The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out!

Lost at Sea: Christine Goh on Listener Agency | The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! Episode 24

Why do so many L2 listeners freeze? One of Christine Goh's graduate students once asked her own students in China to describe what listening in English felt like. Two metaphors came back again and again: climbing a mountain that never ends, and sailing in an ocean with no idea where you're going. In this episode, Andrej sits down with Christine Goh — Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and co-author (with the late Larry Vandergrift) of Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in Action — to talk about what's actually going on when learners feel adrift, why metacognition is the pathway to agency, and what teachers can change in their listening classroom next week. Ash joins Andrej for the framing at the top and the discussion afterward, where they unpack the 10-minute challenge, peer collaboration as a metacognitive practice, and where AI does (and doesn't) fit into the listening classroom. Topics covered: * [00:00] Cold open and intro from Ash and Andrej * [02:10] Welcoming Christine Goh * [03:03] Why students feel powerless — and the hidden nature of listening * [06:38] Metaphors: climbing the mountain, sailing the ocean * [07:48] Metacognition: knowledge and strategy use * [10:50] Is metacognition the pathway to agency? * [11:59] Bandura's four dimensions of agency, applied to L2 listening * [14:20] Slowing down both the recording and the lesson sequence * [16:52] The metacognitive pedagogical sequence * [18:25] The teacher's role: modeling and think-alouds * [21:40] Three agents in listening development: learner, teacher, peer * [22:40] AI as a possible fourth agent — and what it asks of learners * [29:34] Qualitative outcomes: self-efficacy, relationships, enjoyment * [33:17] Watching sitcoms and wanting to laugh along * [35:50] The 10-minute challenge * [37:29] Andrej and Ash debrief: who are you as a listener? * [41:00] Getting lost… and finding your way back * [44:19] Peer collaboration in listening, underused * [45:30] AI revisited: a welcome agent, or a shift in agency? * [49:07] Book recommendation and connections to past episodes Mentioned: * Goh, C. C. M., & Vandergrift, L. (2021). Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in Action (2nd ed.). Routledge. * Bandura, A., on the four dimensions of human agency * Past episodes: Michael Rost on learner agency; Hayo Reinders on listening anxiety; Brett Milliner on vocabulary thresholds 📧 jaltlisteningpodcast@gmail.com 🌐 jaltlistening.wordpress.com 📷 Instagram: @jalt_listening If this episode helped you, a follow and a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts goes a long way.

Only 9 out of 1,130: The English Media Problem in EFL | Community Research Bite | The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! Episode 23

Hosts Ash and Andrej introduce a brand-new format: Community Research Bites — where JALT Listening SIG members share research that matters to them. First up is Christopher Andrews, a university teacher in Kanagawa and Listening SIG member, breaking down Edelman et al.'s (2022) study on student use of English media outside the classroom. Spoiler: it's not as much as we'd hope. Ash and Andrej digest the findings and discuss what teachers can actually do about it. Want to contribute a Research Bite? We're handing the mic to you! Record an 8–10 minute segment about a study or article that excited you. All you need is a quiet room and a phone — we handle the editing. Details and guidelines at jaltlistening.wordpress.com or email jaltlistening@gmail.com [jaltlistening@gmail.com]. Timestamps:  [0:00] Intro — What's a Community Research Bite?  [3:49] Christopher Andrews on Edelman et al. (2022) — "Media as Input"  [6:16] Key findings: How little English media students actually use  [8:00] The takeaway for teachers: Access alone isn't enough  [8:35] Andrews' peer recommendation listening program  [10:08] Ash & Andrej discuss the research  [15:30] Pedagogical ideas: Getting students to engage  [17:26] Call for contributors — How to submit your Research Bite  [18:29] Outro Links:  Edelman et al. (2022) — "Media as Input: Exploring Student Use of English Language Media Outside the Classroom" https://jalt-publications.org/sites/default/files/pdf-article/46.2tlt-art1.pdf [https://jalt-publications.org/sites/default/files/pdf-article/46.2tlt-art1.pdf] — JALT's The Language Teacher  Christopher Andrews' article — https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/the-listening-post-3-1/ [https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/the-listening-post-3-1/] The Listening Post (JALT Listening SIG) Blog post & contributor info: jaltlistening.wordpress.com Contact: jaltlistening@gmail.com [jaltlistening@gmail.com] #ListeningResearch #JALT #EFL #LanguageLearning #ExtensiveListening #EnglishMedia #ResearchBites #JapanELT #TESOL

900 Words to Harry Potter: Vocabulary Thresholds for Family Media (with Brett Milliner) | The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! Episode 22

How much vocabulary do students actually need to understand a movie in English? Researcher Brett Milliner (Tamagawa University) shares findings from his study on family-genre films and TV — think Harry Potter, Forrest Gump, Dr Who — and the number might surprise you. In this episode, we explore vocabulary thresholds for listening comprehension, why the way we count words matters, and what teachers can do to help students bridge the gap between written and oral vocabulary knowledge. 🎧 Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: Can students really sit through a whole movie in English?  04:50 – Interview begins: Meet Brett Milliner  06:00 – What counts as "family genre"?  08:30 – Vocabulary thresholds explained: 90%, 95%, 98%  12:40 – Why word-counting matters  17:00 – Derivational forms: Does knowing "cook" mean knowing "undercooked"?  19:30 – The key finding 22:00 – Practical applications: Word lists and classroom activities  24:30 – Elicited imitation and oral vocabulary practice  27:00 – Host discussion: Connecting research to the classroom  33:00 – The oral vocabulary gap: Known on paper ≠ known by ear  38:00 – Activity ideas: Moving vocabulary from page to speech  43:00 – Takeaway: Accessibility  44:40 – Closing 📚 Resources: * Brett's paper: "Challenging Lexical Coverage Conventions" (open access) at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772766125000515 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772766125000515]  * Word frequency lists available in the paper's supplementary materials * https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/category/podcasts/ [https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/category/podcasts/]  📩 Contact us: jaltlisteningpodcast@gmail.com 📷 Instagram: @jalt_listening

The TOEIC is a Lie: Why English Tests Fail International Communication | a Research Bite of Suresh Canagarajah | Hear Us Out #21

What if the way we test English is fundamentally broken? In this Research Bites episode, Cooper leads a provocative discussion of Suresh Canagarajah's 2006 paper "Changing Communicative Needs, Revised Assessment Objectives: Testing English as an International Language." The TOEIC claims to test "international" communication—so why does it only include American, Canadian, British, and Australian speakers? Where's Indian English, Nigerian English, Singaporean English? Cooper, Ash, and Andrej explore how standardized tests reinforce outdated norms and fail to measure what actually matters: the ability to code-switch between different English varieties and negotiate meaning across diverse speech communities. KEY MOMENTS: * 00:00:34 - The TOEIC is a lie (Opening) * 02:38 - Meet Suresh Canagarajah, "bomb thrower of global Englishes" * 06:40 - The false binary: Why both standard and local norms fail * 10:13 - Redefining proficiency as code-switching ability * 13:35 - Practical implications for language teachers RESEARCH: Canagarajah, S. (2006). Changing communicative needs, revised assessment objectives: Testing English as an international language. Language Assessment Quarterly, 3(3), 229-242. HOSTS: Andrej, Ash, and Cooper Perfect for language teachers questioning standardized tests and TESOL professionals interested in World Englishes. 14 minutes. 📧 Email: jaltlisteningpodcast at the gmail.com #LanguageTesting #WorldEnglishes #TOEIC #TESOL #LanguageAssessment #AppliedLinguistics #JALT

Student-Driven Listening: How to Build Engagement Over Comprehension Testing | Michael Rost Part 2 | Hear Us Out! (The JALT Listening Podcast, Episode 20)

Join Michael Rost for Part 2 of our deep dive into student-driven listening instruction that prioritizes meaningful engagement over traditional comprehension testing. Discover his complete 7-step framework that transforms passive listeners into active participants who shape their own learning experience. Building on his Peace Corps teaching experience in West Africa - where he had no textbooks and created oral narratives with student-written "textbooks" - Michael shares practical strategies that put student choice at the center of listening lessons. Learn why the phrase "this is a listening lesson, not a test" can revolutionize classroom dynamics and how the simple "three stars" activity shifts focus from what teachers want students to notice to what genuinely interests learners. Host highlights include: * Ash explores how student-selected materials create natural engagement and questions the real value of traditional comprehension questions * Andrej discusses the power of student agency in transforming classroom relationships * Cooper connects this approach to "teaching unplugged" and explains why mainstream textbook audio fails to captivate learners Key topics: Student-chosen listening materials, safe learning environments free from test anxiety, deliberate practice as lesson closure, Peace Corps teaching philosophy, neurological foundations of engagement-based learning Ready to shift from testing to teaching? We've outlined Rost's complete 7-step procedure in our blog post at https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/ [https://jaltlistening.wordpress.com/] - your guide to building student-driven listening experiences. The JALT Listening Podcast: Hear Us Out! releases new episodes monthly. Subscribe to stay current with listening research and student-centered teaching methods.