Forums

Listening is an important skill in my classes. I use it in every lesson from the course book and when something happens (live listening). Every Monday or Tuesday students listen to each other and this exercise makes them explain something that happened or about their weekend.
In 6th Primary I really like the listenings that Generalitat of Catalonia uploads to the web after Catalan students have done the test of basic competences. It's a good way to prepare my pupils for their next exam in May.

I think live listening is more important than recorded text if we want to maintain a more personal relationship with our students. It's much more flexible, freer, more personal.
Teacher can easily focus on students' needs and defects practicing something as many ways as they think it's necessary to be practiced.
It difficulty is to keep everybody's attention, especially with younger kids when focusing on individual problems and it requires a lot of time, but it's still worth it if we want children to feel successful after an English class.

I think live listening and recorded text are important every day in class. Young kids
and beginners have the oportunity to listen several people talking about the same topic, that really good for them. I use half and half and I can see my class happy with that.

I like to start my class asking my students about their day, how are they feeling today?, or if it is Monday I ask them how was their weekend? where did they go or do? they love to share their lives and find this activity very entretaining. I believe that live listening activities connect the teacher with his/her students.