Quick Guide
- Keywords: Extensive listening, authentic listening, small group discussion
- Learner English level: A2+
- Learner maturity: University
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Activity time: 40–50 minutes (modeling) 30 minutes (discussion)
- Materials: My Favorite Talk handout (see Appendix), timer
In this listening and speaking activity, students get to choose their own listening text at home and then facilitate small group discussions about the listening in class. The lesson supports learner autonomy and brings a dynamic group component to individual listening practice.
Preparation
Step 1: Print 2 copies of the My Favorite Talk handout for each student (see Appendix). Here, students take notes about their talk and prepare discussion questions to share in groups. One copy is for practice, and one is for homework.
Procedure
Step 1: Explain to students that they are going to listen to English at home, but they will practice together as a class first.
Step 2: Give students the handout and model the activity. Play listening materials appropriate to the students’ levels. Have students take notes of keywords and phrases. Repeat the listening again, if necessary.
Step 3: Have students compare their notes in pairs or groups.
Step 4: As a class, write a summary of the listening using the notes.
Step 5: Together, brainstorm discussion questions that elicit conversation about the topic. Emphasize that these should not be comprehension questions since, in the future, students will be watching different videos independently. For example, for the TED Talk The World’s English Mania (Walker, 2009), students brainstormed questions such as:
Why are you studying English?
What is the best way to learn English?
What is the hardest thing about learning English?
Step 6: In groups, have students ask and answer the discussion questions they came up with.
Step 7: Tell students that they will be doing this periodically in class but with talks that they have chosen themselves and listened to at home.
Step 8: Give students a second copy of the handout for homework and suggest websites with level-appropriate listening texts (e.g. VOA News ,n.d., Elllo.org n.d., 6 Minute English; BBC, n.d.). Encourage students to start with short videos that they can watch and listen to several times and enable captions at first. They can move onto longer, more advanced listening texts another time. Point out that the handout includes websites with listening materials that are categorized based on their level of difficulty.
Step 9: On group discussion day, check that each student has a completed handout with a listening passage to share.
Step 10: Arrange students into groups of 3 or 4.
Step 11: To ensure students get equal time, assign a timekeeper for each group.
Step 12: Tell students to take turns (about 7 to 10 minutes each) facilitating a small group discussion based on their listening. Remind students that they should tell the title of the talk, give a brief summary, ask conversation questions about their topic, and make sure each student in their group participates.
Step 12: Continue until all group members have had a chance to share their topic.
Step 13: In plenary, students share with the class an interesting fact or story they heard about in their groups.
Step 14: Write some of the key words and phrases you hear on the board. Use these as a way to provide feedback on the activity.
Variations
This activity can also be done with a TV show that the whole class watches independently and then discusses together in small groups on a weekly or biweekly basis. Good shows that are easy to understand but still have high interest and appeal include Extra English (Włoocibor, n.d.), We Speak NYC (City of New York, n.d.), and Samantha Brown’s (n.d.) Places to Love.
Conclusion
This activity is a simple way of bringing individual authentic listening practice to life. It allows students to share what they listen to and are excited about with a broader audience.
References
BBC. (n.d.). 6 minute English. Learning English: Inspiring language learning since 1943. https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english
Brown, S. (n.d.). Places to love: Full episodes [YouTube Channel]. YouTube. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9DVH5JvwN_u5caKSu3g9MyuIlI3SXW7S
City of New York. (n.d.). Watch, learn & practice. We speak NYC. https://wespeaknyc.cityofnewyork.us/episodes/
Elllo Productions. (n.d.). English listening lesson library online. Elllo. https://elllo.org/
Voice of America. (n.d.). Videos. VOA. https://www.voanews.com/p/7755.html
Walker, J. (2009, February). The world’s English mania [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/jay_walker_the_world_s_english_mania?subtitle=en
Włoocibor. (n.d.). Learning English: Extra English BBC [YouTube Channel]. YouTube. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdYSWqTrWP2jyqWIdjsATbrb11uN_BMrF
Appendix
The appendix is available below:
