Useful online listening resources

There are many online listening resources that learners can use to help them develop their listening skills independently. You’re going to review some of those resources and think about their use in particular contexts.

Task 1

First, listen to Mary talking about opportunities for learners to practise listening online. Answer the questions.

• What resources does Mary mention?

• Why does Mary think listening to a range of resources is beneficial?

Check your answers.

Task 2

Below are four case studies of learners looking to improve their listening skills. Visit the four websites below and review the sites. Which one do you think each learner would benefit from? Why?

Case study 1
Antonio is a B2-level business manager who travels abroad a lot for work. He’d like to improve his listening skills so he can follow his colleagues’ discussions better in meetings.

Case study 2
Katja is a five-year-old beginner learner. Her parents want her to listen to English outside the classroom so she has a lot of exposure to it, not just in her weekly lesson.

Case study 3
Rodrigo is a 14-year-old A2+ level learner who is taking English lessons to improve his grades at school. He finds it hard to hear individual words when he listens and he knows he needs to improve his listening skills, but he’s not very motivated.

Case study 4
Lara is a B1-level adult learner who is really motivated to improve her listening skills. Unfortunately, she’s a busy working parent so she doesn’t have a lot of time. She’d like a resource with short recordings and quick tasks to complete so she can fit them into her busy life.

CBeebies

ESL Brains

elllo – English Listening Lesson Library Online

LyricsTraining

You can check your answers here.

You can find a list of further useful websites here which you may want to explore.

Reflect and share

What other websites have you recommended to learners to help them with their listening skills? Why? Share your ideas in the comments.