EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening and Communication
EFS 693B - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Listening and Communication
EFS 693B
Week 7 Notes
CLASS OBJECTIVES
Watching movies for language learning
Introduction to FlashACE for processing practice
Research trends and advice on using captions
Notes on independent study
I. Opening: http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=265106&title=ability-giving-birth-in-the-sky. Try other clips at www.comedycentral.com.
II. Watching movies for language learning: discuss
1) What are the best types of movies to watch for language learning? Why?
2) What are the worst types? Why?
3) Think about a movie you watched recently--how could you use it to improve your listening skills
4) Read below about Listening to Movies
Listening to Movies
Movies are interesting, but they can be less valuable than some other options for improving your listening skills. TV comedy or drama shows, talk shows, and news shows have the same characters or announcers, and if you watch them over time, it becomes easier to follow them. This isn’t true of movies because they generally introduce characters and tell a story that is new. Once the movie is over, you will probably never see the characters again. If you want to use movies anyway, here are some suggestions for more effective ways of using movies on your own to improve your listening.
1) Select a movie that is about something familiar, such as
· A movie that is set in your home country: this should be easier than a movie set in some place you’re less familiar with.
· A movie that you have seen before, perhaps in your home country with subtitles or a translated soundtrack, so that you know the story and characters.
· A movie with close captioning: in this case, watch the movie first with the closed captioning on, so that you become familiar with it. Then watch it again with the closed captioning off. Or turn on the captions when you feel you’re getting lost.
· A movie that is based on a book: this way, you can read the book first to learn about the characters and story and then watch the movie.
· A movie that is one of several in a series: in this way you at least get to know some of the characters and may even have a continuing story (e.g. Harry Potter).
· A movie that has a lot of visual elements to support the dialogue.
Note, you can listen to an unfamiliar topic for pure entertainment or if you are doing so to build cultural understanding, but be aware that it may be more difficult to use for language learning if you don't understand the references.
2) For language learning purposes, some movies may not be as useful:
· Movies with slang, fast speakers, ethnic dialects, and so on are more difficult than ones with speakers who speak a relatively standard version of North American English and speak it clearly.
· Older movies often have patterns of speech that are no longer common, especially in this area.
· Some kinds of "action" movies have a lot of action and little language.
· Movies about historical events, especially from the distant past, if done well may have patterns of speech that are uncommon today, and the situations will not be relevant.
· Animated films sometimes do not give as accurate a rendering of lip movements associated with specific sounds (though new ones are better at this).
3) Select a movie where the language is not too difficult and which you think may contain useful expressions: www.eslnotes.com has vocabulary assistance for some popular older movies, many of which are available on DVD from Green Library.
4) Find a part of the movie that is especially easy for you to understand. Try to do a dictation of several minutes of it. If the movie has captioning or you can find a script, use the captions or script to check your answers.
5) Listen to a part of the movie that has an interesting conversation you can understand. After one of the characters says a line, pause and try to say it right back (this is like a dictation, only without writing). The goal is not to memorize the line, but to build processing accuracy and capacity.
Remember, any time you listen to a movie in English and enjoy and understand it, you're getting some benefit. However, it's important to realize that you need to be actively involved in listening if you want to get the most from it. That means listening deeply to selected parts to improve processing, mining the material for useful words and phrases, and using specific strategies for interpreting meaning.
If you don't have access to video playback equipment, you can go downstairs in Green Library and get videotapes and DVDs which you can watch there in the Media Center. You can also find free (legal) online movies at http://www.hulu.com/movies or www.crackle.com.
III. Focus on language processing: dictations and other intensive listening to build speed, accuracy, and capacity
A. Groundhog Day revisited. Dictation: http://www.crackle.com/c/Groundhog_Day/The_Perfect_Man/2476112
B. Picture ID test
C. FlashACE: www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/efs/FlashACE/: provides processing practice through rapid, intensive comprehension and optional dictation.
IV. Research and practice trends on captioning/subtitling for language learning
Typically show either positive effect or no significant difference for comprehension
May improve rapid reading
May interfere with picking up visual information
More positive results when students can control the subtitling
Some evidence that viewing native language subtitles first for difficult
material may be helpful (e.g., movies)
Possible procedure: native language subtitles first pass; English subtitles
second pass; no subtitles third pass
Are better than transcripts for simultaneous listening because they are superimposed on the video (Cognitive theory of multimedia)
V. Recommendations for using captions/subtitles
Don't avoid subtitles, but
Don't overuse them
Remember that they are not always exactly what is said--their purpose is to help with meaning
Toggle them on and off (when possible) to maintain listening focus (best sites are those that allow toggling or hiding). For comprehension and processing, it's best to listen again with them off once you comprehend a scene or clip.
To hide a caption
a) slide the window down until the caption disappears--unfortunately this also hides the pause, rewind, playbar, etc.
b) Tape a piece of paper over the caption area.
(Note: looking at the video while "ignoring" the captions is a possible strategy but may be difficult in practice)
You can search for captioned videos: http://video.google.com/videoadvancedsearch.
VI. Closing words
A. Media Players with speed controls. Try the Chinese media player Splayer http://www.splayer.org/index.en.html (thanks to Chuxu for this link). Also VLC version 2.0 was just released, including a slide speed control for Macs: www.videolan.org/vlc. Unfortunately, it is no longer available on iTunes.
B. Independent study and motivation:
- set a schedule and try to keep to it
- be sure you understand the different objectives of different activities
C. Reviewing previous work. You can go back and listen to material you have previously listened to if you want for review and for deeper comprehension.
D. Analysis of understood material. Once you've comprehended a piece, your job isn't necessarily done: you can listen to it closely to notice things like grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reduced forms, linking, rhythm, intonation, tone of voice, connection of language to gesture, and so on. It's difficult to learn what you don't notice. Don't be satisfied just with basic understanding. However, don't do this for all material--vary your listening tasks along the extensive-->semi-intensive-->intensive continuum.
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Homework
1) This week the assignment
is to do a minimum of three hours in the following way
- Do 25-30 minutes every day.
- Be sure to include short vocabulary reviews as part of this--continue
with FlashCardDB or another program if you liked it.
The goal is to see what a daily experience with English is like.
Get the report form
here or through the Coursework assignment.
2) Go to www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/efs/FlashACE/. Finish FlashACE Intermediate1 if needed (skip Lesson 2 for now--it has several errors; there are a few other questionable items--don't let it distract you). Then, go through FlashACE Intermediate Lessons 3, 4, and 5 on different days. Listen first for comprehension. Then, for each lesson, try to do dictation on at least three items. Notice what you have to listen to most closely and any mistakes you make--come prepared to discuss your experience. Do not continue to FlashACE Advanced--we'll do it later. (Note: If you already did this for 693A, you've probably forgotten most of the individual items, so try it again, or concentrate on the dictations). Come prepared to discuss your experience next week.
