Contents
• The Windowless Aircraft
• The Flow Hive
• Creativity in Language Learning
• The Seabin
UNIT 5
Creativity: Listening
Introduction
1. What challenges were these inventions designed to overcome?
Can you think of any really creative inventions in your lifetime?
2. Add the explanations below to the stages of the Invention Cycle.
• Develop unique ideas.
• Take action to bring ideas to fruition.
• Envision what doesn’t exist yet.
• Think of new solutions to an existing challenge.
Invention Cycle Imagina
tion
Crea tivity
Inno vation
Entr
epreneurship
Source: medium.com/costanoa-ventures/be-a-quilt-maker-not-a-puzzle-builder-2b90e0cfa685 How important do you think creativity is in inventing solutions to problems?
go to Language Bank Creativity
3. Watch the short video about a new type of plane and answer the questions.
youtu.be/afGL5GX6avs
• What is special about it?
• What challenges does it overcome?
• If you were a businessperson, would you invest in this innovative new plane?
Why / Why not?
Talking about processes
4. Look at the stages (a-j) of coming up with a new invention below.
Working alone, put them in a logical order. (There is more than one possible order) a. experiment with solutions
b. take time to think about solutions c. identify any mistakes/errors d. put the invention on the market e. test the invention out
f. identify a problem to solve g. collaborate with others h. build the invention i. correct any errors
j. seek advice from experts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
go to Language Bank Creativity
5. Now, work with a partner to compare your answers, using the expressions below to take turns describing the creative process.
• First, you …
• After that, you need to …
• Then you should probably …
• The next step is to …
• Next, it’s a good idea to …
• Once you’ve done that, you have to …
• When you want to … you can …
• You can’t … until you …
• A logical next step would be to …
• Finally, you’re ready to …
Listening 1
Vocabulary: All about bees
1. Use the terms in the box to label the pictures below.
a frame bees
a comb (made from wax)
a beekeeper a jar of honey a smoker
a cell an apiary a hive
2. Note down three challenges that beekeepers might face when harvesting honey.
1.
2.
3.
3. Your teacher will show you some images of the Australian invention,
the “Flow Hive”. Speculate how this invention might overcome the challenges you identified in 2.
Listening comprehension: The Flow Hive
Building listening skills
When you check your answers in this section, ask yourself “How did I get that information?” or “What words did I hear that led me to that answer?” If you had any incorrect answers, why did that happen? Did you find any parts difficult to follow or understand? How many times did you have to listen to get the information you needed?
4. You will watch a business pitch about a new type of beehive called the Flow Hive. Watch the first 40 seconds of the video. Who are the inventors?
A “pitch” is a type of presentation designed to persuade someone to buy or accept something.
Now watch the whole video and decide which of the following is not mentioned.
a. opinions from international bee experts b. the process of traditional honey harvesting c. the cost of the product
d. humans’ connection with bees e. a harvesting option for businesses f. reasons for inventing a new type of hive
5. Now listen again and answer the following questions.
1. What made Cedar and his dad Stuart decide to invent a new type of beehive?
2. What are two of the problems with traditional honey harvesting mentioned by Cedar?
3. Cedar thinks this invention is: (Circle one) a. unique
b. challenging
4. What are TWO advantages of the clear ends on the flow frames?
5. How much honey can you get from a full hive (box)?
6. How does the Flow Hive system affect the bees?
7. Who have they been testing prototypes with?
8. How long have they been working on the Flow Hive?
6. In your opinion, is the Flow Hive a creative invention? Using the language for talking about processes, describe the process Cedar and Stuart probably went through to create this invention. (e.g. First, they….)
Intensive listening: Paraphrases and ordering
7. Now listen to Cedar describing the Flow Hive process and put the paraphrased steps below in the right order. Listen as many times as you need to.
Listening for order
For this particular exercise:
• start by underlining the key verbs in each step, and brainstorming synonyms or paraphrases for them, to predict what you might hear;
• pay attention to words like “again” and “go/come/put back”, which usually indicate that these actions occur later in the process than others.
Flow Hive honey harvesting steps
The beekeeper puts the comb back into the initial position.
The beekeeper rotates the lever to separate the cells.
The bees load up the cells with honey.
The frame is made up of cells that are half-made.
The bees pack the cells full of honey again.
The bees finish off the comb using wax.
The honey pours down and out of the hive.
The bees seal the cells, ready for the honey to be gathered.
8. Use language for talking about processes to outline the above steps in the Flow Hive honey harvesting process.
go to Language Bank Creativity
Intensive listening: Attitudes
Listening for attitude
Listening assessment tasks often require you to listen for people’s attitudes. To do this, we need to listen to both a speaker’s choice of words and to the tone of their voice. It is also really helpful to know certain expressions which are commonly used to express various attitudes.
9. For each of the following groups of spoken expressions, identify which attitude is being expressed, and come up with one more expression.
Read the expressions aloud.
concern surprise
disagreement support
confusion excitement
Expressions Attitude
I’m in favour of it.
I can get behind this.
That’s a great idea.
I’m really worried about that.
It bothers me a little bit.
Should he be doing that?
I can’t wait for that.
Wow!
That’s so amazing!
I don’t know what you mean.
I’m going to need clarification.
I don’t get it.
I was totally shocked.
I can’t believe it.
That’s not what I expected.
That’s not how I’d put it.
Really? I’m not so sure.
That doesn’t work for me.
10. Listen to the beekeeping experts expressing their attitudes to the Flow Hive.
Identify which speaker says which of the following expressions.
1. Graham 2. Will 3. John 4. Dani 5. Michael
a. “very excited”
b. “mind-boggling”
c. “amazed and surprised”
d. “blows my mind”
e. “a revolution”
How would you describe their attitude to the Flow Hive? (e.g. amazement, dissatisfaction, surprise, contentment, etc.)
go to Language Bank Creativity
Test Practice: Multiple matching
Audio 5.1 Questions 1 – 5
According to the speakers, what comment does each expert make about the Flow Hive system?
Choose five answers from the box and write the correct letter, a-g, next to questions 1-5.
Comments
f. It’s an expensive but productive system.
g. It’s surprisingly uncomplicated.
h. It’s less time-consuming than traditional methods.
i. It’s easy to judge the right time to harvest.
j. It’s cheaper to set up than other hives.
k. It’s less likely to upset the bee hive.
l. It uses environmentally-friendly materials.
Experts
1. Geoff Franklin 2. Lucy McQueen 3. Alice Parker 4. Andy Kent 5. Diana Fraser
When you finish, compare your answers with a partner.
• How did you get the answers?
• What words did you hear that led you to those answers?
Speaking: The pitch
11. Your teacher will give you a scenario involving a common problem faced by students at university in Australia.
• With a partner, invent a physical item to solve that problem. (e.g. a machine, a device, a piece of clothing, etc.)
• Be as creative as you like – remember the Invention Cycle, and think outside the box.
(It does not have to be a perfect invention – just imaginative.)
• Fill in the blank table your teacher gives you or make notes in your notebook, giving details about your invention and how it works, following the example provided.
• When you are ready, pitch your invention to another pair.
Example scenario
You want to make friends in your class, but you’re too shy to talk to your classmates.
You need:
• An invention to help you introduce yourself.
Example invention for surviving university
Example invention name: Personal introduction stamp
Problem it solves: It helps you introduce yourself to people when you are too shy to talk to them.
How it works: • It’s a customised stamp with a greeting message and your details on it.
• When you want to introduce yourself to someone, rip off a piece of paper and stamp it with your message
• Hand the paper to the person
• Stand there and wait for them to respond to the message in person OR
• Walk away and wait for an email/message from them Advantages of this
invention: • You don’t have to speak to anyone first
• You’ll always know if they really want to speak to you
• No-one will be expecting it – it’s a good conversation-starter
12. Discuss with a partner, using expressions for attitude from exercise 11.
• Would this example invention solve the problem it’s designed to solve?
• How would you feel using it? How would you feel receiving an introduction stamp from someone?
• If you were a businessperson, would you invest in this invention?
13. Imagine your class is a group of business people looking for a new invention to invest in. Pitch your invention to another pair.
1. Set the scene for your audience.
2. Identify the problem you need to solve.
3. Tell them the features of your invention and how it will solve the problem.
4. Use language for talking about processes to describe how it works.
5. Point out the ways in which your invention is creative and innovative.
6. Invite them to ask questions and express their attitude towards your invention.
As a group of four, decide which pair’s invention to invest in, using language for showing attitude, and explain to the class why you chose that invention.
Listening 2
1. Which of the following pictures represent your experience of language learning?
2. What else do you do to help yourself learn English?
Is there anything you do which could be considered ‘creative’?
Webinar: Creativity in language learning
3. Your teacher will give you the webinar file and a time limit. Work with a partner.
• Throughout the webinar, you will be asked to make choices about which part to listen to next.
Make the choices with your partner so you are listening to the same parts at the same time.
• As you listen to the webinar, complete the worksheets on the following pages. You can listen as many times as you like.
• There are both listening and speaking
activities to complete. It’s best to discuss your answers with a partner or group.
• To build your listening skills, make notes in the box down the right-hand side of the page about how you listened.
• How did you get those answers?
(What words did you hear?)
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
Worksheet A: Music and language learning – Singing
Decoding: Listen to the introduction and fill in the gaps in the transcript.Notes on listening
• How did you get those answers?
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
Most people have favourite music . Listening to music , help
and bring us great joy.
Listening to songs in English . We can increase our
and improve .
What you actually singing those songs in English is far more effective at helping you learn the language . There are a great many benefits
, but today we’re just spoken English.
Comprehension: listen to the next part and make notes in the table.
Speech Production Speech Performance What it is
How singing helps
Listen to the recordings and note the differences you hear.
(Use your notes above to help you) Speaking:
Singing:
Lyrics – Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth The minor fall and the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Worksheet B: Music and language learning – Song writing
Decoding: Listen to the introduction. Some words are missingfrom this transcript. Try to add the missing words from the box first, then listen to confirm your answers.
Notes on listening
• How did you get those answers?
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
as of for along it one to your a and be have that Some you probably play an instrument, or learned as child.
You might like sing karaoke or sing to your favourite tunes.
But you ever considered writing own song? What about doing in English?
It’s widely believed writing a song is something you can only do if you are musician. In fact, song writing is often used a form of therapy, as it’s useful expressing emotions, communicating messages stimulating cognition. For the same reasons, song writing can be a valuable language learning tool. And you don’t need to a creative genius to do it.
Comprehension: Listen to the next part, and complete the flow-chart.
How to Write a Song Presenter’s choice Step 1 Choose a
examples:
Love
Step 2 What do you want to send?
examples:
Step 3 Decide on the of the song.
examples:
Step 4 Write down some Step 5 Think about the song’s
example: Verse 1,
verse purpose:
chorus purpose:
Step 6 Make the suggestions:
*sings into phone*
Discuss the questions with a partner.
• If you were going to write a song, what would be your theme and message? Why?
• What are three key phrases you would put in your song?
Worksheet C: Storytelling and language learning
Decoding: Listen to the introduction, and tick ( )the words you hear.
Notes on listening
• How did you get those answers?
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
fictitious improve narratives human true way acquire first verbal happened world show Comprehension: Listen to the next part and complete the notes using one word only in each space.
Storytelling A good story
• interesting make people care about your story
• needs a clear for the events
• usually has a which must be faced Language learning benefits
• improves grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation
• an opportunity to communicate something Digital stories
• a significant event in a person’s life (e.g. a
• recorded narrated story with accompanying
• can be used in the classroom or as a form of Mobile journalism
• usually involves making a using a mobile device
• investigates a theme, person or event, or addresses a
Choose a topic from those listed below, and tell your partner a story about it in less than 3 minutes. (Remember the “good story” tips from above.) Your partner needs to guess if the story is true or not.
• my journey to Australia
• an adventure with a friend
• an unusual study experience
• something crazy that happened to me in Australia
• a love story
• an unexpected visitor
Worksheet D: Games and language learning
Predicting: What are some possible benefits of playing games for language learning?
Notes on listening
• How did you get those answers?
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
Matching: Listen to the next part and match the games to what the speaker says about how they can help language learning.
a. You are motivated to learn more through enjoyment of the game.
b. Games help you practise reacting correctly in stressful situations.
c. Learning language through games can help with other mental abilities.
d. You can learn faster and remember more of what you have learned.
e. Games cater to individual learning needs in a private setting.
f. You take an active part in your learning process.
World of Warcraft Duolingo
Quizlet VR Chat
Classroom games
Australian education and training games
Choose your top three benefits of using games to help language learning. Then think of three drawbacks to learning through games.
Benefits Drawbacks
Do you think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?
Worksheet E: Advice for creative language learning
Recognising stress: Listen to the first part and underline which words are stressed.Notes on listening
• How did you get those answers?
• If you had anything incorrect, why did that happen?
• What was challenging?
It's a common assumption that creativity is all about artistic skills – music, writing or painting, for example. However, the reality is that we can be creative in any number of areas, given enough time, motivation and opportunities for collaboration. You can either incorporate your current passions into your language learning, or explore the world around you and seek out new passions.
Comprehension: Listen to the next part and answer the following questions.
What are the benefits of incorporating passions into language learning?
What two examples of passions/interests are given?
What typical examples of student weekend activities are given?
Why does the presenter mention the example of children?
What advice is given at the end of the presentation?
Make a plan for creative language learning.
My passion:
How to incorporate it into my language learning:
Functional language: Challenging popular ideas and assumptions
4. Read and listen to the extracts from the webinar. Identify 1. the idea or assumption that is being challenged in each one, and 2. the information which contradicts it.
a. You know, contrary to popular belief, anyone can sing.
b. It’s widely believed that writing a song is something you can only do if you are a musician. In fact, song writing is often used as a form of therapy for all kinds of people, as it’s useful for expressing emotions, communicating messages and stimulating cognition.
c. It’s often assumed that you need to be a creative writer or movie maker to tell a story, but in reality, you tell stories all the time.
d. There’s a common misconception that proper learning should be serious and solemn in nature. If you’re having fun then you’re not truly learning, right? Actually, quite the opposite is true.
e. It’s a common assumption that creativity is all about artistic skills – music, writing or painting, for example. However, the reality is that we can be creative in any number of areas, given enough time, motivation and opportunities for collaboration.
5. Underline the language used in each statement to present a contradiction to an assumption.
e.g. It’s often assumed that you need to be a creative writer or movie maker to tell a story, but in reality, you already tell stories all the time.
Working with a partner, restate the information in the statements below using the functional language from above.
• Many people say that taking care of the environment is hard, but it’s not.
• Some people believe that chocolate is bad for your health, but it can have some health benefits.
• I’ve heard that you need a lot of experience to get a good job, but I don’t think that’s true.
• Some people think that starting your own business is risky, but it doesn’t have to be.
• We think studying by ourselves is better for our grades, but collaboration is more effective for learning.
• We usually imagine that the design of our study space doesn’t matter, but a well- designed study space can foster creativity.
See AWAG Unit 6 for practice presenting information and making thesis statements.
6. Read about these commonly-held beliefs and their explanations
• With a partner, use the functional expressions you underlined in 3 and 4 to take turns making statements about the information below.
• Respond/react to the information using the language for expressing attitude from Listening 1. (e.g. surprise, excitement, disagreement, support, concern, confusion)
Food Before Swimming Eating shortly before swimming does not increase the risk of experiencing muscle cramps. There is a correlation between alcohol and drowning, however.
Sugar Makes Kids Hyper Nope, sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity. Several studies have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even for sensitive kids.
10% of Your Brain We don't only use only ten percent of our brains.
In reality, a small minority of neurons in the brain are actively firing at a given time, but the others have important functions, too.
Carrots Improve Vision This myth originated in World War 2. While carrots are healthy, they don't give you supervision. They can help people with vitamin A deficiency see better, though.
Blind Bats
Bats are not blind. While about 70 percent of bat species, mainly in the microbat family, use echolocation to navigate, all bat species have eyes and are capable of sight.
50-50 Coin Flip
A coin has a slightly higher chance of landing on the side that was facing up before the flip. Students at Stanford University recorded thousands of flips. The result? 49-50!
Source: geekwrapped.com/myth-infographic go to Language Bank Creativity
Speaking: Summarising ideas
7. Working alone, identify 3 assumptions or misconceptions you had about creativity before completing this Unit, and the facts you have learned which contradict them
My assumptions/misconceptions Facts
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
• Use the language for challenging assumptions explain to a partner what you have learned in this Unit.
• Respond to your partner’s explanations using language for expressing attitude from Listening 1.
Test practice: Notes completion
In the BE Listening test, there is a task where you have to listen to a lecture or student presentation and complete some notes. Listen and complete the test practice task below.
Be careful about spelling.
Audio 5.2 Questions 1-6
Complete the notes below. Write one word only for each answer.
The Seabin
Description:• An Australian invention, designed to clean the oceans – a kind of floating rubbish bin
• It is sustainable – it can run on 1. power.
How it works:
• The motor runs creating a current which pulls the rubbish in – mainly from the
• 2. of the ocean
• In the middle of the seabin, the seawater passes through a 3. , where rubbish is collected and trapped
• Next, a 4. pushes the clear water out of the bin at the bottom.
• With newer models, even microscopic 5. are collected as well.
• Finally, the 6. is removed and emptied manually so the process can start again.
Extensive listening
For listening homework this week, you’ll watch a short documentary about Australian movies and complete the tasks that accompany it.
go to LearningBase Creativity
Tapescripts
Introduction
Video: The windowless aircraft
Every year, 3.1 billion people fly around the world – to relax, to seal a deal, for adventure and for love – using 80 billion gallons of fuel, and producing over 705 million tonnes of CO2.
But what if you could enjoy the journey, not just the destination? If removing the windows could open your eyes more than ever before? Reducing weight and reducing cost...for you and for the manufacturer. Our technologies can help support the development of aircraft fuselage that are thinner, lighter and stronger, with wider seating for passengers,
lower fuel consumption, and reduced CO2 emissions. With live video streamed to vivid OLED displays offering seamless panoramic views, and entertainment, information and in-flight services at your fingertips, it's time to start your journey ... your way.
Listening 1
Video: The Flow Hive
Cedar: We have evolved alongside the honeybee in a symbiotic relationship. We care for them, they pollinate our crops, and of course, make lots of delicious honey. But getting the golden nectar has always been quite a task.
I just thought it was crazy to have to crack the hive open, pull the hive apart, stress out all the bees, and spend all day in the shed just to get your honey. And I thought,
"Hmm, there must be a better way." So, my dad and I got to work.
Stuart: And we’ve done it! Now you can simply turn a tap, and pure fresh honey flows right out of your hive. Delicious – ready for you to eat.
Dave: Oh, it’s amazing – it’s amazing! It’s honey on tap.
Cedar: For those that don't know, harvesting your honey used to be a real labour of love.
You had to protect yourself from stings, fire up a smoker to sedate the bees, crack the hive open, lift heavy boxes, pull out the frames, trying not to squash bees, brush them off the combs or use a leaf blower, transport the frames to a processing shed, cut the wax capping off, filter the honey and clean up all the mess. Then, the frames have to go back to the hives again.
Now, you don't need to do any of that. Turn a tap, sit back, and watch the honey pour out. It's pure, unprocessed, untouched, delicious honey, directly from the hive.
No mess, no fuss, no expensive equipment, and much more friendly for the bees. This is the first time in the world this has been possible. There is nothing else like it.
Gra: It really is a revolution. We can see into the hive, we can see when the honey’s ready, and we can take it away in such a gentle way. What a wonderful thing.
Cedar: The flow frames are designed with clear ends so you can easily check the hive is healthy and the colony is strong. We can watch all the girls turning nectar into honey and see when it's ready, and isolate individual combs, allowing you to taste all the different flavours of the seasons.
You can just harvest one frame and get 3kg of honey, or harvest more than 20kg per box. Being able to tap it off so easily means that when there is a good honey flow, you can keep up with the bees, and harvest a lot more honey.
So, how does it work? The flow frame consists of already partly-formed honeycomb cells. The bees complete the comb with their wax and fill the cells with honey, capping it off, ready for harvest. When you turn the handle, our patented split-cell technology creates channels inside the comb, allowing the honey to flow down and out of the hive, while the bees are undisturbed on the comb’s surface. Turn the tap again, which resets the comb into the original position and allows the bees to chew the wax back and fill it with honey again.
For the commercial beekeeper, the frames are built to accommodate a pneumatic system, which means you can flick a switch, and harvest your whole apiary at once.
We’ve been testing prototypes with beekeepers from around the world.
Will: I’ve spent hours taking honey out of hives. This system is just…. blows my mind.
John: I assure you, I was very excited too when it actually worked. You know, when I actually put the tubes in and watched the honey come out, I was sitting there going “What?”
Dani: I was completely amazed and surprised at the amount of honey that came out. It was easy to use, and there was very little disturbance to the whole hive.
Mich: It’s this over-simplistic idea of how a hive can work, and yet, you’ve actually accomplished that. That’s mind-boggling. It’s amazing.
Cedar: So we’ve been working on this for over a decade, and we’re so excited to bring it to the world.
Girl: Look at all those bees! Bees bees, buzz, buzz. Look, honey.
Video: Flow Hive honey harvesting
Cedar: So, how does it work? The flow frame consists of already partly-formed honeycomb cells. The bees complete the comb with their wax and fill the cells with honey, capping it off, ready for harvest. When you turn the handle, our patented split-cell technology creates channels inside the comb, allowing the honey to flow down and out of the hive, while the bees are undisturbed on the comb’s surface. Turn the tap again, which resets the comb into the original position and allows the bees to chew the wax back and fill it with honey again.
Video: Beekeepers’ opinions
Graham: It really is a revolution. We can see into the hive, we can see when the honey’s ready, and we can take it away in such a gentle way. What a wonderful thing.
Will: I’ve spent hours taking honey out of hives. This system is just…. blows my mind.
John: I assure you, I was very excited too when it actually worked. You know, when I actually put the tubes in and watched the honey come out, I was sitting there going
“What?”
Dani: I was completely amazed and surprised at the amount of honey that came out. It was easy to use, and there was very little disturbance to the whole hive.
Michael: It’s this over-simplistic idea of how a hive can work, and yet, you’ve actually accomplished that. That’s mind-boggling. It’s amazing.
Test Practice
Female: It’s been really interesting learning about the Flow Hive.
Male: Yeah, absolutely. It’s been particularly good to hear what the experts say about it.
Female: True. I watched an interview with beekeeping expert Geoff Franklin. He said that he’s never really minded how long it takes to collect honey the old-fashioned way, but what he really loves about the Flow Hive is how little disturbance it causes to the hive.
Male: He’s right – it’s a very gentle way to get honey. I was reading a review by a biologist – Lucy McQueen. She said that what really amazed her was the simplicity of the idea.
She really raved about it.
Female: Yeah, there are fewer steps now. Did you see that clip from Alice Parker?
Male: The agriculture lecturer? Yeah, she was a bit sceptical of the product at first – especially because it’s quite pricey.
Female: But she came out in favour of it in the end. Especially how efficient it is in terms of the volume of honey that you can get out of the hive.
Male: Yeah, it’s a good point, too – it’s really effective in that regard. I read an article by organic farmer Andy Kent – did you see that one?
Female: Oh yes – he was so enthusiastic about it.
Male: He was particularly taken with the clear frames – he said he’d never been able to actually see when the honey was ready before. It had always been guesswork.
Female: Diana Fraser was one expert I saw who was a bit worried about it.
Male: What’s her area of expertise?
Female: She’s a commercial beekeeper, and she said the idea of introducing plastic into her hives bothered her too much.
Male: So she didn’t get behind the idea?
Female: Not really. Although she admitted she thought saving hours of labour when collecting honey was probably worth giving it a go sometime in the future.
Listening 2
Webinar: Creativity and Language Learning
IntroductionHello and welcome to today’s webinar on creativity in language learning. Throughout the webinar, you’ll be asked to make choices about which part you want to listen to next. You’ll always have the option to return to the Main Menu to choose another path.
In this webinar, we’re going to cover creativity in language learning in three different areas – Music, Storytelling, and Games. There’s also a section which contains advice and suggestions for you to incorporate creativity into your language learning journey.
As you listen to the webinar, complete the tasks in your book. There’s also a column down the right-hand side of the page where you can make a note of any listening difficulties you
have – what was challenging? Why didn’t you catch what was said? Why did you have to go back and listen again?
Occasionally, you will be asked to pause the video and discuss your responses, or complete an activity, so it’s best to watch this webinar with a partner or a group.
OK, it’s time to click through to the main menu and make your first choice.
Music
It’s well established that music is a creative endeavour. What we’d like to explore today is how actively participating in singing or writing songs can actually improve your language learning skills. So which one would you like to start with? Singing? Or Song Writing?
Choose one now.
Worksheet A: Singing
Most people have favourite music that they listen to. Listening to music can relax us, help us regulate our emotions and bring us great joy.
Listening to songs in English can also help us learn – we can increase our understanding of the language and improve our vocabulary and grammatical awareness.
What you may not be aware of is that actually singing those songs in English is far more effective at helping you learn the language than simply listening to them. There are a great many benefits to singing in a foreign language, but today we’re just going to focus on improvements in spoken English.
When we talk about improving spoken English, we’re really looking at two things – speech production and speech performance. Speech production refers to the mechanics of speaking – how we move our mouths to form the sounds of the language, what we’re doing with our breath when we speak (for example, are we stopping it to make a “t” sound, or are we letting it go to make a “s” sound), and how words are connected together to form phrases or longer passages of speech.
Meanwhile, speech performance involves what we call paralinguistic features – so, these are things like the intonation of our voice (does it go up or down?), where we put stress when we’re speaking, our facial expressions, our body language and the emotion we put into our words (like, are we angry, sad, full of excitement, etc).
Singing helps us with speech production because when we sing, we must be very conscious of our breathing, and the way our mouths are moving to produce the sounds. It’s difficult to sing if you hardly move your mouth and don’t regulate how you breathe. We also
need to be aware of the features of connected speech when we sing, because if you don’t connect the words, your singing can sound very choppy and unmusical.
Singing also helps us with speech performance.
Through the rhythm of a song, we can get a feel for where to put the stress when we speak.
Through the rise and fall of a melody, we can experience using our voice to go up and down.
We can express our emotions, practise using our facial expressions to convey meaning, and if you’re really getting into it, you can use gestures or dance moves to complement the lyrical message.
Now pause the video for a moment and check over your Worksheet A notes with a partner.
Welcome back.
You know, contrary to popular belief, anyone can sing. Singing is not limited to something only “talented” people should do. It’s not a question of whether or not you sound like a rock star – singing is about expressing yourself as a human being. And everyone has the ability and the right to do that.
Now, it’s time to listen to what I’m talking about.
See the two audio files? These belong to the same student, who was struggling with his pronunciation. He recorded himself reading aloud song lyrics – first speaking them, and then singing them. You can see the lyrics in your text book. Listen now to him speaking the song lyrics, and then to him singing the song lyrics. Make note of any differences in terms of speech production or speech performance, and discuss what you hear with a partner.
Fun bonus activity to do at home – record yourself speaking song lyrics, then record yourself singing them, to hear the difference.
Worksheet B: Song writing
Some of you probably play an instrument, or learned one as a child. You might like to sing karaoke or sing along to your favourite tunes.
But have you ever considered writing your own song? What about doing it in English?
It’s widely believed that writing a song is something you can only do if you are a musician. In fact, song writing is often used as a form of therapy for all kinds of people, as it’s useful for expressing emotions, communicating messages and stimulating cognition. For the same reasons, song writing can be a valuable language learning tool. And you don’t need to be a creative genius to do it.
Let’s look at one way of writing a song. (Of course, there are lots of ways of doing it, but this is a good one for beginners.)
Often a song writer will start with a theme they want to explore. Some common song themes include romantic love, friendship, having fun, breaking up with a partner, going on a journey, making a fresh start and freedom. As an example, I’m going to choose the theme of LOVE.
Then, once the song writer has a theme, they consider the message they want to send with their song. If, for example, the theme of my song is LOVE, then I might want to send the message “You are special to me” or “You are a beautiful person” or “Love is an amazing feeling” or “All you need is love”… Where have I heard that before? This message – whatever it is – becomes the focus of the song’s lyrics. Let’s go with “You are special to me” for our song.
So, then the song writer needs to work out the mood or the tone of the song. Is it going to be a happy song, or an angry song? If we’re writing a love song with the message “You are special to me”, then our mood could be soft and gentle or upbeat and fun. I’m thinking upbeat and fun for ours.
Now it’s time to start writing down some key phrases that you would want to incorporate into the song somehow. A song writer might not use all of them in the final song, but they just help get the creative juices flowing. If our Love song with the message “You are special to
me” is upbeat and fun, we might note down key phrases like “You’re my oxygen” or “I can’t live without you” or “Always on my mind” or “You’re a diamond guiding me in the darkness” … you know, phrases that convey the message, and help us to set the mood.
Once you have some key phrases, it’s time to put them all together. In this step, the song writer considers the structure of the song.
A typical short song structure goes Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus (finish). The Verses contain the “story” of the song, and the Chorus contains the overall message. So, in our love song, I might use Verse 1 to talk about when we first met and how I felt about it. Then my Chorus has most of my key phrases – “You’re my oxygen, I can’t live without you, always on my mind, you’re a diamond guiding me in the darkness”, etc. Then in Verse 2, I might talk about our future together and how much I’m looking forward to it…continuing the story of our love. Then, back to the Chorus to repeat the message.
So this brings us to the final stage of writing a song – the music. Of course, some song writers start with the music, but if you’re not a confident musician, that can be tricky. So, how do you do the music part? The best advice is simply to try it out. Sing your lyrics to any tune that comes into your head, and see what you like. Record it into your phone, because it can be hard to remember. So, something like this:
*Sings* “You’re my oxygen, I can’t live without you, always on my mind, you’re a diamond guiding me in the darkness….” Hm, that’s good.
Should I become a song writer? Nah, that’s crazy, right?
Anyway, that’s one way to write a song. Now it’s time to compare your Worksheet B notes with a partner and consider this: How could this process help you with learning English?
When you’ve finished checking your notes, discuss the questions in exercise 3 – if you were going to write a song in English, what theme and message would you choose, and why? Can you think of two or three key phrases that you would put into your song to convey that message?
Worksheet C: Storytelling
Everyone’s got a story to tell. Listening to and delivering narratives are two of the most fundamental aspects of every human society, and studies show that telling a story is one of the first skills that young children acquire when they start to explore using verbal language.
Telling stories – whether they are true stories about things that happened to you, stories about world events, or completely fictitious adventures – is an excellent creative way to improve your language skills.
So, what makes a good story? Well, first of all, you want people to listen to the story, so you have to establish characters that are interesting and that we should care about. The second most important aspect of a good story is having a logical sequence in which the events of the story take place. You know…. an obvious beginning, middle and end. And stories can be boring if nothing difficult ever happens to the people in them. So some sort of challenge is necessary for the people in the story to defeat and come out the other side of.
There are many benefits for language learners to practising telling stories. When you tell a story, you have to pay attention to your grammar and vocabulary to make sure you are being clear about what exactly happened.
When you write a story down, spelling is very important so that you are accurately expressing yourself, and when you tell a story aloud, your pronunciation helps convey the story clearly.
But there are other benefits to learning how to tell a good story. Language learning is all about communication, and a story is your chance to convey an event, idea or feeling that is meaningful to you.
It’s often assumed that you need to be a creative writer or movie maker to tell a story, but in reality, you tell stories all the time.
When you talk about your day or your life to your friends, family or your teacher, for example. So what are some of the other ways we can tell stories?
Digital stories are a way of talking about something really significant which has happened in our life. For example, you might make a digital story about your wedding. You would talk about the lead up to it, the event itself, and any problems that occurred which you had to overcome. A digital story is a short – about 2-3 minutes – voice recording of you telling the story. You would usually write a script for yourself and then practise it, like a presentation, before recording it. Then you would choose appropriate images to represent the different parts of the story and put them with the sound recording. Digital storytelling is often used in the classroom to help students improve their language skills. It can also be used as a kind of therapy for people who are suffering from depression or trauma.
Mobile journalism is another way to tell a story.
You can use your mobile device – usually a phone – to record and edit a documentary. It’s a good way to get other people involved in your storytelling. You would usually explore a topic that is close to you or your community.
You could base it on a theme – like “Food in Australia” – or a person – maybe your parent or friend – or an event taking place locally. You could even pose a question and try to answer it during the course of the story.
So, you see, there are many ways to tell a story. Now it’s time to check your answers to Worksheet C with a partner, then look at activity number 3 and tell each other a story.
Worksheet D: Games
When we talk about games in this section of the webinar, we’re looking at games you can play online, apps on your device, or games you might play in the classroom. Before you start, pause the video and brainstorm with a partner four possible benefits of playing games to help language learning. Go on, pause. I’ll wait.
The idea of “learning” a language no longer focuses on rote memorisation.
That’s rote – R-O-T-E, meaning mechanical repetition. These days in language learning, we focus on acquiring the skills necessary for communication. If you’ve ever played something like World of Warcraft, you’ll know that responding appropriately in a variety of circumstances, often under pressure, is a key feature of the game. And this is exactly what is involved in communication.
There’s a common misconception that proper learning should be serious and solemn in nature. If you’re having fun then you’re not truly learning, right? Actually, quite the opposite is true. Learning through games can be highly effective because it’s fun, not in spite of the fun.
Apps like Duolingo work on this basis – the idea that when you’re really into playing a game, that element of enjoyable competitiveness works as a catalyst to get you practising the language more frequently.
If you’ve ever used a vocabulary app like Quizlet to store and practise vocabulary, you’ve been acquiring language through becoming a participant in your own learning. Games are designed to engage us in the action. When
it comes to games designed specifically for language learning, the “action” is different ways of interacting with the language.
There are also online spaces like VR Chat which are beneficial for language learning. Game- based spaces like this provide a personalised way to learn the language without any fear of making mistakes with the language in public.
You can refine your skills with pronunciation, spelling, grammar and functional phrases… all at your own pace in your own time, in the setting of an immersive virtual reality game world.
So what about the role of games in the classroom? Research conducted in 2003 by the Asian EFL Journal investigated the effectiveness of game-based education methods on students when learning a new language. It was observed by the teachers that the students actually seemed to learn at an increased pace and retain more of the information gained through playing games, compared to learning through rote methods.
Games are used extensively in Australia for education and training purposes. When playing a game, our brains are highly stimulated. We simultaneously learn the lesson, and improve on other useful cognitive skills such as problem solving, memory and focus.
So, now it’s time to check your Worksheet D tasks with a partner. First of all, check if I mentioned any of the points you made in the brainstorm. Then check the matching task.
After you finish checking together, discuss the questions at the bottom of Worksheet D.
Worksheet E: Advice
It’s a common assumption that creativity is all about artistic skills – music, writing or painting, for example. However, the reality is that we can be creative in any number of areas, given enough time, motivation and opportunities for collaboration. You can either incorporate your current passions into your language learning, or explore the world around you and seek out new passions.
Whatever your passions or interests are, finding ways to incorporate them into your language learning process will lead to four main benefits:
increase your motivation, expose you to more examples of language use in real life, lead to more opportunities to produce the language, and encourage creative thinking.
Maybe you’re into gardening, for instance – you can practise your listening skills through tuning in to a gardening podcast, or increase your language output by starting a gardening club. If you love makeup, you can watch makeup tutorials online to hear the language you need, or record your own to practise your productive skills.
But what do you do if you don’t have a passion or a pastime? Typically, if I ask one of my students what they did on the weekend, they would answer shopping, sleeping or – because I’m the teacher – they might say studying. But I bet there’s more going on in their minds than just a desire to sleep, shop or study. I mean, what are they talking about with their friends?
What are they checking out on their phones?
How do we find something that we’re really into that we can use to help learn English?
Well, when it comes to passion and creativity and enjoyment of life, most of us could learn a lot from children. Remember back when you were a kid? You would just do things. You never thought to yourself, “I must seek a passion!”
You just ran around the playground. You built sand castles and asked silly questions and played chasey or dress-ups... Nobody told you to do it, you just did it. You were led merely by your curiosity and excitement. You tried out everything, and you kept doing the things you liked and stopped doing the things you didn’t like.
And that’s the whole point. Life is all about not knowing what’s going to happen or if you’ll enjoy something, and then trying it anyway.
That’s how we grow and develop and “find” our passions. And ultimately, that’s how we succeed as language learners. So go out there and explore something new. Try doing something you’ve never done before. Once you find things you love doing, get creative and use them to help you learn English.
It’s time to check your answers to Worksheet E with your partner. Then look at activity
number 3 and make a plan with a partner for how you’re going to get creative with your language learning.
Good luck.
Functional language
One – You know, contrary to popular belief, anyone can sing.
Two – It’s widely believed that writing a song is something you can only do if you are a musician. In fact, song writing is often used as a form of therapy for all kinds of people, as it’s useful for expressing emotions, communicating messages and stimulating cognition.
Three – It’s often assumed that you need to be a creative writer or movie maker to tell a story, but in reality, you already tell stories all the time.
Four – There’s a common misconception that proper learning should be serious and solemn in nature. If you’re having fun then you’re not truly learning, right? Actually, quite the opposite is true.
Five – It’s a common assumption that creativity is all about artistic skills – music, writing or painting, for example. However, the reality is that we can be creative in any number of areas, given enough time, motivation and opportunities for collaboration.
Test practice
So, our group chose to research some
inventions that are good for the environment.
I’m going to tell you about the Seabin, a really creative invention, and it’s Australian. The whole idea came from wanting to clean up the oceans.
Apparently, the inventors just asked themselves
“You can have a bin on land – why not in the water?” So, the Seabin is like a floating bin in the water. And the great thing is that it’s sustainable in terms of how it runs. What I mean by that is that it can be powered by solar energy. That’s a real bonus, I think, in terms of it being environmentally-friendly.
Here’s how it works. First of all, once the Seabin is connected, and its motor is running, it creates a kind of suction current. That draws in any trash that’s floating around on or near the surface, which, by the way, is where most ocean rubbish accumulates.
Next, in the central section of the Seabin, the water passes through a filter which catches all the debris from it. Once that’s done, the
rubbish can’t escape from the bin because it gets trapped there. Then, there’s a pump which forces the sea water through and down, out the bottom of the bin, where it comes out clear and clean.
It’s simple, but effective. Now, that’s what happens to large pieces of rubbish like bottles, but you might be wondering about how
effectively it deals with something microscopic, so tiny that it can’t be seen with the naked eye?
Well, I read that in some of the more recent Seabin models, even these tiny plastics are caught at this stage in the process.
Then, for the final step in the process, someone just has to take out the basket where all the waste has collected, and empty it out, and for the moment this bit is done by hand. Then, the seabin is ready to go back into the water and be used again. It’s a really innovative device.
