Information collection & exchange

Mr. Ngugui, the history teacher (mistake # 2, Mr. Ngugui teaches geography). I walk
s
(mistake # 3, the science laboratory is in another building). etc. 
In an exercise of this sort you should include approximately ten informational mistakes. Do not include 
grammatical mistakes in this exercise. Your only aim is to teach your students
s
Allow for the visibility of the sp
In real life situations, listeners can usually see the person or people speaking, and the visual clues offered 
by the speaker, such as facial expressions and gestures, help the listeners understand what is being said. 
The exceptions to this visibility come when using the phone or listening to the radio. If your students do not 
use English on t
b
sider sometimes using recordings as the basis of an exercise. (For further discussion on use of tapes, 
the section of this chapter which deals with resources for listening comprehension.) 
vide background clues 
es provide a framework and context for a spoken message. Your students
dents use them when they are listening to English. Your clues could be as simple as a picture of the 
ce or thing you are talking about. For instance if your exercise involves talking about travelling by bus, 

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is t
top of the bus and strapped down.") 
It m
are
stu
if they do not understand each and every word. Pictures and other background clues 
will provide a framework and help them listen globally to the whole message. Gradually, as they begin to 
rea
the
stand the whole 
essage just as they do in their native language. 
s help them 
nderstand, they will also help your students to retain any new words they may hear. 
s 
You would be doing your students a 
isservice if you only gave them exercises in which the listening passage had been cleaned up and no 
lon
students are asked to listen to the teacher and to complete a chart describing the sources of vitamins and 
the diseases caused by diets deficient in these vitamins. (See Figures 4.1 and 4.2.)