14/01/2014

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Agenda
An Introduction to Listening

Introduction to your Instructors

Introduction to the Module
Week 1 Lecture Coverage

Academic English for Undergraduate Study

Lecture 1

Difference between Listening and Hearing

Why Listening Skills are Important
Obstacles to Listening
How to be a better Listener

Introduction and Overview of Module

Introduction to Listening Skills
This lecture and its associated materials have been produced by Mr. Kelvin Ng (MBA, Cambridge) of iAcademy for the
purposes of lecturing on the above described subject and the material should be viewed in this context. The work does
not constitute professional advice and no warranties are made regarding the information presented. The Author and
iAcademy do not accept any liability for the consequences of any action taken as a result of the work or any
recommendations made or inferred. Permission to use any of these materials must be first granted by iAcademy.

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Module Leader

Introduction to the Module

Kelvin Ng (MBA, Cambridge)

Overview of Module

Chief Operating Officer, Islington College, NEP

Director Academic Operations, iAcademy, SIN
Visiting Lecturer
Chulalongkorn University, THA
Thammasat University, THA
Levels taught: BE, BBA, MBA, PhD at the faculties of
Accountancy and Business Administration and Economics

Previous Appointments
Helios Programme Commercial Analyst at British
Petroleum (BP), UK
European Growth Strategy Consultant at Linkedin, US
Business Development Manager and Consultant at Procter
and Gamble (P&G), SG
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What can you expect?

Learning Objectives
How will you benefit?

Learning Strategy
How you will learn?

Assessment Overview
How you will be tested?

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Overview of Module

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Overview of Module

Academic English for Undergraduate Study

Aim: Bridge the gap between pre-tertiary
English language education and the required
standard at University E.g.

Required
Academic Books and
Articles

Reports

Simple
Up to 500 to 1,000 words

Complex with proper

Organization
Up to 12,000 words

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Foundational English Knowledge

- Grammar, Punctuation, Vocabulary etc.
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Learning
Objectives
IT

Marketing

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Learning Strategy
Foundation
for all your
other
modules!

Human Resources

Entrepreneurship

Academic English for Undergraduate Study

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Writing

None or Little
Only text books

Research and
Additional Reading

Reading

University
>= 500 words
For many modules

Speaking

High School / A Levels

About 200 to 250 words
For English

Listening

Tasks
Essays

Academic English for

Undergraduate Study

English for Undergraduate Study

Taught over 1 academic year (2 academic
semesters)
Total 24 weeks of class (12 weeks each
semester)
Each week consists of 1 Lecture (2 Hours) and 1
tutorial (2 Hours)
Lecture: Learn how to acquire English skills
Tutorial: Review and practice English skills through
in-class assignments to actually acquire them
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Learning Strategy

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Learning Strategy

Semester 1
Listening

Speaking

Reading

Writing

Week 1

Week 5

Week 3

Week 8

Week 2

Week 6

Week 4

Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

Video Assessment: Week 7

Week 12

Examination: Week 13/14

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Attendance for all classes is

important!
English cannot be learnt by memorizing. It is
learnt through constant use and practice.
It can be difficult to learn English elsewhere
because everyone prefers to speak their local
language.
We want to provide you the environment to
practice and improve quickly.
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Assessment Details

Assessment Details

English for Undergraduate Study

4 Assessments (2 in 1st semester, 2 in 2nd
semester)
All assessments on an individual basis
1st semester

Module Grading Standards in the UK

1. Reading and Speaking Test (Week 7, 25%)

2. Written Unseen Exam (Week 13/14, 25%)

2nd

semester

3. Research Report and Presentation (Week 7, 25%)

4. Written Unseen Exam (Week 13/14, 25%)
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Range of
Marks

Grade

70 - 100

60 - 69

50 - 59

43 - 49
40 - 42

D
E

0 - 39

Remarks
Excellent: outstanding performance with only minor
errors
Very Good: above the average standard but with
some errors
Good: generally sound work with a number of
notable errors
Satisfactory: fair but with significant shortcomings
Sufficient: performance meets the minimum criteria
Fail: performance does not meet the minimum
criteria and considerable further work is required

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Assessment Details

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Any Questions?

More Information about the 1st

assessment will be provided in
Week 5.

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Lets get started with Lecture 1

But First Lets see some

examples of why good English is
Important!
An Introduction to Listening
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Why English is Important

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Why English is Important

Play Videos
English Teacher From India
Airplane pilot with communication problems
Ken Lee or Without you by Mariah Carey

What can we learn from these 3

videos?
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Why English is Important

Therefore

It is important for your career, salary

and future prospects.

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An Introduction to the 4
key English Skills

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4 Key English Skills

4 Key English Skills

Listening skills:

Reading skills:

God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we

can hear twice as much as we say.
Getting the key points
Understanding what and how
Getting the details
Includes: Note-taking - listening and writing
simultaneously (at the same time); Predicting what
will be said next; Answering questions asked
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I love books way more than movies. Movies tell you what to
think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for
yourself.
Karen Marie Moning

Getting the key points via skimming and scanning

Understanding what and how
Getting the details
Includes: The importance of context (Background),
predicting what will be written next, and guessing
the meaning of unknown words
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4 Key English Skills

4 Key English Skills

Speaking skills:

Writing skills:

It is your responsibility to ensure that people

understand what you say.
Speaking clearly, using the right Volume, Tone, and
Speed.
Understanding and speaking with Accents
Pronunciation and intonation
Includes: Making academic presentations to large
groups of strangers
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Either write something worth reading or do

something worth writing.
- Benjamin Franklin
General Essay planning and writing
Paraphrasing, Summary Writing and Academic
Essay and Report Writing
Includes: The use of linking devices (words and
phrases), Improving sentence structure, Improving
paragraph structure, Grammar and vocabulary
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Lecture 1 Coverage

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What is Hearing?

Difference between Listening and Hearing

Why Listening Skills are Important
Obstacles to Listening
How to be a better Listener

How do we hear a sound?

Sound waves enter our ear, causing the ear drum to
vibrate.
The vibrating ear drum causes other parts of the ear
to transmit electrical signals to the brain.
Our brain interprets these electrical signals as
sound.

Quiet now how many different sounds can

you identify?
Why were you not aware of these sounds
before?
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Lets do a listening experiment

Watch this video. Play video:
Indian Music Video Original

Because you were

listening to me!

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What was the song

about?

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Lets do a listening experiment

Hearing and Listening

Watch the same Music Video again. Play Video:

Hearing is a physical activity

You can listen to many different sounds at the same
time.
Everyone hears the same sounds.

Indian Music Video - With Lyrics

Was it different from

what you thought it
was? WHY?

Listening is a mental activity

You can only listen to 1 sound effectively at any
time.
You interpret what you are listening yourself.
Other people listening to the same sound may
interpret its meaning differently from you.

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Amazing Facts about our Ears

Listening and Leadership

You hear 4 X faster than other can talk.

All famous leaders are good speakers.

They are good speakers because they are first
Great Listeners.
Lets see how Great Listeners can listen, quickly
understand and respond skilfully to any question
or situation.
Play Video of a debate between 2 UK Prime
Ministers:

A skilled listener can listen, understand and respond

intelligently to any question. A vital life skill!

You continue to hear sounds, even when you are

sleeping!
Ears help to you hear and maintain balance.
Your ears are designed to dislodge ear wax out of
your ears naturally.

David Cameron vs Gordon Brown

Sources: http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbody/ears.html
http://www.turnittotheleft.com/educational/funFacts.pdf

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Listening and Education

If you cannot listen and

understand the situation
correctly, you will fail in any
social situation.

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If listening is such an important skill, are schools

teaching it?
NO. Listening is a language skill we use the most,
but is taught the least.

Skill
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing

Learned
1st
2nd
3rd
4th

Used
45%
35%
15%
9%

Taught
Least
Next least
Next most
most

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What Interrupts Listening?

What Interrupts Listening?

Physical obstacles E.g.

Mental obstacles E.g.

The speaker is speaking too softly or you are seated

too far away
There are physical barriers that prevent you from
listening
Your friends are speaking loudly next to you or there
is a lot of distracting noise
You are feeling unwell or uncomfortable

Remember: You can only listen and focus on 1

thing as any 1 time.

You are distracted and thinking of other issues

You disagree with the speaker and think only about
why he is wrong and how to argue back

Bad Attitude obstacles E.g.

You think that the class is boring and not worth your
time because you are weak in that subject or
assuming you know everything already (Arrogance)
You dont like the speaker or your classmates
Hearing only what you like (Selective listening)
Play videos, Only Hear The Good Stuff 1, 2 and 3

Play the recording, Simultaneous Talking

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How to be a Better Listener

How to be a Better Listener

Step 1: Get Ready to Listen

Step 2: Listen Actively

Stop talking (You and your friends)

Block out personal distractions and thoughts
Sit up and look attentive. Your body language will
signal to your mind to focus.

Be patient. Dont be quick to disagree jump to

conclusions.
Empathize. How does the speaker feel? Do not
interrupt before the speaker has finished speaking.
Listen for Content: The Big Idea, What and How
things work, The Details.
Listen for Feelings: The speakers voice (Loud or
Soft), tone (Angry, Sad, Excited, Happy..?) and speed
(Fast or Slow, Are there meaningful pauses?)
Look at the speakers body language (Face, hands)
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How to be a Better Listener

How to be a Better Listener

Step 2: Listen Actively

Step 3: Verify your

Understanding

Give feedback and support to the speaker

Show Interest: Sit up straight and look directly at the
speaker. Nod to show that you understand. Smile, laugh,
and let the speaker know that you are really listening.

Ask, Clarify and Paraphrase to

check whether you fully
understand what was said.
Sir, do you mean ?
Sir, am I correct to say that ?
Madam, can you explain
again?
Madam, can you provide an
example about what you just
taught ?

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Any Questions?
Social Business Skill:
You listen not only with your ears but also
with your face and body language.
If you want others to show interest in you,
first show interest in them.

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Listening Exercise 1: The Big Idea

Listening Exercise 1: The Big Idea

Watch this Video and listen for the Big Idea.

Discussion Points:

TED - St John on Success

Jot down notes and answer this question:

What leads to Success?

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Was everyone able to list down the 8 key factors

that lead to success?
How did some people listen more successfully than
other?
How can we listen and understand anything more
effectively?

To listen effectively, we also need to learn how to

listen and take good notes at the same time
(Week 2)
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Summary: Week 1 Lecture

What to Expect: Week 1 Tutorial

Listening is 1 out of 4 key language skills.

Listening effectively allows us to learn and think
more effectively.
Beware the 3 key barriers to good listening

Listening Comprehension exercises

Physical, Mental and Bad Attitude obstacles

Remember the 3 Steps to better listening

Listen to a series of audio recordings

To get used to listening to and understanding
different western English accents
To improve listening comprehension skills
Practice advanced IELTS Listening Exercises

Get Ready to Listen

Listen Actively
Verify your Understanding
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