Meaning-Focused Input: Making the Most of the Reading and Listening Content of VOICES 

In-Service Training Materials

Introduction: This blog contains content, activities, and support material for the Teacher Development In-Service Training Day at Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano on November 21, 2025. CLICK HERE to access the presentation slides. 

Session Goals: 

• Understand the importance of meaning-focused input (MFI) in second language learning and its role in the instructional design of the Voices series.

• Connect key theoretical principles (MFI, interactive processing, and cognitive load management) with practical implications for planning receptive skills activities with the Pre-While-Post cycle.

• Explore a variety of activity options for each stage of the PWP cycle for reading, listening, and video activities. 

• Develop and share an outline for a receptive skills activity sequence following the PWP framework and justify your design choices. 

Guiding Questions: 

• What is MFI and how does it support students' language development?

• Where can we find opportunities for students to engage in MFI within the Voices unit cycle?

• How can we develop an effective and practical pedagogical sequence using the receptive skills materials in the Voices books?

Table of Contents

Click the links below to access the section of the blog you would like to see.

• Warm Up: Case Study Analysis

• Theory Input: Key Concepts in Receptive Skills Instruction

• Exploring PWP: Activity Options for Designing Instruction

• Hands-on: Develop your Lesson Outline

• Wrap Up: Session Takeaways

• References

Warm Up: Case Study Analysis

Click your assigned link below and follow the instructions in the document. 

• Case 1 - Jimena's Reading Lesson
• Case 2 - María's Listening Lesson
• Case 3 - Luis' Reading Lesson
• Case 4 - Francisco's Listening Lesson

Theory Input: Key Concepts in Receptive Skills Instruction

What is Meaning-Focused Input (MFI)?

MFI is "learning through listening and reading where the learner's attention is on the ideas and messages conveyed by the language" (Nation & Newton, 2009, p. 1). 

Where can we Find MFI in the Voices Unit Cycle?

MFI has a promenent place in the unit design of voices: 

• Intro: Nat Geo Explorer Video
• A: Reading and Critical Thinking Skills
• B: Grammar Point 1 through Listening or Reading
• C: Listening Skill and Grammar Point 2
• D: My Voice Video
• E: Reading for Writing

How does MFI Support Language Development?

• Comprehensible Input: "We acquire ... only when we understand language that contains structure that is 'a little beyond' where we are now" (Krashen, 1982, p. 21). "The type of input that learners need for acquisition is meaning-based or communicative in nature. It must be language to which learners are supposed to respond for its meaning" (Wong & VanPatten, 2008, p. 409).

• Develop Receptive Skills: (Voices A, C)
• Introduce New Language in Context: (Voices A, B, C)
• Model Appropriate Discourse: (Voices D, E)
• Build Schema & Promote Engagement: (Voices A, B, C, D, E)
• Stimulate Language Production: (Voices, A, B, C, D, E)

How do Learners Process Input?

In contrast to speaking and writing, which are productive skills, reading and listening are receptive skills. They are also sometimes erroneously referred to as passive skills, but this represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the complex mental processes involved in interpreting written and spoken input. What are these mental processes? Learners make use of both linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge in order to accurately process the meaning of messages they hear or read (Buck, 2001). The combination of bottom-up and top-down processing is known as interactive processing (Hegelsen, 2003).

• Bottom-Up Processing: We build understanding of what we read and hear by combining letters and sounds to form words, words to form phrases, phrases to form sentences, etc. In other words, we use our knowledge of the language to make sense of the input. 

• Top-Down Processing:We build understanding of what we read and hear by using background knowledge (schema) or assumptions about the situation or context, cultural information, purpose of the text, and others.

• Interactive Processing: In practice, input is understood through a combination of both kinds of processing. When contextual knowledge is limited, more information needs to be gathered from bottom-up processes. When top-down knowledge is greater, lesson focus on decoding the language in the input is needed to successfully anticipate and confirm the speaker or writer's message. Effective MFI instruction should account for and support both kinds of processing. 

What Makes L2 Listening and Reading Difficult?

A key concept in receptive skills instruction is the topic of cognitive load. One of the challenges of second language listening is that students’ cognitive processing capacities can easily become overwhelmed by factors such as speed, complexity, length, and accent of the recording, lack of sufficient context, as well as the nature of the tasks they are asked to complete. The Centre for Educational Statistics and Evaluation (2017) summarizes the work of Sweller (2010) on Cognitive Load Theory, which describes processing limitations of working memory.

• Intrinsic Load: This is the inherent processing difficulty of a particular concept to be learned or task to be completed by students. We can’t change the difficulty of a listening passage, but we can SIMPLIFY the intrinsic load by breaking the audio into discreet, more easily digestible chunks with specific processing tasks for each one.

• Extraneous Load: This is the unnecessary processing difficulties caused by the way information is presented to students that distracts their focus during the listening task. We can REDUCE the extraneous load by creating simple, easy to follow instructions for listening tasks and by ensuring that students understand what information they need to extract from the passage before they listen.  

• Germane Load: This is the optimal level of challenge or cognitive effort needed to learn a concept or make sense of a text. The idea of listening instruction is not to eliminate all effort required of students but to ENHANCE the germane cognitive load through the careful design of support materials and listening tasks that promote effective processing of the passage.

• Effective receptive skills instruction is cognitive load management. 

Exploring PWP: Activity Options for Designing Instruction

Pre-Reading-Listening-Watching: 

The purpose of these activities is to activate or build contextual knowledge needed to apply top-down strategies, clarify or “pre-teach” essential unfamiliar terms from the text to aid their bottom-up processing, and generate a personal connection with the topic and motivation to engage with the text in the next stage. The majority of a reading or listening lesson should involve students engaged in processing the text, so keep the Pre stage brief!

Vocabulary Practice: Clarify essential vocabulary from the text through a variety of activities. Keep this section short and avoid the temptation to teach every unknown word or you risk removing all the challenge. 

 

Dialect or Accent: Voices includes regional varieties of English as well as plenty of L2 English users with distinct accents. Identify a potentially challenging pronunciation feature and play a small clip as a preview to help students "calibrate their ears" before they listen to the full audio.

• Example: Notice how Federico pronounces the words in bold. Is it similar to how a native Spanish speaker might pronounce them? Why or why not?

• My health / and stay healthy / but when you add the hot water

Open-ended Q's: Activate background knowledge and stimulate a personal connection.

• Example: Discuss the questions with a partner. 

• When you travel, what do you usually do to stay healthy?
• Have you ever ignored your body's signals (like hunger, thirst, or tiredness)? What happened?
• What is the hottest or coldest place you've ever been? How did you take care of yourself there?

Agree / Disagree: Activate background knowledge and stimulate a personal connection. 

• Example: Read each statement. Decide if you agree, disagree, or it depends. Then tell your partner why. 

• I'm usually very healthy. 
• You should always force yourself to eat at mealtimes, even if you are busy. 
• Kids are easier to take care of than adults.
• Exercise has to be hard to be effective.
• People often forget to take care of themselves when they're working. 

Analyze an Image: Activate background knowledge and stimulate a personal connection. 

• Example: Look at the images and discuss the questions. Give reasons for your answers.

Rank / Classify: Have students rank or classify a list of items related to the theme of the text.

• Example: Rank the following habits from most important to least important for staying healthy while traveling or working long hours. 

• Drinking enough water
• Sleeping well
• Eating regularly
• Protecting yourself from the sun
• Taking breaks
• Exercising

Predicting and Previewing: Explore students' associations with the topic and help them predict both language and content they are likely to encounter. 

• Variation 1 - Words from Topic: We are going to hear a man describe what he does to stay healthy at work. Write words or phrases related to the topic that you predict you might hear in the audio. Write them in Spanish if you don't know the English word and we will translate them together. 

• Variation 2 - Topic from Words: Here are some phrases you will hear in the audio. What do you associate with them? What images come to your mind? What do you think the audio will be about? 

• Heatstroke, IV drip, staying healthy while traveling, magic drink, exercise habits; snakes, bears, crocodiles and spiders!

Digital Tools to Enhance Engagement: Anyone of the above strategies, and many others, can be made more engaging with the use of digital tools that promote collaboration, self-expression, and interaction. 

• Example 1 - Mentimeter: CLICK HERE

• Example 2 - Genial.ly: CLICK HERE for a schema activation activity.

• Example 3 - Genial.ly: CLICK HERE for a vocabulary building activity. 

 

While-Reading-Listening-Watching: 

The purpose of these activities is to help students make sense of the text by giving them specific tasks to complete. This achieves several purposes. First, the tasks provide a purpose for reading or listening. If students know what they need to get from the text, you and they will know if they are successful. Second, it guides students to help them focus on important ideas and supports their processing of potentially challenging content. Finally, the tasks should require the students to read or listen to the text multiple times but for a different reason each time. These repeated interactions help students construct an adequate understanding of the text.

Listening Outlines: (LISTENING) Students need support to process lengthy audio and video content and one way to do that is to divide the content into more manageable segments, each with their own processing tasks. 

• Example: CLICK HERE to see a listening outline developed for Voices Book 3, Unit 9, Lesson C. Part 1 Audio: CLICK HERE, Part 2 - Audio: CLICK HERE. 

• Recommended Flow: 

• Whole Class Preparation: Teacher and students read instructions for tasks in segment one. 
• Individual Listening and Response: Teacher plays the segment and students complete the tasks alone.
• Collaborative Sharing: Students compare and discuss their responses with a partner.
• While Class Checking: The teacher elicits responses from the class and determines whether a second playthough is necessary.

You are an English language teaching assistant helping me design a Listening Outline based on the transcript I will provide. The outline is for use during the WHILE-LISTENING stage of a lesson. Its purpose is to guide students’ comprehension by promoting active, meaningful processing, not by testing recall. Using the transcript I provide, create a draft of a Listening Outline as follows: 1. Divide the audio into two or three manageable parts based on natural topic shifts, changes in speaker focus, or logical sections of the text. Identify the end point of each part so the teacher knows where to pause the audio using a phrase quote in parentheses like (Teacher stop audio after “... very long days.”). 2. For each part, include two or three activity items chosen from the following item types, depending on what best fits the content: Keyword Notetaking – students take notes on key ideas or details. Paraphrase an Important Idea – a short, 3-option multiple-choice statement that paraphrases a key idea (no direct quotes). Direct Quote Gap-Fill – a short quote from the transcript with 1–3 missing words students already know (used to highlight complex or important language). Mentioned / Not Mentioned – a checklist of words or ideas; students mark those they hear. Sequencing – a short list of events or steps that students put in order. Predict and Check – students make a simple prediction before listening to a part, then confirm or revise it. Matching Ideas or Concepts – students match related ideas, people, or examples from the text. Identify Speaker’s Purpose or Attitude – students choose or describe the speaker’s reason for speaking or emotional tone. Cause and Effect – students note causes and effects presented in the text. Visual Organizer Completion – students complete a simple diagram (timeline, table, or chart) with missing information. 3. Write clear and simple instructions for each activity. Avoid comprehension-test wording (“What did he say?” or “Why?”) and focus on helping learners notice, follow, and organize ideas. Keep instructions and prompts short to avoid distracting students from the listening they have to do. 4. At the end of the outline, include an optional list of 2–3 open-ended post-listening discussion questions that invite personal reflection or connection to the topic. Examples: “Which of the speaker’s experiences can you relate to most?” “What advice would you give if you were in the same situation?” “Do you agree with the speaker’s point of view? Why or why not?” 5. Use a clean, teacher-friendly format like this: Listening Outline: [Insert title or topic] Part 1 – [Short description of section] (Teacher stop audio after …) Item Type 1: [Instructions] Item Type 2: [Instructions] Item Type 3 (if appropriate): [Instructions] Part 2 – [Short description of section] (Teacher stop audio after …) Item Type 1: [Instructions ] Item Type 2: [Instructions ] Part 3 (if needed) – [Short description of section] (Teacher stop audio after …) Item Type 1: [Instructions ] Item Type 2: [Instructions ] Optional Post-Listening Discussion Question 1: Question 2: Question 3 (optional): Answer key: Include a separate teacher answer key.

Interactive Listening: (LISTENING) Another way to promote deeper processing in the While-Listening stage is to create interactive tasks where students all listen to the same text but are asked to identify different details. Then they mingle and share these details with other students in a brief speaking activity. CLICK HERE to view all the AI propmts. 

• Variation 1: EXAMPLE - Create one jigsaw grid. 

• Variation 2: Create a smaller jigsaw for one section of the listening. 

I am an English language teacher that requires assistance to create a "while" listening task. The purpose is to guide students' comprehension and meaningful processing of the listening content. I will provide an audio script. Please create an outline of the script. After that, I will provide additional instructions. STEP 1 — Outline of the Transcript Create a clear outline of the audio divided by logical sections (topic shifts, speaker shifts, etc.). Each section will be used with a unique task(s). Outline the main ideas and supporting details in each section. Identify a natural stopping point add a note for when the teacher should the stop the audio (e.g., “⏯️ Teacher stop audio after keyword”). Based on the outline, create a jigsaw information grid for one section only. After the steps, please confirm the section by asking me: “Which section of the outline should this grid be? (Section 1, 2, 3...)” STEP 1 — Create the jigsaw-style information grid per section From the section, pull out the relevant content, focusing on: -People involved -Ideas, events, or problems -Differences across countries, contexts, or time -Reactions or feelings -Any detail that can be split into complementary A/B notes This extraction must be brief, clear, and usable as the basis for a jigsaw. Ensure the information is provided in the sequence of listening to avoid confusion. Identify a natural stopping point and add a note in the teacher’s answer key for when the teacher should the stop the audio (e.g., “⏯️ Teacher stop audio after keyword”). STEP 2 — Create a Jigsaw Grid for each Student (Student A and Student B) Create a table for each student with the same structure but different blanks. Ensure Group A blanks correspond to Group B full answers and vice versa. Keep the amount of missing info balanced. Ensure each section and each student gets an equal amount of items. Group A has: Some full information + some missing information (blank cells) Group B has: Different full information provided + complementary blanks Use 3–4 columns, one for each question or statement. If there are 6 questions, use three columns; if there are 8 questions, create four columns; and so on. Do not create more than 4 columns. Use two rows for each question and the answer. The first row should contain questions (or titles), and the second, the responses (or blanks). Use 3–4 columns and two rows per question. If there are 6 questions, use three columns with one question each in the first row, plus one row for the answers below. If there are 8 questions, create four columns with one question each; and so on. Do not create more than 4 columns. Add a pair of rows per row of questions: The first row should contain the questions, and the second, the responses or blanks. Mirror the structure of the following sample handout: Student A’s Jigsaw Grid Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Response or Detail Provided Response or Detail Provided Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Response or Detail Provided Response or Detail Provided Note: If the listening has multiple speakers answering the same questions or discussing the same information, each row can be a speaker, and each column, a question. Mirror the following handout example (Student A). Student A’s Jigsaw Grid Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Person Response or Detail Provided Response or Detail Provided Person Response or Detail Provided Response or Detail Provided Person Response or Detail Provided Response or Detail Provided STEP 3 — Additional Post-listening Questions At the end, provide an optional set of 2-3 open-ended questions. These should encourage a personal reflection, a personal, local, or global connection to the topic, or think critically, like creating a solution. For example: • “What alternative solution would you propose to the speaker?” • “Have you experienced a similar situation? How?” • “Do you agree with the speaker’s point of view? Why or why not?” • “Have you observed a similar situation in your country or community?” STEP 4 — Final Output Format Write clear and simple instructions for each activity. Provide the task instructions and content in a format easy enough to copy and paste into separate worksheets. List the outline and each handout in a teacher-friendly way, like this: A. Listening Outline: Topic and Unit Section 1 • [Short description of section] • ⏯️ Teacher stop audio after [key word] Section 2 • [Short description of section] • ⏯️ Teacher stop audio after [key word] Section 3 • [Short description of section] • ⏯️ Teacher stop audio after [key word] (Add a fourth section only if necessary.) B. Jigsaw Task: [Section] 4. Student A a. Instructions b. Grid 5. Student B a. Instructions b. Grid 6. Teacher’s Answer Key (complete version of the grid with all missing information filled in) STEP 5 — Level Adaptation Design Before generating the grid, confirm the level by asking me: “What level should this jigsaw grid be? (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, or C2)”

• Variation 3: CLICK HERE - Create a series of  varied listening tasks.  

Jigsaw Reading: (READING) Similar to the interactive listening, jigsaw readings make students responsible for reading a specific section of the text. Then they share the main ideas of their section in their own words with their peers in a brief speaking activity. 

• Suggested Speaking Tasks: 

• Share a summary of the main points in your own words.

• "Teach" 1-2 interesting words or phrases from your text.

• Identify similarities and differences between texts.

• Give your opinion or share an additional point, example, or detail not in the text. 

• Choose Appropriate Texts: Some texts from the book seem "ready made" for jigsaw activities because they have multiple parallel sections of similar length and format with different content.

Check for Differences: (READING / LISTENING) Develop an AI created outline summarizing the key points in the text but request it to include several prominent errors. Once students have achieved a reasonable degree of comprehension of the original text, have students read the AI summary and identify the differences.  

• Example: Review this "AI Summary" of the audio. Identify and correct any mistakes you find.

• Federico is in good health. He's only gone to hospital twice. One time it was because he got heatstroke in Australia. They had to give him an IV to rehydrate. Because of this experience he says not to ignore your body. He takes better care of his kids than he does himself. When they are sick, he serves their medicine in ice cream. 

Outline Rearrange: (READING / LISTENING) Have AI generate an outline of the main points of the text. Present the points in disorder and have students organize them.

• Example: Arrange the statements so they match the order of the original text:

• Federico got heat stroke from dehydration at work.
• He talks about a home remedy and how he helps his kids.
• He describes the typical traveler illnesses and how he takes care of himself.
• He reflects on the importance of exercising regularly.
• He shares a lesson he learned from work trips. 

Points and Counterpoints: (READING) Give students a list of statements containing information that was not in the reading but is thematically related to different paragraphs. Statements should either add to or present a counterpoint to information in the paragraphs. Students read and decide where they could be inserted into the original text.

• Example: The following sentences were not in the original text. Read each one and decide which paragraph it could best be added to. 

• Some travelers use electrolyte tablets to avoid dehydration on long flights.
• Not everyone believes that sugary drinks are a good solution when children are sick.
• Many people forget to warm up before exercising, which can lead to injuries even if the exercise is simple.
• Some expert say heatstroke can happen even when temperatures are mild, especially if a person hasn't slept.
• Not all kids dislike medicine. Some enjoy the taste of flavored syrups.

Quick Search Rally: (READING) After students have gained an adequate understanding of the text, break them into groups for a competitive rally with simple scan and identify tasks that require them to quickly interact with different sections of the text multiple times.

• Example: Work with your group to find the following. The first group to identify all the correct answers is the winner. 

• Paragraph 1 - A word that means "hungry"
• Paragraph 3 - The most expensive ingredient
• Paragraph 2 - Name of the reporter
• Paragraph 2 - Two adverbs
• Paragraph 3 - The cause of the problem
• Paragraph 4 - One topic of disagreement
• Paragraph 1 - A place name

Post-Reading-Listening-Watching: 

The purpose of these activities is to help students formulate a response to the text they just read or listened to in order to ensure the appropriate meanings have been constructed. Post activities can be of three types: response and evaluation, metacognitive reflection, and stimulus for production. Reading and listening in real life is not a quiz. We engage with texts to gain understanding for a specific purpose or for enjoyment. Students should be asked to react to and evaluate the ideas presented in the text. This empowers them as independent users of English and gives them a voice to express their opinions about the content of the lesson. They can also be asked to reflect on difficulties they experienced, strategies they used to complete the tasks, and how they may adjust those strategies in future listening or reading situations. Finally, the text can provide inspiration and motivation for a follow-up speaking or writing activity.

Personal Reaction and Evaluation: Always give students the chance to express their opinion and experiences related to the ideas expressed in the text. 

• Example:

• Do you think Federico takes good care of his health when he's working? Why or why not? What would you do differently in his situation?

• Which of Federico's health tips do you agree with the most? Is there any advice he gives that you would not follow?

• Federico talks about balancing work with health habits. What strategies help you stay healthy when life gets stressful or busy?

• Federico says he's more careful when his kids are with him. Do you think people generally take better care of others than themselves? Why?

Metacognitive Reflection: The Post reading or listening stage can also be an opportunity for students to reflect on their performance during the previous tasks, identify challenges they experienced, and strategies they applied. 

• Example:

• What parts of the listening were hardest for you? Why do you think that is?
• What strategies did you use to find the answers to the task?
• How can you apply what you did today with future listening activities inside and outside the classroom?

Speaking Task Ideas: One of the main roles of input in the language classroom is to stimulate productive language use. There are many speaking activity types you can create (roleplay, debate, creative presentation, etc.) inspired by the reading or listening. 

• Example: CLICK HERE to review a selection of sample speaking tasks.

Pressed for Time?: We don't always have time for extended speaking activities in the Post-Listening-Reading-Watching stage. Here are a few ideas that can be done in five minutes or less.

• Flash Speeches: Students take turns talking for 60 seconds non-stop about a list of subtopics from the text.

• Keyword Juggling: Student take turns talking for 60 seconds non-stop about any topic they choose but they must incorporate a list of keywords or phrases in a natural way.

• Tell me about it: Students take turns paraphrasing the key ideas of the text saying as many details they can recall as possible. The do several rounds with diminishing time limits: 60 seconds, 40 seconds, 25 seconds.

• In the Hot Seat: Students take turns being "in the hot seat" and their partners ask them a series of rapid fire questions about the factual content of the text or their opinions. Students in the hot seat are not allowed to say "I don't know". If they are not sure of the answer, they have to confidently make something up.  

• Reaction Roulette: Students get in groups of four and each chooses a number (1-4). Then the teacher displays the following "reaction stems" in a random order and students have to react to the text using their assigned stem. Even if the reaction doesn't represent their true feelings, they must give a coherent response with reasons.

• Something that surprised me about the text was ...
• The most important ideas from the text was ...
• Something I disagree with the text about is ... 
• This text made me think about ... 

• Oral Assessment Questions: Have students review any tasks and question prompts from the Oral Assessments that have any connection with the text. 

Hands-On: Develop your Lesson Outline

It's your Turn: Now you will apply what you learned about meaing-focused input, interactive processing, cognitive load management, and the stages and rationale of the Pre-While-Post framework to design your own PWP activity sequence. 

• Grouping: Work in groups of 2-4 people.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE

• Group 2: CLICK HERE

• Group 3: CLICK HERE

• Group 4: CLICK HERE

• Group 5: CLICK HERE

• Group 6: CLICK HERE

• Group 7: CLICK HERE

• Group 8: CLICK HERE

• Group 9: CLICK HERE

• Group 10: CLICK HERE

• Skill and Text Selection: Decide if you want to focus on reading or listening and review the PDF of the assigned pages. We have added a clickable button with the audio transcript and reading text to make it easy for you to copy/paste with your phones if you want to make use of AI support. 

• Reading 1: Voices 3 - U2 - A - How to Improve your Memory 

Seven Tips to Improve your Memory: Most of us know that our brains decrease in size as we get older, but did you know that diet and lifestyle affect how well our brains work? Read on to find out more! 1 Food Research shows that eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, and proteins improves memory. Avoid sugary foods such as cakes, cookies, and milk chocolate. Eating oily fish or dark chocolate (with over 70% cocoa) and taking Vitamin D3 can also help strengthen your memory. 2 Drink The body is 60% water, so it’s essential to drink enough water for the brain to work well. Drink when you are thirsty. In cold countries, experts say to drink 1–2 liters a day, more in hot countries. Studies show that green tea and coffee are also good for our memory. 3 Exercise The role of exercise is very important, too. A 2011 study by Kirk Erikson showed that regular exercise increases brain size. Another study from the University of Iowa in the U.S. found that exercise improved memory in some people. One single training session had the same effect on memory as regular, longer exercise sessions! (Read more about it in the Science Daily.) 4 Relaxation One study by the University of Massachusetts found that eight weeks of daily meditation improved memory. Other forms of relaxation can also positively influence memory. Take 5–10 minutes each day to meditate or listen to music. Or just take a bath! 5 Weight Some studies show that people with a healthy body weight have better memories and had less chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease (an illness that makes it hard to remember things). 6 Sleep Age reduces our ability to learn, but sleep can help. For your brain to work well, 7–9 hours of sleep is necessary for most people. A 2019 study in the Nature Research Journal found that students learned better before and after a short sleep! 7 Use Use your brain to keep it in good condition. Try to memorize information like event details and passwords rather than putting it in your phone. You could also learn a language or do brain training such as sudoku, crossword puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles.

• Reading 2: Voices 3 - U5 - A - A Tidy House Makes a Calm Home

I read Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, last year, so I was interested to watch her TV series Tidying Up. In the show she visits people with untidy homes to help them throw things out and find a place for the things they love. The people in the show are all unhappy about things being messy, but Marie believes that by tidying your home you can take control of your life. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Marie Kondo is a tidying expert and best-selling author who developed her own KnMari method to help people organize their homes. Here we review her TV series. Marie Kondo encourages people to throw away things that don’t “spark joy”; if it doesn’t make you feel happy, don’t keep it! I watched people hugging items and trying to decide whether to keep them. I understood their pain—so many items had good memories, were gifts, or “might be useful” in the future. Marie recommends tidying up in a special order, starting with clothes, then books, papers, mixed stuff (those things in your closets, shelves, and boxes that you probably don’t need, use, or love!), and, finally, things that are important to you for emotional reasons. Marie helped a couple with too many clothes. First they emptied everything from their closet into a pile, then they decided what “sparked joy.” Finally, they hung items back in their closets or folded them and put them away in their drawers so they could see exactly what they had. After watching, I folded all my clothes using the KonMari method. It’s so much quicker to find things now! If something doesn’t spark joy, she tells people to put it in the trash, recycle it, or give it to charity, so that someone else can enjoy it. One of Marie’s tips is to have a picture in your mind of how you want your house to be. It’s hard to imagine a tidy home with three kids, but it helped me make decisions about what I wanted to take to my new place. Many of the people in the show said that they felt Marie made their lives calmer and more organized. I loved this show. Watch it! It will change your life!

• Listening 1: Voices 3 - U4 - B - Setting Goals

I = Interviewer, AG = Andrej Gcajic´, AB = Abby McBride I: Andrej, do you set yourself goals to work towards, or do you live in the moment? AG: I’m somewhere in between. I never set goals like “in two years’ time, I’m going to be this,” but I don’t just live in the moment, either. I don’t decide exactly when I will do something because it’s difficult to plan my work, but I do know what I would like to achieve. For example, in the future I hope to have more animals protected. I: Do you have work goals? AG: Well, I would like to be a successful marine biologist. I never dreamed I’d work for National Geographic. I didn’t set myself that goal! I don’t really set myself work goals. I just want to work—and work better. I’m going to learn more about my science and to educate people so that they will continue our work. It is almost impossible to set goals because everything changes so fast. But I do have one definite plan: I’m moving to the U.S. for work in the summer. I: And do you have any personal goals? AG: I’d love to travel to Vietnam. I’m going to spend more time doing things I love—like martial arts, skydiving, and underwater photography. And I’m going to keep using social media to tell people about the places I go and the animals I work with. ……. I: Abby, do you set yourself goals to work towards or do you live in the moment? AB: Well, I definitely don’t set five-year or two-year plans. I think I usually live in the moment. Goals can be helpful, but I like to change them when I need to. Also, I think fun activities are more fun when you don’t plan them too much. I: Do you have any work goals? AB: One big goal that I always think about is finding new ways to use art and storytelling to help protect wildlife. Recently I’ve been drawing a lot of seabirds. In one of my next projects, I’m going to draw insects in Patagonia. I: And do you have any personal goals? AB: I usually make goals one at a time. Like, I’m traveling in South America soon, so I would like to practice my Spanish. That’s one goal. Usually my goals are just things that will make my life better. Like, I’d really love to stop using social media, but I don’t know exactly how I’m going to do it because I need it for work!

• Listening 2: Voices 3 - U6 - B - The Most Memorable Journey

• Planning: Decide which activities from the book you could use or adapt and think of additional activities to support preparation for, processing of, and response to the content of the text. Write your responses in the Padlet. 

• Self-Assessment Checklist: Review the descriptors from the checklist below to ensure you can provide a clear rationale for each of design choices. 

Pre: Preparation for Engagement
Activate background knowledge of the topic. Establish a personal connection. Address potential language and cultural issues (if necessary).
While: Support for Engagement
Include multiple interactions with the text. Each interaction has a separate task. Include both individual processing and collaboration.
Post: Extension of Engagement
Express personal reaction or evaluation of ideas in the text. Text serves as a stimulus for production (speaking or writing).

Wrap Up: Session Takeaways

Seven Principles for MFI Instruction: This session has reviewed theoretical support and practical ideas for developing meaning-focused receptive skills lessons. The following principles will help you continue exploring this topic in your classes. 

• 1) Development over Testing: Teaching and developing students' listening and reading skills is NOT the same as testing them. Tasks should encourage meaning-focused processing of and response to the ideas of the text, not simply surface level recall of ideas.

• 2) Task before Text: Always give students tasks to do while processing the text. Never have students read, listen, or watch before sharing and clarifying the specific task they must complete. 

• 3) Multiple Interactions: Help students construct the meaning of the text through multiple encounters, each with a different task. 

• 4) Time on Task: In a Pre-While-Post cycle, the While stage should get the most time. The Pre stage should be just long enough to provide necessary context, motivation, and expectations of the While and Post stages to come. Don't overdo it!

• 5) Alone and Together: Students should have the chance to process the input individually as well as through pair discussion and collaboration. 

• 6) Yeah, So What?: Students must be given the chance to react to and evaluate the ideas presented in the text to develop their "voice" as independent users of English.

• 7) Speaking through Listening and Reading: Receptive skills can be taught and practiced in a communicative way with plenty of opportunities for authentic communication before, during, and after. 

Minimum Standards: Because of time limitations, we do not always have the ability to develop extensive Pre-While-Post tasks for every listening, reading, and video we encounter in the textbook. Even if we must move quickly, the following checklist can ensure you are adequately supporting students. 

• Pre: Preparation for Engagement
• Activate background knowledge of the topic.
• Establish a personal connection.
• Address potential language and cultural issues (if necessary).

• While: Support for Engagement
• Include multiple interactions with the text.
• Each interaction has a separate task.
• Include both individual processing and collaboration.

• Post: Extension of Engagement 
• Express personal reaction or evaluation of ideas in the text.
• Text serves as a stimulus for production (speaking or writing).

References

Buck, G. (2001). Assessing Listening. Cambridge University Press. 

Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. (2017). Cognitive Load Theory: Research that Teachers Really Need to Understand. NSW Department of Education.

Hegelsen, M. (2003). Listening. In D. Nunan (Ed.), Practical English Language Teaching (pp. 23-46). McGraw Hill.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon Press Inc. 

Nation, I.S.P. & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. Routledge.

Sweller, J. (2010). Element interactivity and intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load. Educational Psychology Review, 22(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9128-5

Wong, W. & VanPatten, B. (2008). The Evidence is IN: Drills are OUT. Foreign Language Annals 36(3), 403-423. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2003.tb02123.