‘Listening Frames’ EAL Strategy: Explanation and Rationale
When dealing with any piece of text you are forever safe in the knowledge that, at any point, you can look back and reference what you’ve already read.
Take a detective novel, for example.
If you’ve forgotten the background of a character who is currently under suspicion, you simply revisit an earlier section of the book.
Equally, if you’re reading an academic article and get lost in the author’s sub-clauses, the natural reaction is to go back to the start of the paragraph and begin again.
The written word is fixed.
It is contained within a physical medium and is itself a physical (or digital) object.
If you display instructions for your learners on your whiteboard, they can look at them again and again, and they will always be the same.
Such is the nature of the written word.
Speech does not share these facets.
As a result, it can be harder to analyse, particularly for learners who are at an early stage of language development.
Due to their lack of familiarity with English they may be at a disadvantage when trying to analyse the spoken word because their focus is still on decoding meaning in a basic sense.
This, logically, must come before all else.
After all, if we do not know what words mean, then how can we make sense of them?
In these situations, listening frames are a great support. A super-easy, effective scaffold.
They make it easier for learners to make connections between written words and speech, aid the process of decoding, and take away some of the analytical burden.
Listening Frames: Example One
Provide your EAL learners with a worksheet on which you have printed a range of key words relevant to the lesson.
Ask the learners to place a tick or tally mark next to each word they hear, every time they hear it.
A listening frame like this helps learners familiarise themselves with the relationship between how words are written and how they are spoken.
It also gives learners a specific focus for their listening.
This helps direct their effort and gives them a sense of purpose.
You can ask a fluent English speaker to help a learner who is using such a frame, or you can keep visiting them to check on their progress.
An alternative option is to give learners a frame containing images, rather than words. Their goal is then to cross off each image as and when they hear it being talked about.
Listening Frames: Example Two
Provide EAL learners with a worksheet containing a range of words you will use in the lesson, or which you anticipate will be used during discussions.
Give a definition for each word, alongside a relevant image.
Ask learners to listen out for the words and to make a tally mark or tick when they hear them.
Each time they do this, they should reacquaint themselves with the meaning of the word.
In essence, this listening frame is a little like a glossary designed for the specific lesson you are teaching.
It helps learners focus on their listening and gives them a scaffold they can use to gain confidence in using and decoding the keywords you have included.
Listening Frames: Example Three
Provide EAL learners with a worksheet in which the areas to be discussed are clearly delineated.
For example, in a lesson on rivers you may put the subheadings: Types of Rivers; Places where we find Rivers; Uses of Rivers.
This creates a note-taking frame for your learners.
It breaks down the discussion (or teacher exposition) which is to come, meaning the learners do not have to do this and can instead focus on decoding what they hear.
It removes some of the analytical burden by providing a ready-made structure, freeing up space in working memory.
You can further help learners by signalling (or asking other learners to signal) when the talk or discussion is moving from one area to the next.
