Learning Circles and listening skills

If you are a regular listener to the BBC World Service, you will know that there is a great variety of programmes which are specially designed to make learning English both fun and interesting. However, listening alone can sometimes be frustrating because you may not understand everything you hear. This is where being a member of a Learning Circle can help.

When we hear an interesting programme, we usually tell someone about it. If the person we speak to has also heard the programme, then we have a real opportunity to share our views and have a satisfying discussion.

By including listening and discussion activities in your Learning Circle, you can help make listening more interesting and really make the most of the range of programmes which the BBC World Service has to offer.

5TOP TIPS

LEARNING CIRCLE LISTENING ACTIVITIES

1. Listen together When a subject is complex, it is very useful to listen more than once and to compare what you have understood with other people.Try to make Listening Together a feature of your Learning Circle. Choose a BBC World Service programme which will be broadcast before your next meeting. One member of the Learning Circle should agree to record the programme. At the next meeting, before you start to listen, discuss what you think the programme will talk about.After listening once, tell each other what you understood – were your predictions right? If there are any disagreements, play some sections of the programme again to check who was right.
2. Group discussions Many BBC World Service programmes can form the basis for interesting discussions. Choose a BBC World Service programme which everyone must listen to before the next meeting.Two group members summarise the information in the programme then provide discussion questions, e.g. Do you agree with the ideas expressed? Are they relevant to your town/country? How are issues like this dealt with in your area?
3. Radio dictation Most of the time, we do not need to understand every word we hear – getting the main idea is enough. However, this activity can help you identify every word and practise English grammar at the same time. Choose and record a very short extract from a radio programme (the news headlines are ideal!). Everyone in the group should listen once and write down as much as they can remember of each headline.Then compare what you have written with other members of the group. Listen again to try to fill any spaces.Try to work together to reconstruct the extract, without playing it again. Finally, play the extract to compare it with your finished version of the text.
   
4. Listening to build your vocabulary Many BBC World Service programmes introduce useful vocabulary but, when you listen alone, you may not have time to make a note of all of the new words. Use your Learning Circle to gather new words. Listen together to a programme which you have chosen.While you listen, make a note of 3 or 4 new words and their meaning.When the programme finishes, compare the words you have noted with the other members of the group. If you have chosen the same words, make sure that you all agree on the meaning and the spelling. If you have chosen different words, explain their meaning to others in the group.
5. Guessing what happens next When we listen to a story, we always try to work out what will happen to the characters.Try to use BBC World Service short stories to practise this type of prediction. Choose and record a short story to listen to in your Learning Circle. Stop the recording at an interesting or exciting stage in the story.Then discuss what you think will happen next – try to make a note of all of the different possible endings to the story. Finally, listen to the end of the story.Were any of your ideas similar to the real ending?