College Preparatory Listening and Speaking Skills for Students of English as an Additional Language

Listening 

Follow academic/professional discussions, presentations and lectures (each up to 30 minutes in length).

• Use pre-listening techniques to prepare for a listening task.
• Identify implicit main ideas.
• Identify detailed factual information and implied meanings.
• Identify paraphrasing, restating of points, examples and transition markers.
• Identify discourse and conversational markers to follow the organization of discussion or presentation for different situations and audiences.
• Identify relationships among ideas.
• Identify bias, and separate opinions from facts.
• Refer to pre-listening and reference materials, and use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.
• Use a variety of note-taking techniques.

Follow conversations, discussions, reports and interviews.

• Identify purpose and/or issue, main ideas, key details, relevant words and expressions, and implied meanings.
• Identify discourse markers signalling contrasting information, opposing views, illustrations/examples.
• Identify and separate feelings, opinions and facts.
• Identify situation and relationship/social roles/relative status of speakers.
• Identify meaning expressed through tone and intonation.
• Identify signals in speech to collaborate, to hold and relinquish the floor, to attempt to interrupt politely.
• Refer to pre-listening and reference materials, and use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.
• Use a variety of note-taking techniques.

Listen for discrete items.

• Listen for specific pronunciation elements (e.g., word/sentence stress, tone, rhythm and intonation).
• Write from dictation.
• Transcribe speech.

Use study/note-taking skills.

• Understand and reduce information to main points or to selected key points relevant to ideas or topics.
• Use knowledge of complex grammar and syntax to interpret meaning.
• Understand a range of concrete, abstract and technical language appropriate for the content and purpose.

Speaking

Prepare and deliver formal presentations such as demonstrations, briefings, reports or position papers on familiar or researched topics (each up to 30 minutes in length).

• Select and narrow topic.
• Develop purpose and focus.
• Research topic; integrate source material.
• Prepare outline, visuals, notecards, handouts.
• Organize, support, sequence and connect information and ideas.
• Describe, classify, define, generalize, explain, illustrate, exemplify and/or summarize appropriately according to purpose of presentation.
• Use appropriate organization and discourse markers to help listeners follow.
• Assess audience, speaking situation and adjust presentation accordingly.
• Use effective presentation style: eye contact, body language, vocal delivery, pausing and accurate language use.
• Manage time effectively.
• Prepare follow-up discussion questions.

Analyze case studies and/or present a proposal.

• Define/analyze problems.
• Evaluate proposed solutions.
• Brainstorm and present formal solutions/options with required details and rationale.
• Request agreement/commitment in a sensitive manner.

Participate in panels.

• Present information.
• Ask/respond to questions.
• Lead/participate in discussion.

Participate in debates.

• Open, maintain and close discussion.
• Ask/respond to questions.
• Make timed presentations.
• Analyze and negotiate issues.
• Collaborate.
• Challenge/defend a position.

Give impromptu talks on spontaneous topics and under timed conditions.

Participate in discussions and interviews.

As participant

• Use a range of polite expressions to show or respond to respect and friendliness.
• Use expressions and registers appropriate for level of formality, occassion, intent and social situation.
• Use appropriate assertive communication strategies to deal with distance and indifference.
• Stay on task.

As leader/chair

• Develop plan or agenda.
• Give instructions for group tasks.
• Assign responsibilities.
• Ask relevant questions to gather, share, analyze and compare information.
• Encourage participants.
• Manage turn-taking and time.
• Paraphrase/summarize positions and opinions to confirm/clarify meaning.
• Keep group on task.
• Mediate conflict.
• Facilitate consensus.
• Summarize discussion outcomes.

As interviewer

• Prepare questions.
• Explain purpose.
• Take notes.
• Synthesize/summarize notes.

In all above tasks, use pronunciation elements appropriately (e.g. sounds, stress and intonation patterns).

Reading and Writing

To prepare for, support, and extend listening and speaking tasks

• Follow written instructions
• Recognize purpose/issue, overall key idea,  main ideas, and key details
• Use context to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases
• Use reading during speaking tasks
• Write notes, outlines, interview questions and answers, reports, summaries, and paragraphs
• Use written materials in speaking tasks (e.g., presentations)

Accuracy

Self-monitor for accuracy:

1. Grammar

• Review and expand use of:
• all forms of reported speech (tense changes, embedded questions and instructions).
• verb tense shifts in mixed tense environments.
• word order in questions (for questionnaires and interview questions).
• articles and other determiners, especially for abstract nouns which have both countable and uncountable uses.

2. Vocabulary

• Use an expanded range of academic and idiomatic vocabulary related to a wide range of specialized academic topics.
• Identify and correct errors in word choice and word form.

3. Pronunciation

• Review and expand use of pronunciation elements (problematic sounds, stress and intonation patterns).

4. Register

• Identify and use a wide range of different styles and registers appropriate for formal and informal academic and professional audiences and situations.

Classroom Skills

Use lecture notes to:

• complete assignments
• prepare for quizzes/exams

Take responsibility for the following:

• attendance and punctuality
• class work and assignments
• participation and teamwork

Use common software to communicate and to complete information management tasks such as to word process assignments, send emails, or sign into myDouglas or Blackboard.