Listening—A Measured Language: Proficiency Matters Workshop

Listening—A Measured Language: Proficiency Matters Workshop

Prerequisite: Attendance at an OPI Workshop (or refresher) within the last 5 years or pre-approval.

Listening is a critical skill for effective communication, yet one of the most complex to assess and teach. This workshop provides a comprehensive exploration of listening proficiency using the Listening Proficiency Scales. Language educators, assessors, and curriculum developers will gain a deeper understanding of how to identify and support learners at each ILR level, from minimal comprehension to fully nuanced listening proficiency.

Participants will:

• Learn to differentiate between the ILR listening levels and their key characteristics.
• Examine text types, communicative tasks, and contexts associated with each level.
• Discuss the challenges learners face, including dealing with unfamiliar topics, speech speed, dialects, and complex structures.
• Explore strategies to develop learners’ listening comprehension across varying levels.

The workshop includes practical activities such as analyzing audio samples, creating level-appropriate listening tasks, and discussing how external factors (e.g., background noise, speaker variation) influence comprehension.

By the end of the session, participants will have practical tools and techniques to better support their students in developing robust listening skills, tailored to real-world communicative needs.

Host or Publisher BYU Center for Language Studies