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What Stuck With You Today? - Exit Tickets

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Exit tickets. A wonderful tool for formative assessment, but a real pain to keep track of!! Exit tickets and I have had a love/hate relation…

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Justin Raudys

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Teaching Strategies

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As a teacher, one of your biggest challenges is to plan lessons that inspire your students to stay That's where This article is accompanied by a Use Much like student-generated test questions -- a type of ofA Use the The Asking students to write down what they find to be the The According to a A flexible and multi-faceted approach to active learning, Eric Sheninger, a principal, author, and Senior Fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), writes passionately about the use of technology as an active learning tool. In his article ""Overall,"While a But, crucially, active learning doesn't simply happen with a few simple instructions: it occurs in the classroom where the teacher is committed to a learning environment that And, after all, that's exactly makes active learning "active": putting students at the center of the learning process actively involved in the learning process. But you've probably noticed that traditional, teacher-centered learning plans aren't always conducive to achieving that inspiration. active learning strategies come into play. You can use them to empower, engage, and stimulate a classroom by putting students at the center of the learning process. Get inspired by these 8 strategies that will help students talk more openly, think more creatively and -- ultimately -- become more engaged in the process of learning. downloadable list of active learning strategies to keep at your desk for quick reference.

Active Learning Strategies

1. Reciprocal questioning
reciprocal questioning to encourage an open dialogue in which students take on the role of the teacher and create their own questions about a topic, reading section, or lesson. After covering a topic of your choice in class -- or after assigning a reading selection -- divide the class into pairs or small groups and have students come up with a few questions for discussion with the rest of the class. To facilitate the process, you can provide students with "question stems," which provide a foundation for a question but still require students to think critically about a lesson, text, or other section of material by completing the query. Consider the examples below.

Comprehension Question Stems

Connector Question Stems

Describe x in your own words. What does y mean? Why is z important? How could x be used to y?

Explain how x and why z. In what ways are x and y similar? In what ways are x and y different? How does x tie in with that we learned before?

Use these question stems to anchor and explore concepts in course material, helping students investigate a range of new topics and points of view associated with your lesson. Reciprocal questioning can be particularly useful when:

Preparing for tests or exams

Introducing a new topic or section of course content

Discussing reading or writing materials in greater detail

experiential learning activity -- reciprocal questioning involves students in the learning process to help build their comprehension of course material.
2. Three step interviews
To use the three step interview process, divide students into groups of three, and assign three roles: interviewer, interviewee, and notetaker. After also assigning a theme or topic of discussion, have students participate in a five to 10 minute interview to discuss what they found to be the key information relating to the topic. cooperative learning strategy, the three step interview encourages students to develop active listening skills by quizzing one another, sharing their thoughts, and taking notes. After each interview, have students rotate roles. Depending on factors including the grade level of your students and their experience with the strategy, you may adjust the length of the time for each interview. [caption id="attachment_1763" align="aligncenter" width="500"] One interpretation of the three-step interview process. Feel free to experiment with the duration and number of students involved in these steps. Image courtesy: Kagan Publishing[/caption] Before using the strategy, you may find it useful to have students explore the types of questions reporters ask in interviews and at what point in an interview they ask them. You may also want to provide recording sheets to use when they are assigned the "reporter" role. The three-step interview confers benefits including:

Helping students learn and apply different questioning strategies

Strengthening students' connection with course material in a creative and engaging way

Producing a sense of accountability, with students working together to complete a task and grasp a lesson

3. The pause procedure
To use the pause procedure, arrange for pauses of two to three minutes between every 10 to 15 minutes of lecture time. During these brief breaks, encourage students to discuss or rework their notes in pairs to clarify key points covered, raise questions, and solve problems posed by the instructor. Alternatively, students can work together to write a paragraph that connects or highlights key ideas set out in their partner's notes. The use of the pause procedure involves a minimal amount of extra time, but can confer significant benefits in comparison to lectures that continue without breaks.
4. The muddiest point technique
pause procedure to intersperse strategic pauses into your class lectures and enhance student understanding of teaching materials.
The Muddiest Point: Sample Phrasing What have you found to be the muddiest point so far in this assignment? What topic do you find to be the least clear?
In short, the exercise helps students reflect on the lesson and identify concepts needing further examination or study. [caption id="attachment_1764" align="alignnone" width="640"] Example of a "muddiest point" handout to issue to students. Image source: TeachersPayTeachers.[/caption] From your perspective, the activity can serve as an insightful source of feedback. A 2014 study concluded that breaking a lecture into brief pauses can increase student attention and learning outcomes. The pause procedure, the study determined, is "a good active learning strategy which helps students review their notes, reflect on them, discuss and explain the key ideas with their partners." For example, if more than a quarter of the class mentions the same "muddiest point," you may wish to schedule further time to discuss that topic, or create a new lesson plan or assignment to tackle it.
5. The devil's advocate approach
muddiest point technique involves asking students to write notes on the most unclear or most confusing element of a given homework assignment, lecture, or class discussion. Once you have completed an assignment or lesson plan, select a topic that is suitable for discussion and debate. The topic should serve as an appropriate subject for providing arguments from both sides. The activity is flexible and should be tailored to suit your students' grade level. In its simplest form, divide the class into two sections and coordinate a class-wide debate based on a selected topic. Alternatively, you may have students annotate reading texts and respond to contentions by creating counterarguments. Then, have students debate the proposals discussed during a mock town hall meeting. While this approach can be used across a number of grade levels and subjects, consider this list of thematic claims used as primers for a devil's advocate activity in a secondary ELA class. [caption id="attachment_1761" align="alignnone" width="750"] least clear is a powerful exercise because it compels them to grade or rate their own knowledge of a topic. Image source: Bespoke Classroom.[/caption] This approach can help cultivate active learning in the classroom by encouraging students to:
Think more critically, challenging participants to expand their understanding of the perspectives surrounding an issue and to view it through a different lens

Become more engaged, fostering involvement by drawing out opinions to explore the complexity of an issue being studied

Produce deeper understanding of topics or issues, using rigorous analysis to collectively clarify, probe, and pose alternatives to problems being discussed

"[provide] students with multiple perspectives, and [challenge] students with tough questions. In such a classroom, students will become more engaged and students' critical thinking and writing skills will be enriched."

6. Peer teaching activities
devil's advocate approach asks one or more students to take the opposing side of a predominant argument or point of view being discussed during a lesson. Some popular options include:

Reading buddies - A cooperative learning strategy that pairs two students who work together to read an assigned text.

Cross-age peer tutoring - A peer learning strategy involving students in different grades, wherein which one student instructs another on material in which the first student is advanced and the second student is a novice.

Role play - A group of students is split into smaller groups and given a specific task to complete, like in small group work. However, in addition to working on a specific task, the members of each group are asked to play a certain "role". Unlike in traditional role-play, all members of one group play the same role, not individually assigned roles.

Peer teaching activities help boost vital skills and behaviors including student interaction, accountability, group processing.
7. Game-based learning platforms

It is really about how students use devices to create artifacts of learning that demonstrate conceptual mastery through relevant application and evaluation...Give kids challenging problems to solve that have more than one right answer and let them use technology to show that they understand. This is the epitome of active learning...

8. Rotating chair group discussions
study published in the Journal of Theory, Research and Action in Urban Education, the devil's advocate approach can help students become "more familiar with a...topic and its multifaceted viewpoints." The same study concludes that a classroom using this strategy can: To use this strategy effectively, ensure that students adhere to the following pattern:

When a student wishes to participate, they must raise their hand

The student who is speaking calls on the next speaker, ideally someone who has not yet contributed

The student who has been called upon briefly summarizes what the previous student said before developing the idea further

This process can be repeated across a variety of topics, with your guidance to stay on track and help stuck students. peer instruction encompasses a range of scenarios where students instruct skills or explain concepts to classmates. The benefits of rotating chair group discussions are not only limited to the speakers. Knowing that they may be called upon to summarize the previous topic, all students are engaged in attentive listening, frequently jotting down notes and ideas to stay on track in the spaces between speaking. Moreover, students are put into a scenario where they learn from their colleagues' ideas, sparking new considerations of material in an active and engaging way. This strategy is rewarding for students because it encourages powerful and direct engagement with course material.
The Teacher's Role in the Active Learning Classroom
While active learning places an emphasis on the student's role in the learning experience, there is no doubt that the success of any active learning strategy starts with the thought and planning of a conscientious instructor. Game-based learning platforms add depth and differentiation to the educational process and allow students to work with their instructors to achieve their learning objectives. And, critically, the benefits of active learning go both ways, helping teachers as well as students. As active learning advocate James Ballencia writes, Shifting From Passive to Active Learning," he writes:

With the goal of teaching mindful learners who actively pursue knowledge, teachers become more actively engaged in how they teach the curriculum and how they develop each student's learning potential. They mix and match a variety of ... tactics to ensure that students not only learn more, better, and faster -- they also learn smarter.

As many of the techniques above are open-ended, the active learning strategies underpinning them may differentiate for different types of learners. Be sure to consider how you can differentiate instruction while still enjoying the benefits of these active learning strategies.
Math games and websites are at the forefront of delivering active learning through technology. One example is Prodigy, a platform that constantly adjusts questions to tackle student trouble spots and delivers math problems with words, charts pictures, and numbers. Prodigy is free to play and aligned with curricula for grades 1 to 8 teachers. Create and sign into your free teacher account here:
Active Learning Techniques: Key Questions
To help the success of these strategies, put yourself in your students' position and imagine how they might experience it. This will help you get a feel for the lesson. Rotating chair group discussions encourage students to actively listen to selected speakers who follow a pattern of guiding class discussion and summarizing previous points. Students lead and stimulate class discussion as they "rotate" roles, repeatedly selecting the following speaker. When applying any of these strategies for your course, be sure to ask yourself:

Will this be engaging and exciting for my students?

Can this activity deploy formative assessment strategies ?

Is the student placed at the center of this learning strategy?

Will this encourage my students to discuss a topic with one another?

Am I giving students the opportunity to reflect on the learning process?

Is this activity getting my students to think deeply and critically about a topic or lesson or is it simply a comprehension exercise?

Making Space for Active Learning Strategies
While all of the active learning strategies outlined above can be deployed in traditional, lecture-oriented classrooms, the physical arrangement of your room and the number of students in the class can make some of them difficult to perform easily.
Final Thoughts on Active Learning Strategies
Active learning plainly puts the focus on the learner: what the learner does, what the learner thinks, and how the learner behaves. Ultimately, these active learning strategies will help build understanding rather than memorization of facts, giving students the confidence to apply learning to different problems and contexts and achieve greater autonomy over their learning.
Downloadable List of the 8 Active Learning Strategies

>> Create or log in to your teacher account on Prodigy -- a free, game-based learning platform that assesses student progress and performance as they play. Aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world, it's loved by more than 800,000 teachers and 30 million students.
a 2011 study found, "teachers play an influential role in increasing students' situational interest in the active-learning classroom," while factors like a teacher's social connection with students and subject matter expertise "significantly influence the level of students' situational interest in the active learning classroom." flexible seating classroom arrangement may ease this challenge, such a solution is not always possible. Plan these exercises with the limitations of your physical space carefully, being mindful of the environmental constraints posed by the unique arrangements of some of the strategies above. makes active learning possible. as they take the initiative to learn. Click here to download the list of strategies to print and keep at your desk.

As a teacher, one of your biggest challenges is to plan lessons that inspire your students to stay That's where This article is accompanied by a Use Much like student-generated test questions -- a type of ofA Use the The Asking students to write down what they find to be the The According to a A flexible and multi-faceted approach to active learning, Eric Sheninger, a principal, author, and Senior Fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), writes passionately about the use of technology as an active learning tool. In his article ""Overall,"While a But, crucially, active learning doesn't simply happen with a few simple instructions: it occurs in the classroom where the teacher is committed to a learning environment that And, after all, that's exactly makes active learning "active": putting students at the center of the learning process actively involved in the learning process. But you've probably noticed that traditional, teacher-centered learning plans aren't always conducive to achieving that inspiration. active learning strategies come into play. You can use them to empower, engage, and stimulate a classroom by putting students at the center of the learning process. Get inspired by these 8 strategies that will help students talk more openly, think more creatively and -- ultimately -- become more engaged in the process of learning. downloadable list of active learning strategies to keep at your desk for quick reference.
Active Learning Strategies

1. Reciprocal questioning
reciprocal questioning to encourage an open dialogue in which students take on the role of the teacher and create their own questions about a topic, reading section, or lesson. After covering a topic of your choice in class -- or after assigning a reading selection -- divide the class into pairs or small groups and have students come up with a few questions for discussion with the rest of the class. To facilitate the process, you can provide students with "question stems," which provide a foundation for a question but still require students to think critically about a lesson, text, or other section of material by completing the query. Consider the examples below.

Comprehension Question Stems

Connector Question Stems

Describe x in your own words. What does y mean? Why is z important? How could x be used to y?

Explain how x and why z. In what ways are x and y similar? In what ways are x and y different? How does x tie in with that we learned before?

Use these question stems to anchor and explore concepts in course material, helping students investigate a range of new topics and points of view associated with your lesson. Reciprocal questioning can be particularly useful when:

Preparing for tests or exams

Introducing a new topic or section of course content

Discussing reading or writing materials in greater detail

experiential learning activity -- reciprocal questioning involves students in the learning process to help build their comprehension of course material.
2. Three step interviews
To use the three step interview process, divide students into groups of three, and assign three roles: interviewer, interviewee, and notetaker. After also assigning a theme or topic of discussion, have students participate in a five to 10 minute interview to discuss what they found to be the key information relating to the topic. cooperative learning strategy, the three step interview encourages students to develop active listening skills by quizzing one another, sharing their thoughts, and taking notes. After each interview, have students rotate roles. Depending on factors including the grade level of your students and their experience with the strategy, you may adjust the length of the time for each interview. [caption id="attachment_1763" align="aligncenter" width="500"] One interpretation of the three-step interview process. Feel free to experiment with the duration and number of students involved in these steps. Image courtesy: Kagan Publishing[/caption] Before using the strategy, you may find it useful to have students explore the types of questions reporters ask in interviews and at what point in an interview they ask them. You may also want to provide recording sheets to use when they are assigned the "reporter" role. The three-step interview confers benefits including:

Helping students learn and apply different questioning strategies

Strengthening students' connection with course material in a creative and engaging way

Producing a sense of accountability, with students working together to complete a task and grasp a lesson

3. The pause procedure
To use the pause procedure, arrange for pauses of two to three minutes between every 10 to 15 minutes of lecture time. During these brief breaks, encourage students to discuss or rework their notes in pairs to clarify key points covered, raise questions, and solve problems posed by the instructor. Alternatively, students can work together to write a paragraph that connects or highlights key ideas set out in their partner's notes. The use of the pause procedure involves a minimal amount of extra time, but can confer significant benefits in comparison to lectures that continue without breaks.
4. The muddiest point technique
pause procedure to intersperse strategic pauses into your class lectures and enhance student understanding of teaching materials.
The Muddiest Point: Sample Phrasing What have you found to be the muddiest point so far in this assignment? What topic do you find to be the least clear?
In short, the exercise helps students reflect on the lesson and identify concepts needing further examination or study. [caption id="attachment_1764" align="alignnone" width="640"] Example of a "muddiest point" handout to issue to students. Image source: TeachersPayTeachers.[/caption] From your perspective, the activity can serve as an insightful source of feedback.A 2014 study concluded that breaking a lecture into brief pauses can increase student attention and learning outcomes. The pause procedure, the study determined, is "a good active learning strategy which helps students review their notes, reflect on them, discuss and explain the key ideas with their partners." For example, if more than a quarter of the class mentions the same "muddiest point," you may wish to schedule further time to discuss that topic, or create a new lesson plan or assignment to tackle it.
5. The devil's advocate approach
muddiest point technique involves asking students to write notes on the most unclear or most confusing element of a given homework assignment, lecture, or class discussion. Once you have completed an assignment or lesson plan, select a topic that is suitable for discussion and debate. The topic should serve as an appropriate subject for providing arguments from both sides. The activity is flexible and should be tailored to suit your students' grade level. In its simplest form, divide the class into two sections and coordinate a class-wide debate based on a selected topic. Alternatively, you may have students annotate reading texts and respond to contentions by creating counterarguments. Then, have students debate the proposals discussed during a mock town hall meeting. While this approach can be used across a number of grade levels and subjects, consider this list of thematic claims used as primers for a devil's advocate activity in a secondary ELA class. [caption id="attachment_1761" align="alignnone" width="750"]least clear is a powerful exercise because it compels them to grade or rate their own knowledge of a topic. Image source: Bespoke Classroom.[/caption] This approach can help cultivate active learning in the classroom by encouraging students to:
Think more critically, challenging participants to expand their understanding of the perspectives surrounding an issue and to view it through a different lens

Become more engaged, fostering involvement by drawing out opinions to explore the complexity of an issue being studied

Produce deeper understanding of topics or issues, using rigorous analysis to collectively clarify, probe, and pose alternatives to problems being discussed

"[provide] students with multiple perspectives, and [challenge] students with tough questions. In such a classroom, students will become more engaged and students' critical thinking and writing skills will be enriched."

6. Peer teaching activities
devil's advocate approach asks one or more students to take the opposing side of a predominant argument or point of view being discussed during a lesson. Some popular options include:

Reading buddies - A cooperative learning strategy that pairs two students who work together to read an assigned text.

Cross-age peer tutoring - A peer learning strategy involving students in different grades, wherein which one student instructs another on material in which the first student is advanced and the second student is a novice.

Role play - A group of students is split into smaller groups and given a specific task to complete, like in small group work. However, in addition to working on a specific task, the members of each group are asked to play a certain "role". Unlike in traditional role-play, all members of one group play the same role, not individually assigned roles.

Peer teaching activities help boost vital skills and behaviors including student interaction, accountability, group processing.
7. Game-based learning platforms

It is really about how students use devices to create artifacts of learning that demonstrate conceptual mastery through relevant application and evaluation...Give kids challenging problems to solve that have more than one right answer and let them use technology to show that they understand. This is the epitome of active learning...

8. Rotating chair group discussions
study published in the Journal of Theory, Research and Action in Urban Education, the devil's advocate approach can help students become "more familiar with a...topic and its multifaceted viewpoints." The same study concludes that a classroom using this strategy can: To use this strategy effectively, ensure that students adhere to the following pattern:

When a student wishes to participate, they must raise their hand

The student who is speaking calls on the next speaker, ideally someone who has not yet contributed

The student who has been called upon briefly summarizes what the previous student said before developing the idea further

This process can be repeated across a variety of topics, with your guidance to stay on track and help stuck students. peer instruction encompasses a range of scenarios where students instruct skills or explain concepts to classmates. The benefits of rotating chair group discussions are not only limited to the speakers. Knowing that they may be called upon to summarize the previous topic, all students are engaged in attentive listening, frequently jotting down notes and ideas to stay on track in the spaces between speaking. Moreover, students are put into a scenario where they learn from their colleagues' ideas, sparking new considerations of material in an active and engaging way. This strategy is rewarding for students because it encourages powerful and direct engagement with course material.
The Teacher's Role in the Active Learning Classroom
While active learning places an emphasis on the student's role in the learning experience, there is no doubt that the success of any active learning strategy starts with the thought and planning of a conscientious instructor. Game-based learning platforms add depth and differentiation to the educational process and allow students to work with their instructors to achieve their learning objectives. And, critically, the benefits of active learning go both ways, helping teachers as well as students. As active learning advocate James Ballencia writes, Shifting From Passive to Active Learning," he writes:

With the goal of teaching mindful learners who actively pursue knowledge, teachers become more actively engaged in how they teach the curriculum and how they develop each student's learning potential. They mix and match a variety of ... tactics to ensure that students not only learn more, better, and faster -- they also learn smarter.

As many of the techniques above are open-ended, the active learning strategies underpinning them may differentiate for different types of learners. Be sure to consider how you can differentiate instruction while still enjoying the benefits of these active learning strategies.
Math games and websites are at the forefront of delivering active learning through technology. One example is Prodigy, a platform that constantly adjusts questions to tackle student trouble spots and delivers math problems with words, charts pictures, and numbers. Prodigy is free to play and aligned with curricula for grades 1 to 8 teachers. Create and sign into your free teacher account here:
Active Learning Techniques: Key Questions
To help the success of these strategies, put yourself in your students' position and imagine how they might experience it. This will help you get a feel for the lesson. Rotating chair group discussions encourage students to actively listen to selected speakers who follow a pattern of guiding class discussion and summarizing previous points. Students lead and stimulate class discussion as they "rotate" roles, repeatedly selecting the following speaker. When applying any of these strategies for your course, be sure to ask yourself:

Will this be engaging and exciting for my students?

Can this activity deploy formative assessment strategies ?

Is the student placed at the center of this learning strategy?

Will this encourage my students to discuss a topic with one another?

Am I giving students the opportunity to reflect on the learning process?

Is this activity getting my students to think deeply and critically about a topic or lesson or is it simply a comprehension exercise?

Making Space for Active Learning Strategies
While all of the active learning strategies outlined above can be deployed in traditional, lecture-oriented classrooms, the physical arrangement of your room and the number of students in the class can make some of them difficult to perform easily.
Final Thoughts on Active Learning Strategies
Active learning plainly puts the focus on the learner: what the learner does, what the learner thinks, and how the learner behaves. Ultimately, these active learning strategies will help build understanding rather than memorization of facts, giving students the confidence to apply learning to different problems and contexts and achieve greater autonomy over their learning.
Downloadable List of the 8 Active Learning Strategies

>> Create or log in to your teacher account on Prodigy -- a free, game-based learning platform that assesses student progress and performance as they play. Aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world, it's loved by more than 800,000 teachers and 30 million students.
a 2011 study found, "teachers play an influential role in increasing students' situational interest in the active-learning classroom," while factors like a teacher's social connection with students and subject matter expertise "significantly influence the level of students' situational interest in the active learning classroom." flexible seating classroom arrangement may ease this challenge, such a solution is not always possible. Plan these exercises with the limitations of your physical space carefully, being mindful of the environmental constraints posed by the unique arrangements of some of the strategies above. makes active learning possible. as they take the initiative to learn. Click here to download the list of strategies to print and keep at your desk.

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8 Active Learning Strategies and Examples [+ Downloadable List]

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Justin Raudys All Posts Category Teaching Strategies Teaching Tools As a teacher, one of your biggest challenges is to plan lessons that inspire your students to stay That's where This article is accompanied by a Use Much like student-generated test questions -- a type of ofA Use the The Asking

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Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority

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Graphic Organizers For Kids | Learn some ways to organize information

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Pass It On TV Commercials - Inspirational | The Foundation for a Better Life

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Find amazing inspirational stories broadcast on television about the value of good character. The Pass it On collection of inspiring motivational stories.

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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3 Simple Ways to Boost Student Motivation

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By making progress visible and celebrating small achievements, teachers can help students stay engaged from the first day of school until the last.

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How Podcasting in the Classroom Boosts Communication Skills

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When students practice their oral communication skills by making podcasts, their writing, speaking, and storytelling abilities blossom.

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Find & Download the most popular Free Stock Photos over 7,048,000+ on Freepik ✓ Free for commercial use ✓ High Resolution Images ✓ Made for Creative Projects

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Download and use 10,000+ Free stock photos for free. ✓ Thousands of new images every day ✓ Completely Free to Use ✓ High-quality videos and images from Pexels

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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What's the relationship between listening sub skills and listening tasks? Craig Thaine author of Off the Page Activities to Bring Lessons Alive and Enhance Learning, considers the connection, taking into account what confident listeners are likely to do. He also suggests a way to make listening lessons manageable by giving learners more control over the text.
Of the four language skills, listening often presents the greatest challenge for students. However, most learners see the value of doing listening practice. They usually find the more they practise, the more they can understand. Listening lessons are also an opportunity for them to learn specific strategies for understanding oral information (for example, listening to key content words) and thereby develop their listening skills. Finally, listening texts are often a rich source of examples of spoken language that can help learners develop their speaking skills.

What problems can arise in listening lessons?

In my experience teaching and observing teachers, I often find that listening lessons don't go well when there is a mismatch between the nature of the text and the nature of the listening task.
A task may get students to practise a listening sub skill that confident listeners would not normally deploy with that kind of text. To give an extreme example, if you are listening to a podcast (or an excerpt from one) on economic trends, it would not be natural or useful to scan listen just for the numbers mentioned in the podcast. It would make more sense to try and understand the main points the speaker is trying to make.

What are core listening sub skills?

In listening lessons, core listening sub skills that learners can practise are:
- listening for gist - listening to infer information (e.g. the speaker's point of view)
- listening for detail - listening for text or discourse patterns
- scan listening - listening for language items
Outside the classroom, confident listeners will often deploy different listening sub skills at the same time. For example, an undergraduate student in a lecture may listen just for gist to part of the lecture. However, when the lecturer moves on to talk about information the student thinks will be useful for an essay they are working on, they will probably listen in far more detail and take notes. While this is happening, the student may also be trying to work out the lecturer's point of view on the topic being talked about.

Should listening lessons be a replica of real-world listening?

In the classroom, it is usually preferable to get learners practising one sub skill at a time. With many texts, it helps to start with a manageable task that practises gist listening and then move on to tasks that require students to understand in more detail. Course books usually provide useful listening tasks, but it always pays to check them in light of your students' listening needs. You may need to supplement with an extra task.
You may also want to create your own listening material. There is a wealth of listening material online that can be used. This means you need to create your own tasks. In doing so, you need to think about how a confident listener would listen to the text and create activities that mirror this. However, you also need to bear in mind the fact that your students probably aren't confident listeners so you need to provide a series of tasks that practise different listening sub skills and allow students to gradually develop their understanding of the text.

How can I make listening lessons authentic but manageable?

A common criticism of listening lessons is that they often don't represent the authentic context in which most listening takes place - a conversation, where listeners also have to speak as they reply to what the other person has said. A second criticism is that in listening lessons students have little control over the text. Below is an idea that goes some way to dealing with these issues.
If you are doing a listening that tells some kind of story or explains some kind of narrative, you can re-tell it as if it were your own story or a story you heard about (or you could just tell a story of your own). Make notes of key words and tell the story using these rather than reading the audio script aloud - this will make the listening sound more natural. Divide up the narrative in two or three parts. For the first part, show students some key words and get them to tell you their predictions for what you will say. Then tell the first part of the story and talk to them about how correct their predictions were and let them ask you some questions about what you've just said. Show key words for the next part of the story and repeat the process. This stop-start approach that gets students to predict information and then question you, turns the listening into more of a conversation when compared to just playing the course book audio. It also gives students a degree of control over the text because they can ask follow up questions as the narrative unfolds.

We're here to support teachers build their knowledge, skills and confidence. If you would like to read more blog articles from our teaching experts, click here.

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Listening Sub Skills And Tasks | World Of Better Learning

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What's the relationship between listening sub skills and listening tasks? Craig Thaine author of Off the Page Activities to Bring Lessons Alive and Enhance Learning , considers the connection, taking into account what confident listeners are likely to do. He also suggests a way to make listening lessons manageable by giving learners more control over the text.

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press & Assessment

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Developing speaking skills: a focus on grammar and vocabulary

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Greg Archer looks at ways grammar and vocabulary can be used in developing speaking skills which can be demonstrated in students’ exams.

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12 Graphic Organizers You Should Know| EdrawMax

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Assessing Students with Twitter Style Exit Slips

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60-Second Strategy: One Word, One Sentence

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Preparing for Pre A1 Starters | Cambridge English

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Explore all our resources to help prepare learners for Pre A1 Starters, including sample tests, wordlists, activities and courses.

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Preparing for A1 Movers | Cambridge English

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Explore all our resources to help prepare learners for A1 Movers, including sample tests, wordlists, activities and courses.

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Preparing for A2 Flyers | Cambridge English

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Explore all our resources to help prepare learners for A2 Flyers, including sample tests, wordlists, activities and courses.

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Learn English with our free online listening, grammar, vocabulary and reading activities. Practise your English and get ready for your Cambridge English exam.

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These ideas for using exit tickets for formative assessment and to quickly see how students are feeling may be particularly helpful for new teachers.

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Rubric Maker - Create custom assessments

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Create rubrics for your classroom projects.

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Милена Мићић

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Scribd is the world’s largest social reading and publishing site.

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The document outlines various dialogue activities designed for language learners, including a speed dating exercise that encourages students to quickly learn about each other through structured conversations. It provides detailed instructions for implementing these activities in the classroom, emphasizing equal participation and interaction. Additionally, it includes variations and extensions to enhance engagement and learning outcomes.

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How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading ( PDFDrive )

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Assessing Young Language Learners (Cambridge Language Assessment) ( PDFDrive )

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Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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7 Fun and Effective ESL Speaking Activities for the Classroom | Continental Educational Publisher

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Discover ESL speaking activities that will help students develop their oral language skills, regardless of their proficiency level.

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Practise and improve your speaking skills for your school studies, your exams and for real life. There are videos and activities for different levels, so find your level and make a start.

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Do you want to practise saying English words? In this section you can watch Sam and Pam's fun adventure stories and practise saying English sounds. Watch stories, play games, print activities and post comments!

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Speaking Strategies for the classroom (1)

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Oracy in the Classroom: Strategies for Effective Talk

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Speaking Strategies for the classroom- 1

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Speaking Strategies for the classroom- 1

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Oracy in the classroom_Strategies for effective talk

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Oracy in the classroom_Strategies for effective talk

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Oracy in the Classroom: Strategies for Effective Talk

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Practising Listening Skills online_All levels

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Practising Listening Skills online_All levels

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Practise and improve your listening skills for your school studies and your English exams. There are activities for different levels, so find your level and make a start.

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Practising English Listening Skills online_British Council

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Practising English Listening Skills online_British Council

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Here you can find activities to practise your listening skills. Listening will help you to improve your understanding of the language and your pronunciation.

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Practising Listening Skills_Listen & Watch

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Practising Listening Skills_Listen & Watch

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Do you like watching fun videos in English? Watching videos is a great way to practise your English and learn new things about interesting topics. We have lots of great videos here for you to watch. Watch videos, play games, print activities and post comments!

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Listening activity (Example): Picture Dictation

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Listening activity (Example): Picture Dictation

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Listening activities (examples): Song-based lessons

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Listening activities (examples): Song-based lessons

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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TedED (audiovisual resources; menu of video-based lessons))

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TedED (audiovisual resources; menu of video-based lessons))

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Plurilingual and Pluricultural Competence (CEFR)

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Plurilingual and Pluricultural Competence (CEFR)

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Guide to Action-oriented, Plurilingual and Intercultural Education

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Guide to Action-oriented, Plurilingual and Intercultural Education

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A Guide to Action-oriented Plurilingual and Interc

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Plurilingual Guide: Implementing Critical Plurilingual Pedagogy in Language Education

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Plurilingual Guide: Implementing Critical Plurilingual Pedagogy in Language Education

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From Linguistic Diversity to Plurilingual Education

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From Linguistic Diversity to Plurilingual Education