The focus here is on:

• providing background knowledge or getting learners to access existing background knowledge;
• getting learners to use that background knowledge to set up predictions about the content and language of the passage they are about to listen to.

At the very least learners need to be given some contextual information about what they are about to hear in order to counteract the artificiality of listening to a recording of speech.

Research suggests that such preparation does enhance listening comprehension in a foreign language. Experiments by Mueller (1980), Weissenreider (1987), Long (1990) for audio input, and Secules et al (1992), Herron (1994) and Herron et al (1995) for video input, found improved comprehension levels when learners were provided with various types of advance organizers, such as plot summaries, topic elicitation exercises and so on. Tudor and Tuffs (1991) found that familiarizing learners with relevant formal schemata, in the form of a problem-solution model, was useful in supporting video comprehension with advanced learners. Pre-listening and pre-viewing activities of this kind also offer opportunities for familiarizing learners with key vocabulary in the input they are about to hear.

Providing background knowledge
Get learners to read a short text on the same or a related topic as the listening passage, eg:

• learners read an extract from a film guide and then hear a group of friends discussing which of those films they should go and see;
• learners read an article on the problems of the tourist trade and then see a news item on the same topic (eg click here, section 5.6, Appendix 6) (Télé-textes, Unit 2.1 exercise 1)

Accessing existing background knowledge
Get learners to discuss the topic before listening to the passage, eg:

• learners complete a survey about their knowledge of the ozone layer before viewing a news item about a new solution to the problem topic (eg click here, section 5.6, Appendix 4) (Tele con textos, Unit 2B exercise 1)
• learners prepare a list of traffic problems in their town before watching a news item about the traffic problems in Strasbourg.

Predicting language and content

• Learners are given the context of communication and are asked to predict phrases that might occur; (eg click here, section 5.6, Appendix 7) (En route vers l'Europe Unit 1 exercise 1)
• Learners are told they are about to see a report about a demonstration. They write down the information they expect to hear; (Télé-textes 6A exercise 1) (See Appendix 2, exercise 1.)
• Learners are given a list of vocabulary and are asked to predict beforehand - on the basis of general information about the passage - which items are likely to be heard.