I had to do some research on an interesting academic article related to foreign language teaching in another class. I chose to report on a recent study showing that podcasts are a great way for language learners to practice listening comprehension, as well as have an insight into the target culture they are studying.
The study was conducted in New Zealand, where a group of college-aged German learners were asked to use podcasts to practice listening comprehension over a semester. The researchers discovered that the students really liked using video and audio content for exposure to German, both because of the entertainment value of the content (they could consume whatever content they wanted), and because the language was authentic, rather than dumbed down. To give the activity an extra lift, the students were required to blog about their podcasts, and answer each other’s blog posts. Having to write about the podcasts ensured that the students were listening intently and re-listening when needed.
I am really enthused about putting this activity into practice in my own classroom when the time comes.
The study was conducted in New Zealand, where a group of college-aged German learners were asked to use podcasts to practice listening comprehension over a semester. The researchers discovered that the students really liked using video and audio content for exposure to German, both because of the entertainment value of the content (they could consume whatever content they wanted), and because the language was authentic, rather than dumbed down. To give the activity an extra lift, the students were required to blog about their podcasts, and answer each other’s blog posts. Having to write about the podcasts ensured that the students were listening intently and re-listening when needed.
I am really enthused about putting this activity into practice in my own classroom when the time comes.