlehrer. Bayreuther Beiträge zur Glottodidaktik. Band 1. Frankfurt am Main 1992, Verlag Peter Lang GmbH, 249-257.

 

Gnutzmann, C., “Sprachbewußtheit (“Language Awareness”) und integrativer Grammatikunterricht.” In: Gnutzmann / König (Hrsg.), Perspektiven des Grammatikunterrichts, Tübingen (Narr) 1995, 267-284.

 

Helgesen, M. & S. Brown, Active Listening, Cambridge CUP 1995.

 

Klafki, W., “Didaktische Analyse als Kern der Unterrichtsvorbereitung”. In: Studien zur Bildungstheorie und Didaktik, Weinheim und Basel (Beltz), 1973, 126-143.

 

Klink, H. (1989), “El uso de la radio en clase <Un millón>“, Programa Cooperación cultural internacional de RNE VOL. V;  Madrid, diciembre 1989 (RNE).

 

Lehrplan spanisch Nordrhein-Westfalen, Landesinstitut für Schule und Weiterbildung, 1999.

 

Ott, J. H., “Hören - Verstehen - Begreifen: eine interkulturelle Analyse einer HV-Sequenz”, Die Neueren Sprachen 94, Heft 5 (1995), 514-532.

 

Raue, H., “Das Hördossier im Französischunterricht.” Praxis 3/91 (38. Jg.) 285-293.

 

Rix, R.W., “Agudizar el oído con RNE”. In: RNE Servicio de Cooperación Cultural, o.J.

 

Rüschoff, B. & D. Wolff, Fremdsprachenlernen in der Wissensgesellschaft. Zum Einsatz der neuen Technologien in Schule und Unterricht. Ismaning : Hueber 1999.

 

Ur, P., Teaching Listening Comprehension, Cambridge CUP 1984.

 

Vogel, S., “Von Hörvorlagen zur Kommunikation.” Neusprachliche Mitteilungen 84 (37. Jg.), Heft 2 / Mai 1984, 68-76.

 



[1] Bottom-up processing means that we understand speech by initially identifying individual sounds and gradually developing an understanding of the whole text while top-down processing implies that the listener makes use of global expectations about what message a text might deal with in order to build up comprehension of this text.

[2]  Among the main principles of modern foreign language teaching are:

a)     the role of the student as learner who observes and evaluates the learning process thus achieving language awareness

b)     the role of the student as communicator who uses the language in authentic situations thus acquiring communicative skills, such as  listening comprehension

c)     the ability to make use of the power of imagination as well as the diversity of opinions and associations of the individual group members in order to approach a certain topic

d)     the ability to understand one’s own learning strategies (i.e. teacher trainees)

e)     the ability to provide instruments to help other people (i.e. students) become aware of their own acquisition process.

 

 

[3] Rüschoff & Wolff, Fremdsprachenlernen in der modernen Wissensgesellschaft, p. 45.

[4] We are aware that this is a deductive approach. At the same time, we think we should make use of the strategic as well as the theoretical  knowledge our trainees have acquired during their university studies. Steps 1 and 2 /3 can be done in reverse order, if you prefer to proceed inductively.

[5] Group sizes may range from 5 to a maximum of 20 teacher trainees.

[6] Cf. Klafki, W., who introduced the terms “Didaktische Analys” and “Didaktische Reduktion” in “Die didaktische Analyse als Kern der Unterrichtsvorbereitung”, Fünfte Studie 1958.

   [7] We did not ask trainees any questions concerning basic amenities like lodging, food, organization of leisure time, etc..