Assessing listening

          

September 22nd, 2011 

Meanwhile travellers are waiting for their transportation they sit into the boarding room. Listen carefully to the hour for each flight departure and number of gate. At this point travellers need to pay much attention mostly when they at another country with a different language.

In an ESL classroom students require to learn how to listen and understand what is heard before he or she can speak. For that reason there are fundamental aspects to consider:

1. Model Listening.

a- Bottom-up processing which stands for the comprehension listener obtains from braking down information.

b- Top-down listening: in this process listener uses personal background knowledge of a specific situation to make sense what is heard.

         2.Approaches to Listening Assessment

A- Discrete point approach: listen information and carry it down to components, assess it separately

B- Integrative approach: Assess listener ability to use several components same time.  

C- Communicative approach: Assess listener ability to comprehend and use components in a specific context.

 Consideration in Designing Listening Task

A. Background Knowledge.Listener´s prior knowledge.

B. Test Content. Specification of the Test.

C. Texts. Convert script in oral material.

D. Vocabulary. List of words to understand a text.

E. Test Structure. The outset of the test.

F. Formats. Teach the situation then introduce it in the test.

G. Items Writing. Refer to formats and text to be included 
in a test. 

H. Timing. Length of the test includes pre-reading. 

I. Skill Contamination. Use of other language skills 
to answer question.