John Field Universities of Reading and Cambridge, uk

• Better listeners versus more listening: rethinking the Comprehension Approach
• John Field
• Universities of Reading and Cambridge, UK

The Comprehension Approach

• Pre-listening: motivation, mental set
• Extensive listening: general questions
• Pre-set task or questions
• Intensive listening
• Checking answers (? with replay?)
• [Language review]
• [Listen with tapescript]

Teaching not testing

• ‘Until we have some diagnostic procedures, the teacher [of L2 listening] can only continue to test comprehension, not to teach it. We need to move into a position where the teacher is able to recognise particular patterns of behaviour in listening manifested by an unsuccessful listener and to provide exercises for the student which will promote superior patterns of behaviour (superior strategies)’. (Brown, 1986: 286)