Task and Feedback

Question 1 (0 points)
Look at the reading texts and exercises are taken from two course books in Task 1.1 of
your printed study material.
How would you categorise the questions according to the four types identified by
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question A
Percent Correct Student

Value Response Response Answer Choices
0.0% a. wh-question
100.0% b. polar question
0.0% c. truth assessment
0.0% d. multiple choice
Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question B

50.0% a. wh-question
Score 50%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question C

0.0% a. wh-question
Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question D

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question E

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question F

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question G

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question H

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question I

Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 1 - Question J
0.0% a. wh-question
Score 100%
Widdowson above?
EXTRACT 2

0.0% a. wh-question
Score 100%
Are the passages examples of ’use’ or ’usage’?
EXTRACT 1

100.0% a. use
0.0% b. usage
Score 100%
Are the passages examples of ’use’ or ’usage’?
EXTRACT 2

100.0% a. use
0.0% b. usage
Score 0%
How would you appraise the general approach to the reading text in Task 1.2 in your
printed study material? Is it ‘top down’ or ‘bottom up’? What other comments would
you make about the way the author is trying to lead the reader around the text?
Student response
The reading task uses top-down strategies which focus on features related to schematic
knowledge of genre and topic. Attention is drawn to global meaning in ways that
activate the existing knowledge of the world rather than the specific linguistic features
of the text. In activity one, the author is using the reader’s knowledge of a genre, as
defined by Wallace (2003) like a text-type which has a distinctive form and content and
which is socially recognisable as serving a particular function. This genre belongs to
that which might come in a magazine for parents. Once the student has categorised this
text, he/she is more prepared to answer the three questions. For the second activity, the
reader has to process some information which is not overtly specified in the text but
which demands certain proficiency in paraphrasing ideas as a strategy to give the proper
responses. In the third activity, it is imperative to have the ability to guess the meaning
of words in context so the understanding of the whole sentence and the ideas exposed
around it is a requirement. Next two activities also require the ability to draw
conclusions, to read between lines and to support an answer based on a complete
understanding of the text and not of separated pieces of it. By proposing the activity the
way the author has done it, there is an encouragement of the learner to be a flexible,
active, and reflective reader. Flexibility is motivated by the fact that the reader is invited
to read in ways which are perceived to be appropriate to the type of text presented.
Correct answer
The approach to the text is a top-down approach since the questions start by treating the
global and general understanding of the text. The exercises then take the reader
systematically towards a more particular understanding of certain comprehension details,
then finding definitions using contextual information, followed by a discussion on the topic
to ensure further understanding and preparation before going on to use adjectives that may
be new to the reader.
The catching layout and choice of letter-types for the title, the accompanying picture and the
short pre-text summary helps the reader to be more prepared as to what the text is going to
be about. With these preliminary aids, the learner can form certain hypothesis about the
content. S/he knows what the global issue is about and, in this case, can probably relate to
the topic too. The fact that the extract is written in direct speech further helps comprehension
since the learner can follow who is saying what at all times without having to concentrate on
too many words.
Ex. 1- top-down; consists of three gist questions.

Ex. 2- top-down; it consists of True/False questions and thus needs more detailed
information.
Ex. 3- top-down (although arguably bottom-up as it concerns vocabulary but this part is not
strictly speaking relating to the treatment of the reading text); there is a need to focus on
context in choosing the definition for the words in the text.
Ex. 4- top-down; the student is asked to discuss aspects.
Ex.5- top-down; the task asks the learner to aportion adjectives to characters.
The two tapescripts in Task 2.1 in your printed study material have been taken from
listening activities in two different course books. Are they both examples of what you
would call ‘natural’ spoken English (i.e. containing new starts in mid sentence,
hesitation, half finished sentences etc.)? If not, why not?
Student response
The first tapescript, titled Lesson 5B, Exercise 3 shows various examples of what could
be considered ‘natural’ spoken English I will explain now. In the part where the officer
asks Ann and Robert about their names, they remedy overlapping speech in giving their
responses, there is also a hesitation device expressed while John tries to gain time to
give his phone number, in the third dialog Alice seems to regret saying “considering…”
and takes a false start changing her sentence or simplifying it. Finally in last text, Mrs.
Simon corrects her listener’s understanding by repeating the correct information and
confirming the message has been clearly understood in the end. The second tapescript,
on the other hand, presents a text which is not as ‘natural’ as the ones in the first. The
turns are vigilantly respected in most of the conversation and many replies are
monosyllabic in a language that is characterised by more wordy immediate replies.
Even though there is presence of a hesitation device such as “er”, or a false start like the
one in “west two, two s- and…”, the text is not as clear as the ones in the previous
exercise.
Correct answer
Both tapescripts are examples of supposed natural English in that they contain hesitations,
repetitions, questions etc. The second tapescript looks more natural than the first, especially
since it contains more interruptions in mid-sentence and more informal language. The first
text is in fact aimed at teaching a specific structure, which, in the light of this information,
makes it fairly unnatural.
In order to really know how the two texts are rendered orally however, we would need access
to the recording.
During the course of a normal day, what would you say is the dominant role you play in
listening situations according to McGregor’s model?
Where would you place the exchange in Task 2.2 of your printed study material on
McGregor’s continuum?
Student response
During the course of a normal day, the dominant role I play in listening situations
according to McGregor’s model is that of participant. Most communication is
performed on a two-way basis and it implies me giving responses, proposing topics to
deal with either formal or informal, professional or personal, etc., and processing what
is directly communicated to me. As a teacher, however, the role I play can easily shift
and I can be a judge while students perform group work, or an overhearer
eavesdropping and taking notes for further practice, or a participant (trying hard not to
play the judge role) while listening to my students complaining or simply trying to start
conversation in an environment different from the classroom. I would place the
conversation between an interviewer and Martin in the role of addressee because the
person who is asking is not expected or allowed to start giving information about
himself/herself, just eliciting seems to be the aim. The interviewer is spoken to directly
but has a limited task that is obtaining as much data as possible from his/her
interviewee.
Correct answer
In the exchange between Martin and the interviewer, Martin’s role is basically that of
addressee, even if it could be argued that the extract could fit somewhere between the
categories of participant and addressee since the interviewer listens to what Martin says as an
addressee, but then continues the questions based on what Martin has just said. However,
keeping ion mind that this is an interview, Martin is expected to respond to the questions
being made by the interviewer, and there is a clear power difference between the
interlocutors. Martin has limited rights because he is only expected to respond to what he is
being asked and not ask questions himself. Although in this example Martin actually speaks
more than the interviewer he is only actually responding to the questions posed to him by the
interviewer. Consequently we can say that he has no freedom to choose his own topics and
he has no rights to interrupt the other speaker or speak when he wants to.
Look at the listening activities in Task 2.3 of your printed study material. Categorise
each one according to Underwood’s (1989) typology of listening activities.
Revell and Breary’s listening activity:
1. The ’s’ factor post-listening activity

Task 1 Predicting content pre-listening activity
Task 2 Listening for specific information while-listening activity
Task 3 Taking notes
Task 4 Sequencing information
Student response
1. The ’s’ factor --> pre-listening Correct

activity
Task 1 Predicting content --> while-listening Incorrect
activity Correct answer pre-listening
activity
Task 2 Listening for specific --> while-listening Correct
information activity
Task 3 Taking notes --> while-listening Correct
activity
Task 4 Sequencing information --> post-listening Correct
activity
Score 0%
Look at the listening activities in Task 2.3 of your printed study material. Categorise
each one according to Underwood’s (1989) typology of listening activities.
Keller’s listening activity:
Pre-listening discussion questions pre-listening activity

Listening to identify people while-listening activity
Intensive listening: Physical descriptions post-listening activity
Additional activities: Introduction and
description
Student response
Pre-listening discussion questions --> pre-listening activity Correct

Listening to identify people --> while-listening activity Correct
Intensive listening: Physical descriptions --> while-listening activity Correct
Additional activities: Introduction and description --> post-listening activity Correct
Score 100%

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Question 1 (0 points)

Percent Correct Student

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Are the passages examples of ’use’ or ’usage’?

Percent Correct Student

Are the passages examples of ’use’ or ’usage’?

Percent Correct Student

Ex. 1- top-down; consists of three gist questions.

Revell and Breary’s listening activity:

1. The ’s’ factor post-listening activity

1. The ’s’ factor --> pre-listening Correct

Keller’s listening activity:

Pre-listening discussion questions pre-listening activity

Pre-listening discussion questions --> pre-listening activity Correct

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