{"id":21737,"date":"2024-07-22T05:29:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T13:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=21737"},"modified":"2024-07-22T05:29:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T13:29:47","slug":"ej110m2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tesl-ej.org\/wordpress\/issues\/volume28\/ej110\/ej110m2\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Listenwise for Listening Comprehension in the Language Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

August 2024 – Volume 28, Number 2<\/h3>\n

https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55593\/ej.27110m2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Title<\/strong><\/td>\nListenwise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Author<\/strong><\/td>\nMonica Brady-Myerov<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Contact Information<\/strong><\/td>\nTel: (617) 282- 6101
\nFor information: info@listenwise.com
\nFor Technical Support: https:\/\/support.listenwise.com\/hc\/en-us\/requests\/new<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Type of Product<\/strong><\/td>\nPodcast-based website for listening according to grade-level standards of excellence. The standards provide language and literacy support.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Platform<\/strong><\/td>\nListenwise<\/em> is supported by Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Cookies need to be allowed in the browser for Listenwise to function properly. Listenwise is accessible on tablets\/iPads and smartphones via web browsers. It does not have a separate mobile application.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Minimum hardware requirements<\/strong><\/td>\nIn case of using Microsoft web browsers, Internet Explorer 9 or above is required. Listenwise can be accessed without headphones. However, individual or collective use should determine the need for headphones.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Supplementary software<\/strong><\/td>\nNo additional plugins are required.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price<\/strong><\/td>\nApart from the free version, there is a premium version, which comes with student accounts: $299 for a single subject, or $399 for all subjects. However, a quote needs to be requested to buy it either per head, per teacher or according to the number of students in a school. The district package is the most economical, in which schools can get an LTI sign-on with Schoology, Canvas, and other LMS systems.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

English Language Learners\u2019 listening comprehension skills need to be well-developed in order to understand oral messages (\u00d6zt\u00fcrk & Tekin, 2019). Listening provides learners with meaningful input that translates over time into effective spoken output (\u00d6zt\u00fcrk & Tekin, 2019; Waring, 2010). Traditional approach to listening skill development in class typically relies on an audio recordings, followed by a comprehension exercise designed by the teacher. This method of listening instruction follows the one-size-fits-all approach that overlooks learner differentiation. Fortunately, digital learning products make it possible to cater to differentiation as well as allow student autonomy to choose relevant digital options based on their learning preferences, (Lazokat, 2022), such as using transcripts, vocabulary and other forms of support. Furthermore, using digital resources for listening is likely to make learning more interesting and flexible (Masykuri, 2022). Additionally, the use of digital media may increase student engagement with the content, which can facilitate comprehension (Kusuma et al., 2021; Masykuri, 2022).<\/p>\n

This media review aims to introduce Listenwise, a website-based listening comprehension platform that offers audio podcasts and stories in English and Spanish from different subject areas. It delivers relevant and age-appropriate content in the form of interviews and conversations with two or more speakers, along with opportunities for listening practice to meet the needs for real-world communication. Above all, Listenwise caters to differentiated abilities in listening by offering a variety of audio selections based on audio lexical level, length of the audio, alignment with the Common Core Standards, and grade level.<\/p>\n

General Description<\/h3>\n

Listenwise is predominantly free with multimodal lessons for elementary to high school learners. The content has been specially curated in the English language from public radio and podcast excerpts, covering different subjects and various topics.<\/p>\n

Features<\/h4>\n

Listenwise categorizes content into English Language Arts, English as a Second Language, English Language Development, Science, and Social Studies. Content is also curated thematically into \u201ccollections\u201d that structure different podcasts around a theme. Four such collections are illustrated in Figure 1. However, this is a premium feature that enables teachers and gives students the autonomy to select material based on interest.
\n\"Collections\"
\nFigure 1. Collections <\/strong><\/p>\n

Content is searchable by browsing through subject-based categories, thematically compiled collections, chronologically organized content in current events, or standard-aligned lessons. Additionally, there is an option to search and filter content by topic.<\/p>\n

Listenwise is compatible with learning management systems like Google Classroom, Canvas, Clever,<\/em> and Schoology<\/em>. Teachers can import their Google Classroom<\/em> student list or create a class manually. If a Google Classroom<\/em> list is imported, students get added automatically to the class. Alternatively, the class can be created manually, and students can enter the class by signing up with a code provided by the website.<\/p>\n

Assignments include cloze listening exercises as well as open-ended comprehension questions in increasing level of challenge. Additionally, questions for verbal discussion in class are provided for deeper inquiry and discussion. They are based on the theme of the audio. The creation and publishing of questions follow four simple steps, as shown in Figure 2. Teachers can assign the same assignment to the whole class or create level-based differentiation. They can preview, set the date and time for it to be available to students, and specify the completion date before publishing it.<\/p>\n

\"Steps
\nFigure 2. Steps to Creating an Assignment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Affordances for Teachers<\/h4>\n

Listenwise provides careful deliberation and selection of level-appropriate content in several ways. Content can be selected according to the Lexile audio measure, which indicates the audio complexity of the podcast, based on grammar, vocabulary and speech rate. Every podcast has a Lexile audio level measure setting (between 0L \u2013 2000L), which can be used to assign and identify podcasts with low, medium, or high listening level (MetaMetrics, 2023). Moreover, teachers can select the story length and grade level.<\/p>\n

\"Lexile
\nFigure 3. Lexile Audio Measure, Story Length and Grade Level<\/strong><\/p>\n

The product also provides a premium feature to measure students\u2019 individual audio Lexile levels. Teachers can narrow their search for lessons by specific grade and selected standards.<\/p>\n

Teachers have access to a teacher\u2019s guide with a comprehensive lesson framework, as shown in Figure 4, which makes lesson planning time-efficient. The lesson comes with content objectives, language objectives and key concepts, which follow the presentation-practice-production (PPP) framework (Wang, 2022).<\/p>\n

A short video in the pre-listening stage is paired with the audio recording in the practice stage and follows the top-down processing approach through lead-in activities (Scrivener, 2011; Wang, 2022). Teachers can vary the support while assigning the audio recording and comprehension exercise, as shown in Figure 4.<\/p>\n

They can allow transcripts to be downloadable for students who may need additional support. They can also choose whether to assign the audio to be played once or more than once and whether to provide access to supportive vocabulary and graphic organizers that help students organize ideas and use them in writing-based exercise that follows.<\/p>\n

\"Varying
\nFigure 4. Varying the Level of Challenge in Quiz<\/strong><\/p>\n

The comprehension questions accompanying the audio may range from cloze test to open-ended questions. Teachers have the flexibility to adjust the number of questions, reword them or even remove the given questions and add their own. Listening exercises could be assigned individually or in groups for students in class to negotiate answers through engaging social interaction. Additionally, there are post-listening questions for discussion.<\/p>\n

The product also provides scoring for assessments aligned with the audio recording. Unlike cloze tests and multiple-choice quizzes, open-ended written responses provide room for a variety of responses and cannot be auto-assessed. They need to be scored manually by teachers.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, teachers can view aggregate data and monitor student progress, as shown in Figure 5.<\/p>\n

\"Class-wise
\nFigure 5. Class-wise Progress Monitoring<\/strong><\/p>\n

Teachers can also see students\u2019 detailed reports based on their achievement in different listening sub-skills.<\/p>\n

Most of these affordances come with the premium version, as detailed in Figure 6, although teachers can access them for a 30-day trial period to assess them.<\/p>\n

\"Features
\nFigure 6. Features of a Premium Lesson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scaffolding for Students<\/h4>\n

Listenwise gives students the freedom to learn at their own pace, whether in class or beyond class time and space. Moreover, they can listen to the audio in English or Spanish. Another noteworthy support is the interactive transcript highlighting the text as it is played in the audio. Students can also highlight portions of the text to have it read aloud or click on words to get a definition, picture dictionary, or Spanish translation. It also allows students to choose the pace of the audio and the number of times they can listen to it for different purposes, such as listening for an overview versus listening for details.<\/p>\n

The lessons provide a paired video as a before-listening activity that helps to activate students\u2019 prior knowledge and build connections with the topic. The video plays picture-in-picture with subtitles in English or Spanish based on students\u2019 language selection.<\/p>\n

The lesson consists of a listening guide, vocabulary assistance, video analysis, discussion guide and tiered vocabulary in order of difficulty, as shown in Figure 7. It requires students\u2019 information literacy sub-skills, such as critical thinking and operational knowledge to locate and use needed information in specific domains and contexts (Koltay, 2011).<\/p>\n

\"Scaffolding\"
\nFigure 7. Scaffolding <\/strong><\/p>\n

Students can also take the listening challenge, as shown in Figure 8, and receive instant feedback through auto-generated scores.<\/p>\n

\"Listening
\nFigure 8. Listening Self-Assessment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product Evaluation<\/h3>\n

The evaluation of Listenwise uses the language task engagement facilitators framework proposed by Egbert and Roe (n.d.):<\/p>\n