Randall’s ESL cyber listening lab
Randall’s ESL cyber listening lab is a free listening website for English learners, from basic to advanced level.
An evaluation of this language tool is available.
| Type: | Listening practice, Tutorial |
| Added on: | 07/05/2012 |
| Language: | English |
| Target: | Teenagers, adults |
| Requires additional equipment: | Internet browser, Media player |
| Availability: | Free of charge |
| Where to find: | http://www.esl-lab.com |
Evaluation
Short description
The site provides an ample choice of listening activities and navigation within the various sections is quite easy. It offers different types of listening activities like conversations, listening quizzes, etc.
The general listening section is divided into three different levels (easy – medium – difficult) and deals with functional language skills and everyday conversations and topics.
Furthermore, learners find listening quizzes for academic purposes, which offer topics of academic nature that might help students preparing for their jobs/ profession and TOEFL or similar tests. Additionally, one can find vocabulary lessons/activities which help the learners to build their skills in preparation for the listening activities.
Usage in the language-class
The site was mainly designed for self-access learning where learners engage in the listening activities on their own. However, the site can definitely also be used in the language classroom, e.g. when teachers ask their students to complete certain exercises as a means of supplementing their classroom activities. Furthermore, the pre-listening and post-listening activities contain various open questions for brainstorming and discussion. This could also be done in a classroom setting, in groupwork or in pairwork. Students can engage in different conversational activities to apply what they already know or expect about the topic or what they have learned / heard in the listening activity.
The website is also ideal for independent learning in between face-to-face sessions. Teachers can ask their students to do the prelistening activity and the listening activity itself at home (including vocabulary work). They can then further work on the topic in a face-to-face session and discuss the questions in the post listening or follow- up activities in class. This website can also be used as a round up/ revision of a topic that was worked on in class. Or teachers can tell their students to do one of the online investigations.
This website also contains handouts that can be used to help teachers and students keep track of their learning on this site. Teachers are welcome to copy and distribute these materials for personal or classroom use.
Name and contact-information of the evaluator
Reidl Petra petra.reidl@vhs.at
Please download the full evaluation of the tool here: Randalls_ESL_cyber_listening_lab.pdf
"(c) 05/02/2011 - Disclaimer - Copyright
European Union National Institutes for Culture"
"This website has been funded with support from the European Commission. "
This website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
