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Activity 18
- Take a few minutes
to consider the place of listening in the department where you
work. Is it formally assessed in exams? Does it feature in assessed
coursework?
- Think back to your
own language learning. Was listening assessed as a separate skill?
If so, how?
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Despite the widespread acceptance
of a skills-based approach to teaching and learning languages, it is surprising
how often students' listening ability is not specifically assessed, appearing
at best as an implicit skill in the oral exam. This is a pity, as many
students come to university now with reasonably well developed listening
skills, having practised them intensively at GCSE, 'AS' and 'A2' levels;
for students struggling with the grammar of a language, listening assessments
offer an opportunity to perform creditably in at least one area of their
work.
Before we consider the different
types of listening task that can be used in tests, here are some general
principles to observe when you are preparing to assess listening:
- Make sure that tasks
match the teaching and learning that has taken place: listening
to a discursive monologue when the module has only featured dialogues
or interviews, might be deemed unfair and poor pedagogy.
- Take care not to overload
memory; consider carefully how often the stimulus material should
be spoken or played to candidates, and how frequently pauses,
if any, should be included.
- Distinguish between
listening for gist and for detailed understanding of specifics;
criteria ought to reflect this distinction.
- In preparing test
items, work from the tape (if there is one), rather than a transcript.
This will avoid unreasonable demands being made of the students;
it will also help with the next point.
- Keep items to be tested
a reasonable distance apart in the recorded or spoken test. To
do otherwise is unfair and can lead to consequential errors: if
students miss an item, they can still be waiting for information
that has already gone.
- Allow students to
look through questions first before they listen to the material.
- If students have to
answer in the FL, don't include writing ability in your mark scheme;
including productive skills will make the measurement of listening
ability much less accurate and reliable.
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