USING TEXTS AND DESIGNING TASKS

Many language textbooks are accompanied by an audio component.
Usually, the listening texts are scripted, which means that the spoken discourse was àrst written out and then read and recorded. Scripted language is an effective teaching tool, but it lacks certain features of authentic input. The speakers speak rather slowly and seldom change the topic of the conversation. Their pronunciation is careful, intonation is exaggerated, sentences are complete, and there is no background noise to distract the listener. This is very different from authentic listening, which involves the language native speakers use in real life. In this article I will show Educators have long been interested in the beneàts and drawbacks of using authentic listening materials. On one hand, they allow students to explore the real language and culture and thus increase motivation and interest in learning. On the other hand, coping with the speed, vocabulary, and irregularities of native speech can make authentic listening very difàcult, particularly for lower-level students. Moreover, because authentic materials are not accompanied by lesson plans and activities, they require a good deal of preparation on the part
of the teacher.

Keywords: Planning Listening Instruction for suggestions, formal or informal, teacher talk, NNESs, Rost’s (2011) framework, Interactive Listening, Extensive Listening, Extensive Listening, Autonomous Listening, cognitive, linguistic, and social skills.