This is the last point we are going to discuss regarding the way you can determine the main idea of a lecture or a talk. As you listen to a speech, it is possible to start to observe the pattern the speaker is following.
Different speakers have different speech patterns. The most common one however, is for the main point to be given first, in form of a topic
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sentence, and be followed by supporting sentences which act as examples, illustrations and expansion of the topic sentence. In some lectures or talks, the speaker may prefer to start with illustrations and supportive details and gradually move to the main point.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Turn to the CD in your study pack. Go to passage 1.4 titled NOT ALL CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CREATED EQUAL. As you listen to the lecture, put down the main ideas and insert two or more supporting details under each of the main ideas identified. Use your notes to determine the pattern used by the speaker to bring out the main ideas of the lecture. You may listen to the lecture as many times you want.
Cross-check your answer with mine after you have completed the exercise. Do not turn to the discussion until you have attempted the exercise. Remember, the exercise is not meant to test you. but to teach you. The more you try, the better you are. You learn by doing.
Have you completed the exercise?
If you have done so, you are ready to study the discussion with me as we go along in the next section. What do your notes look like?
Are they comparable to mine? Let's discuss the exercise together.
Can you find any main idea in the first paragraph of the lecture? No main idea of the lecture there. In fact, the first paragraphs are presented as stories to form the background to the real issue at stake. The story of Jennifer is meant to be an illustration, a preamble to the real issue, which is the inequality in the goals, philosophy, and beliefs of Charter schools.
Cross-check your notes with the ones I developed in the box.
Fig.1.3
Going by the notes in the box above, it is possible to identify the way the lecturer brought out the major ideas of the lecture.
By giving the main idea at the beginning of the paragraph:
By giving the main idea at the middle of the paragraph:
NOT ALL CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CREATED EQUAL Jennifer’s Story
Pulling J. out of school-not a usual parental concern-most discipline
Removing J. from school not the option
J., the teacher, parents and principal developed strategies to help J.
Parents withdraw children not so much because of academic demands but agreements over schools central beliefs or practices.
Autonomy of Charter Schools
Autonomy- common reason for founding charter schools
Have other diverse aspects they emphasise
Philosophy varies e.g. back to basics, experimental education, education for special needs, etc
Practices Vary
26 page narrative describing child's progress instead of a one -page summary with letter grades.
Know What you Believe
Select charter schools that agree with what you believe Starting Point
With the brochure which relates literature of the school
Visit the school
e.g. Beyond a charter school's central philosophy or mission, practices also vary.
e.g. Because the most common reason for founding a charter school is to gain autonomy... these schools are diverse as they are numerous.
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Although not done in this lecture, the main idea may be given at the end of the paragraph.
4.0 CONCLUSION
I know you have no doubt in your mind after the completion of this unit that listening for the main idea is an important activity that can assist you in your academic life. The more major points or ideas you are able to gather from lectures, the more focused you become in your study. The more irrelevances or rubbish you put down as notes from lectures or talks, the more tedious work you give yourself to do during study and revision time. Always insist on the main ideas or major points.
5.0 SUMMARY
This unit has taught you the following:
why you must listen for the main idea
how you can determine main ideas of a lecture or talk by noticing the way the speaker:
announces the main idea
draws attention to the main idea
repeats the main idea directly or indirectly and
introduces the main idea through different speech patterns.
You need to start from this day on to look for main ideas of any talk, speech or lecture you hear.
Passage 1.1
Listen to this passage on “Jennifer's Withdrawal from School was Avoided” and state words and expressions, which make the title to be related to the main idea of the lecture.
Jennifer's Withdrawal from School was Avoided
“I want to let you know that I am pulling Jennifer out of the academy”.
Mrs Nelson's announcement stunned me.
As a Charter School principal, I routinely dealt with parental concerns, most of them about discipline or grading policies. Withdrawal was not routine, however. I asked why they were taking this step.
“This school is simply too hard for her,” Mrs Nelson said. “Jennifer is reading books she barely understands, and the pace of the class is too fast. Because you only have one class in her grade, I don't see any
options.” It was true that we expected much of our students. Academic rigour was central to the school's mission. It also was true that our small size meant students had only one choice in any given subject.
But removing Jennifer was not the only option. I asked Mrs. Nelson a few more questions and suggested we meet with Jennifer and her teacher to develop strategies to help Jennifer succeed. Through this process, Jennifer began excelling and stayed in the academy.
Source: Focus on the Family( August, 1999).
Passage 1.2
As you listen to this passage write down words and expressions that the speaker used to draw attention to the main idea on the passage, also state the main idea of the passage.
Banking for Nigerian Markets
We, as Nigerians, have not made much progress so far in the integrated, market-oriented and democratic reconstruction of our post-colonial economy. What accounts for this rather distressing state of our nation is the following set of shortcomings in our received theory and practice of socio-economic policy.
First, we do not believe in the existence of, and necessity for, a national theory and practice of group and individual access to, and enjoyment of, broad-based economic power.
Second, we refuse, in the main, to acknowledge the historical and contemporary fact that our early and continued attempts at democracy and good governance in Nigeria have always been thrown out of gear by the persisting stranglehold which Western financial, or forex power has on the local availability and distribution of economic opportunities.
Third and last, we remain curiously blind to the fact that an integrated, market oriented and democratic Nigeria requires that we realign, in our own interest, the structures of our external economic relations to the convertible currency West and to the non-convertible currency South.
For this enables us to provide ourselves with the necessary and sufficient conditions for establishing an integrated, market-oriented and democratic polity within Nigeria.
Passage 1.3
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Listen to this speech by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. As you listen to the speech, state the main idea- in just one sentence.