What if the way we test English is fundamentally broken? In this Research Bites episode, Cooper leads a provocative discussion of Suresh Canagarajah's 2006 paper "Changing Communicative Needs, Revised Assessment Objectives: Testing English as an International Language."
The TOEIC claims to test "international" communication—so why does it only include American, Canadian, British, and Australian speakers? Where's Indian English, Nigerian English, Singaporean English? Cooper, Ash, and Andrej explore how standardized tests reinforce outdated norms and fail to measure what actually matters: the ability to code-switch between different English varieties and negotiate meaning across diverse speech communities.
KEY MOMENTS:
RESEARCH: Canagarajah, S. (2006). Changing communicative needs, revised assessment objectives: Testing English as an international language. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(3), 229-242.
HOSTS: Andrej, Ash, and Cooper
Perfect for language teachers questioning standardized tests and TESOL professionals interested in World Englishes. 14 minutes.
📧 Email: jaltlisteningpodcast at the gmail.com
#LanguageTesting #WorldEnglishes #TOEIC #TESOL #LanguageAssessment #AppliedLinguistics #JALT
Join Michael Rost for Part 2 of our deep dive into student-driven listening instruction that prioritizes meaningful engagement over traditional comprehension testing. Discover his complete 7-step framework that transforms passive listeners into active participants who shape their own learning experience.
Building on his Peace Corps teaching experience in West Africa - where he had no textbooks and created oral narratives with student-written "textbooks" - Michael shares practical strategies that put student choice at the center of listening lessons. Learn why the phrase "this is a listening lesson, not a test" can revolutionize classroom dynamics and how the simple "three stars" activity shifts focus from what teachers want students to notice to what genuinely interests learners.
Host highlights include:
Key topics: Student-chosen listening materials, safe learning environments free from test anxiety, deliberate practice as lesson closure, Peace Corps teaching philosophy, neurological foundations of engagement-based learning
Ready to shift from testing to teaching? We've outlined Rost's complete 7-step procedure in our blog post at https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/ - your guide to building student-driven listening experiences.
The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! releases new episodes monthly. Subscribe to stay current with listening research and student-centered teaching methods.
Teaching listening skills effectively requires understanding both language learning research and practical classroom listening activities. In this first part of our two-part JALT podcast series, we interview Michael Rost, the leading expert in second language listening comprehension and author of the newly released fourth edition of "Teaching and Researching Listening."
Join Ash and Naheen (JALT Listening SIG President) as they explore Rost's key insights on engagement as the cornerstone of listening proficiency. Cooper contributes research on "materially engaged listening" and immediately applies Rost's timing advice to his own teaching, while Andrej shares his experience with dialect acquisition through listening practice and advocates for teacher action research. Discover why narrow listening works, learn about optimal listening clip lengths (90 seconds to 3 minutes), and understand how working memory affects ESL listening practice in your classroom.
Timestamps:
Resources Mentioned:
Perfect for language teaching methodology enthusiasts, university instructors, and anyone interested in research-based listening activities for Japanese language teaching contexts.
#JALTpodcast #ListeningSkills #LanguageLearning #ESL #TESOL #ListeningResearch #MichaelRost
AI and music technology are transforming language learning listening practice. In this Research Bites episode, Ash explores groundbreaking research on using artificial intelligence to improve second language listening comprehension through music-based applications.
Discover how the Lyricstraining Application uses AI to help students fill in missing lyrics while listening to music videos, creating an engaging alternative to traditional listening exercises. Research shows 44% of students improved one full level, with another 44% advancing two levels using this innovative approach.
Andrej provides insights on why song lyrics are so challenging, sharing how he can understand 90% of Spanish conversation but gets completely lost with Spanish songs—even in Disney's Encanto! He also connects this research to the effectiveness of dictation and close activities for listening training. Cooper shares his hilarious failure with Journey's "Open Arms" in a Japanese university classroom, while all three hosts discuss practical classroom applications and how music's unique pronunciation challenges can strengthen real-world listening skills.
Perfect for language teachers seeking research-backed digital tools and innovative listening activities.
[00:00:40] AI applications for listening education - yay or nay?
[00:03:31] Lyricstraining Application explained
[00:05:00] Research results: 88% of students improved 1-2 levels
[00:06:18] Why song lyrics are so difficult to understand
[00:08:20] Transfer to real-world listening scenarios
[00:12:21] Close activities and dictation effectiveness
[00:15:22] Cooper's "Open Arms" teaching disaster
Episode Length: 17:40 Featured Research: Erazo, B. G. Q., Cuello, A. K. J., Jiménez, M. L. C., & Pérez, S. L. A. (2024) - "Artificial Intelligence as a digital tool to improve Listening Skills in English as Foreign Language" - Sinergias Educativas, 9(3)
Subscribe to The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! for more research-driven insights on language teaching methodology.
In this packed episode, Cooper sits down with Dr. Hayo Reinders to explore cutting-edge listening research and teacher leadership. From pronunciation struggles to profound insights, this conversation covers AI-powered listening tools, engagement measurement, and how teachers can become collaborative leaders.
Key Timestamps:
Featuring thoughtful commentary from Ash and Andrej on listening anxiety, AI's role in education, and transferring classroom skills to leadership roles.
Ever wondered why finding good listening research feels like searching for a needle in a haystack? This Research Bites episode delivers the shocking academic proof you've been waiting for!
Andrej takes us through a groundbreaking bibliometric study by Lei, Deng, & Liu that finally quantifies just how overlooked listening research really is in second language education. The numbers will surprise you—and explain why we keep saying listening is the "most overlooked" language skill.
Our hosts explore a fascinating deep-dive into 73 years of academic publishing, comparing listening research to the other language skills, and revealing some eye-opening statistics about conference presentations. You'll discover why this research gap exists, what it means for language teachers and researchers, and how you can help fill the void.
Perfect for language educators seeking evidence-based listening instruction, researchers looking for publication opportunities, and anyone curious about the academic landscape of language learning. Plus, exciting announcements about the TESOL New Ways in Teaching Active Listening book project and the upcoming JALT Listening SIG conference!
📚 Key Takeaways:
The first solid numbers proving listening research is understudied
What bibliometric analysis reveals about academic publishing trends
How teachers can contribute to closing the research gap
Upcoming opportunities to share your innovative listening practices
🎯 Perfect for: Language teachers, academic researchers, graduate students, curriculum developers, and anyone passionate about evidence-based listening instruction.
📧 Got a study for us to bite into? Email us at jaltlisteningpodcast@gmail.com
Chapter Timestamps:
[00:08] Introduction - What Research Bites is all about
[04:11] Bibliometric Analysis of L2 Listening Research - The shocking methodology and findings
[08:12] Comparing Research Volume Across Language Skills - How listening stacks up against reading, writing, and speaking
[12:27] Gaps in Listening Research and Future Directions - What this means for teachers and researchers
[15:19] Closing - Wrap-up and ways to get involved
#LanguageTeaching #ListeningSkills #AcademicResearch #JALT #ESL #LanguageLearning #TESOL #SecondLanguageAcquisition
In this episode of Hear Us Out, Cooper interviews Dr. Ryuko Kubota, a renowned researcher from the University of British Columbia, who challenges us to rethink what 'good English' really means. The team explores the fascinating world of World Englishes and why exposing students to diverse varieties of English isn't just beneficial—it's essential. Dr. Kubota shares insights from her latest projects, including a compelling documentary and animated series that bring scholarly research out of academia and into the hands of teachers and students. Through stories and examples, she illustrates how our perceptions of English speakers shape both teaching and learning, and why embracing linguistic diversity makes us all better listeners. Whether you're a language educator or just curious about how English is evolving globally, this episode offers fresh perspectives on making language learning more inclusive and effective.
Timestamps: [00:00:00] Opening [00:01:11] Show Introduction & Theme [00:04:07] Interview Begins with Dr. Kubota [00:04:53] Dr. Kubota's Background at UBC [00:06:46] World Englishes Documentary Project [00:08:09] Knowledge Mobilization and Public Scholarship [00:11:31] Defining World Englishes and the Three Circles [00:13:50] Race, Racism and Anti-Racism in Language Education Book [00:19:16] "Your English is So Good" Research Project [00:24:19] Dr. Kubota's Message About Listening to Diverse Englishes [00:25:42] Host Discussion Begins [00:27:27] Teaching Different Varieties of English [00:30:21] Decolonization Context in Language Teaching [00:34:09] Experiences from English Language Schools in Japan [00:40:00] Knowledge Mobilization and the Ivory Tower [00:42:00] Resources and Materials from Dr. Kubota [00:44:04] Show Outro
Resources mentioned:
Got limited time to teach listening skills? This Research Bites episode dives into Yenkimaleki and Van Heuven’s 2016 study, revealing why segmentals may matter more than suprasegmentals for boosting listening comprehension. Join Andrej, Ash, and Cooper to discover how these findings could shape your listening classes.
In this episode of Hear Us Out, Ash interviews Alistair Grant Marr, co-founder of ABAX textbooks and a passionate advocate for teaching suprasegmentals in language classrooms. The team dives into the often-overlooked "Cinderella skill" of listening, exploring practical strategies for incorporating stress, rhythm, and intonation into lessons. Discover why repetition and "little islands of perfection" can transform how students approach listening and build their language proficiency. Whether you're an educator or a language learner, this episode offers fresh insights into bridging the gap between discrimination and comprehension in listening pedagogy.
In this episode of Research Bites, Ash takes the lead to share key findings from a 2021 study by Kao and Kuo on diagnosing listening difficulties in second-language learners. Andrej and Cooper join Ash to discuss the five biggest struggles students face during listening tasks, including quickly forgetting what they’ve heard, not recognizing familiar words, and struggling to grasp meaning.
The trio explores practical ways to help students, such as replaying key sections, highlighting keywords, and simplifying the focus of listening tasks. They also dive into how these strategies work in classrooms and brainstorm what teachers can do when students lack visualization skills. Tune in to hear thoughtful takes, actionable advice, and a bit of humor as they discuss making listening less stressful and more effective for learners.
In this episode of Hear Us Out, we try something new! Andrej shares a recorded interview with Alex Sheffrin, an English instructor at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, who discusses innovative listening and pronunciation activities from his classes, like dubbing video clips, creating ads, and understanding sarcasm in English. Back in the studio, Andrej, Ash, and Cooper listen in, chiming in with their own thoughts—and Cooper’s surprised to find out they have an interview to react to!
Across this 40-minute episode, the hosts explore how these creative tasks help students develop real-world listening skills, such as identifying tone and humor. They debate the challenges of teaching sarcasm in Japan, share insights on word stress and intonation, and talk about how these activities could be adapted for language classrooms in Japan and beyond.
Does reading before listening boost comprehension and enjoyment? In this episode, we dive into Dr. Michael Alan Essex's study exploring how reading before listening affects student comprehension, difficulty perception, and engagement with beginner-level texts. In their discussion about this article, Cooper, Ash, and Andrej examine how pre-listening reading might reduce anxiety and make listening tasks less stressful and more enjoyable for language learners. Tune in for research-backed insights and practical classroom strategies to enhance your students' listening experience!
The JALT Listening Podcast reboots as the new hosts interview one another about their backgrounds in education, audio production, and listening research. Cooper, Ash, and Andrej discuss their shared passion for using podcasts as tools for extensive listening practice and language learning. They explore intriguing topics like predictive language processing, teaching students how to make podcasts, and why learners should listen to content beyond their current comprehension level.
In this episode, Diep Tran describes her storytelling on her podcast "The Sun and the Moon". Diep talks to us about the aims of the podcast, using bilingual story-telling, and how the resource can help children in language learning.
In this episode, Stuart McLean describes how to research listening using different vocabulary methods and provides us with some ideas to help measure learners' listening comprehension in our own classrooms.
Stuart McLean is interested in vocabulary and comprehension (reading or listening) research. He is currently making online self-marking form-recall and meaning-recall (orthographic and phonological) vocabulary levels tests. Teachers can download automatically marked responses actually typed responses, and the time taken to complete responses (vocableveltest.org).
Email: stumc93@gmail.com
See https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=yL_1NxsAAAA
Marc Jones reviews the latest article written by Satori (2021) on the Effects of working memory on L2 linguistic knowledge and L2 listening comprehension https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/applied-psycholinguistics/article/abs/effects-of-working-memory-on-l2-linguistic-knowledge-and-l2-listening-comprehension/0A43B75106FDED1C311C68F797BBB6AC
Marc currently work teaching English courses at Toyo University's Faculty of Global Studies in the Department of Global Innovation Studies. He holds a MA and MRes from University of Portsmouth. His interests are teaching listening and task-based language teaching. He uses quasi-experiments, questionnaires, and interviews, duoethnography and narrative enquiry. His current project is on vowel perception and acquisition for Listening in a second language.
Marc Jones reviews the latest article written by Wallace & Lee 2020 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01122/full#h3
Marc currently work teaching English courses at Toyo University's Faculty of Global Studies in the Department of Global Innovation Studies. He holds a MA and MRes from University of Portsmouth. His interests are teaching listening and task-based language teaching. He uses quasi-experiments, questionnaires, and interviews, duoethnography and narrative enquiry. His current project is on vowel perception and acquisition for Listening in a second language.
Marc Jones talks about the ins and outs of top-down listening.
Marc currently work teaching English courses at Toyo University's Faculty of Global Studies in the Department of Global Innovation Studies. He holds a MA and MRes from University of Portsmouth. His interests are teaching listening and task-based language teaching. He uses quasi-experiments, questionnaires, and interviews, duoethnography and narrative enquiry. His current project is on vowel perception and acquisition for Listening in a second language.
In this episode, Richard Ingham describes how he made his own Podcast for learners to listen to in the classroom and provides us with some helpful hints of how to make your own
Biography:
Richard Thomas Ingham is a Cambridge DELTA-qualified teacher working for the British Council at a private university in Japan. His research interests include extensive listening, podcasting, and academic writing. He has published papers related to podcasting in The Language Teacher (JALT) and ELT Journal (Oxford Academic Publishing). He can be contacted at: richard.ingham@britishcouncil.or.jp
Marc Jones talks about the ins and outs of bottom-up listening.
Marc currently work teaching English courses at Toyo University's Faculty of Global Studies in the Department of Global Innovation Studies. He holds a MA and MRes from University of Portsmouth. His interests are teaching listening and task-based language teaching. He uses quasi-experiments, questionnaires, and interviews, duoethnography and narrative enquiry. His current project is on vowel perception and acquisition for Listening in a second language.