Listening Together: A Cooperative Learning Listening Exercise with Radio France Internationale

This page authored by Laura Franklin, Northern Virginia Community College, based on an original activity by Radio France Internationale, Langue Francaise, Fiche pedagogique: Du côté des proches du malade d'Alzheimer, retrieved from: http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/articles/120/article_3375.asp

This material was originally developed through Merlot
as part of its collaboration with the SERC Pedagogic Service.

Summary

In this cooperative learning activity, intermediate-level students of French will work in small groups on a language project concerning Alzheimer's Disease and the effect that it has on caregivers. The project begins mainly as a listening activity, with pre-listening, listening and post-listening segments provided by the Radio France Internationale Langue Francaise website. The students will work together to get the general idea of the broadcast and then refine their understanding of a radio broadcast that treats the Alzheimer's topic. After the group works through various printed activities supplied by RFI on its website, including the joint creation of a French language poster on Alzheimer caregivers, the students will reflect on their heightened awareness about the topic as well as the impact the group activity had on the development of their listening skills in French. This culminating activity will happen in a class discussion forum.


Learning Goals

  1. Students will develop an appreciation of the value of working cooperatively in teams to improve language skills.
  2. Students will develop listening skills in French by activating prior knowledge about the topic and participating in pre-listening activities in a group setting.
  3. Students will develop an appreciation of the value of working in study groups to negotiate meaning when working with difficult texts.
  4. Students will develop effective strategies for the improvement of second language listening skills.
  5. Students will increase their knowledge of the topic of Alzheimers and its effect on caregivers.

Context for Use

This cooperative learning task is appropriate for intermediate to advanced learners of the French language. It should be placed in the syllabus at the point that the curriculum highlights health and social topics. Listening to radio broadcasts requires practice, repetition and time, so this exercise is best begun in the classroom with pre-listening exercises and activation of prior knowledge by the instructor. At home, the students can work independently on the exercises provided by Radio France Internationale and bring them into class for an accuracy check in a group setting. The RFI-suggested culminating activity is a poster on Alzheimer caregiver awareness which needs to be designed and started in class.

Description and Teaching Materials

The pre-listening, listening and poster project activities as well as the pre-recorded radio broadcast are available at the RFI website.

The teaching supports provided in pdf format are provided below and are also downloadable from the RFI site above. Teaching materials from Radio France Internationale Langue Francaise (Acrobat (PDF) 59kB Aug25 10)

Teaching Notes and Tips

  1. The cooperative learning groups should be formed and should include 3-4 students who can work well together in a group. Students negotiate with each other according to their strengths, as they will eventually have individual roles in the RFI Activity 6 poster project: proofreader, art director, fact checker, project director, spokesperson.
  2. The instructor should open the discussion on caregivers by providing appropriate vocabulary words such as "caregiver," "challeges," "rewards" and related terms. The students should be invited to recount all they know about the topic of Alzheimer's.
  3. The students should view the RFI audio segment at home and answer the comprehension questions for Activities 1-3.
  4. In class the following day, the groups should discuss in French the content of the RFI segment and the larger question of the effect of the disease on the caregiver. Each group should produce a resume of the major issues faced by families affected by Alzheimer's.
  5. The instructor should next introduce RFI Activities 4-5 and have the groups work on these together in class. The instructor should circulate among the groups, making sure the members alternate in answering the questions. Everyone should participate.
  6. Once Activities 1-5 are complete, it is time to start the poster project in the RFI Activity 6. Students should assume their roles in the Activity 6 poster project: proofreader, art director, fact checker, project director, spokesperson.
  7. At a subsequent class meeting, groups should reassemble and each spokesperson take two minutes to present their Alzheimer's caregiver poster to the class.
  8. This project culminates with a writing assignment using the appropriate thematic vocabulary. This activity can be part of a class quiz or exam or it could be done in an asynchronous discussion board.

Assessment

  1. The RFI Activities 1-5 all have an answer key that is included in the downloadable .pdf. Therefore they can only be used for formative self-assessment.
  2. The groups should be assessed on how well they stay on task, remain in the target language and use the thematic vocabulary appropriately.
  3. The poster project should be evaluated for its content, creativity, appropriate language use and mechanics.
  4. The culminating writing assignment should be part of the test or discussion board grade, as appropriate.

References and Resources

The activity website on the Radio France Internationale website.

This website is also available through MERLOT athttp://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=88661