Listening Strategies
  • Prediction

    • Prediction

    Listening Strategy
    A listening strategy is a conscious action a listener does to better understand what he or she is listening to. In other words, it is a choice the listener makes to improve comprehension. One strategy for listening is predicting what information will follow.

    Objectives

    1. Explain the listening strategy of prediction
    2. Connect background knowledge to topic to predict content
    3. Use predictions to identify organizational patterns

    Introduction to Predictions

    When you hear the word prediction, it may bring to your mind ideas of fortune-tellers and psychics who inform people of the future. Prediction as a listening strategy is similar in that you use the information you have to create an expectation for what you will hear next. In this way, the strategy is more similar to someone explaining the weather forecast in the news. The weather person looks at the information provided from satellites, radars, reports from nearby areas, and historical patterns. Using this information, we are able to generate an expectation for what the weather will be during the week. Prediction requires an understanding of what has been said (content) and the way it has been said (organization).


    Predicting Using Content

    You can often predict when you are listening based on an understanding of the information you have. When you begin listening, you should be able to quickly identify the topic and most often the main idea will be clear from the start as well. Based on that topic and main idea, you can use your background knowledge to guess what will be said next. Background knowledge is the information you know about the topic and main idea regardless of the language you learned it in. Your own experience will help you know what details the speaker will probably include while you listen.

    Returning to the example of the weather report, the listener would know to expect to hear numbers that represent the temperature, a description of the sky, and information about possible rain, wind, snow or other weather patterns. Because these are details often included in a weather report, the listener is prepared to hear that information as soon as it is clear the topic is weather.

    We would have a similar thought process if the speaker were to begin talking to us about organic food. Your lived experience will immediately connect to this topic. You might have the words

    expensive, healthy, non-genetically modified, farming,

    sustainable, or

    farmers market

     as predictors of what the speaker might talk about. You could use these related vocabulary words to create a mental map of the directions the conversation might go. 


    Based on your experience, you can even predict that the speaker will be sharing his or her opinion about organic food rather than providing a definition. 

    Practice

    Let's look at some more examples and predict the direction of the conversation based on content. Make a list of words you connect with this topic and make a guess on how it will be presented:

    Example 1

    Language Learning

    Example 2

    Rainforest Conservation

    Example 3

    Video games

    CLICK TO SEE THE ANSWERS

    Here are some examples of word lists and predictions you could have made:

    Example 1

    Language Learning: vocabulary, speaking, listening, writing, reading, grammar, strategies, native speaker, culture, tools, practice, suggestions or advice for learning, opinion about why you should learn a language, which language to learn

    Example 2

    Rainforest Conservation: deforestation, farming, oxygen, trees, companies, economy, global warming, opinion on different efforts, examples of projects, explain impacts, 

    Example 3

    Video games: computer, systems, graphics, addictions, social impacts, hand-eye coordination, single player, multiplayer, popular, opinion on pros or cons, explain a new game or system, explain how ot play a game

    Predicting Using Organization

    Predicting based on organization can be extremely helpful. Continuing with the previous example, you could use the content information to recognize why the speaker is talking about this subject. For example,

    Do you buy organic food? I know it's usually more expensive, but I think it's much healthier.

    If someone begins a conversation with you like this, you would know that the purpose is to share an opinion. The speaker is comparing organic foods with the alternatives and giving clear signals with "much healthier" that there is a preference. Once you identify that the purpose is to share an opinion, you would know to listen for reasons and examples for why organic food is better. 

    The first few sentences of a conversation or presentation will help you to predict and prepare for what comes next. If you are taking notes, it would be easier to make a decision about how to organize what you write. If you are participating in the conversation, you would know if you are expected to be part of the conversation by sharing your opinion about the different points or just by expressing understanding.

    Practice

    Let's look at a few more examples and predict the direction of the conversation based on main ideas and organization:

    Example 1

    Person A: Did you see that new superhero movie?

    Person B: No, I haven't yet.

    Example 2

    Person A: I'm considering quitting my job to try a new career.

    Example 3

    Person A: Today we will be learning about the water cycle.

    CLICK TO SEE THE ANSWERS

    Here are some examples of how to use main ideas to predict the organization:

    Example 1

    This response to the main idea question could have two types of responses. Person A may have already seen the movie and respond with his or her opinion of it. The other possible reaction is that Person A hasn't seen the movie either. The speakers may compare what they've heard about the movie, make plans to see it, or change topics. 

    Example 2

    Person A will probably provide reasons for this big life change. There will probably be some reasons for why he or she is quitting the current job, and there will also likely be reasons for the new career path.

    Example 3

    This main idea looks like an explanatory lecture type listening situation. Cycle gives the idea of a process, so the organization will explain different stages or steps in that cycle. 

    Exercise 1: Listen

    Watch the first 45 seconds of this video. Then predict what the speaker will say in the remainder of the video. Use organizational cues, purpose, background knowledge, and other clues to make your guess.

    After you have written your predictions, watch the rest of the video and see if your guess was accurate.


    Exercise 2: And Then...

    1. One partner will begin speaking on a topic while the other listens.
    2. At a random point, the speaker will stop and say, "and then..."
    3. The listening partner now becomes the speaker and will continue the topic in a logical way.

    Exercise 3: Video Predictions

    1. Your teacher will show you the first part of a video.
    2. Using your understanding of content and organization, create a prediction with your group about what the remainder of the video will include.
    3. Watch the rest of the video and compare with your prediction.

    This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

    Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/advanced_mid_listening__speaking/prediction.