


Look at the example below for an idea of how a teacher might use SWBST to help students deconstruct a Weird News podcast like “The Ketchup Thief”: Valentina Gonzalez recommends using Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then as a teaching strategy to help English language learners build critical listening skills by summarizing a story after listening. By using this technique, students identify and summarize the action of a story, its key elements, main ideas, etc. Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (SWBST) is a strategy designed to be used during or after reading as a framework for summarizing a story. Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then (Kylene Beers, 2003) If you have time, you may want to finish the lesson by having students complete a writing assignment where they get to choose a side and write out their personal opinion.
CRITICAL LISTENING FREE
For example, Student A says: “Student B, I think that podcasts should be regulated because… some are spreading misinformation.” In response, Student B might say: “Student A, I see your point, however… podcasts should not be regulated because… the government should not regulate free speech.” In this example, students are reading directly from the content in the T-Chart, however some students may want to elaborate their answers.įinally, partners switch sides and are asked to take the opposing point of view. Ask one student to start off their mini-debate using their starter sentence from the t-chart. Then, pair students and have them take turns role-playing each side of the t-chart. Let’s take a look at what a t-chart would look like for the lesson, “Debate: Should Podcasts Be Regulated?” Gonzalez recommends that teachers write out the t-chart by hand while students dictate their responses out loud. Next, brainstorm ideas on the t-chart as a class.

“The debate podcasts are fun for me because they’re really compelling to students,” explained Gonzalez, “They are about things that kids are going to be really interested in and want to hear.”įirst, choose a debate podcast for students to listen to and take notes about on a t-chart that represents opposing positions. Valentina Gonzalez recommends using “T-Chart, Pair, Defend” in combination with Listenwise’s weekly debate podcasts. Not only does this require active engagement from students, but it also builds listening comprehension and critical listening skills. This activity gives ELs an opportunity to practice building arguments through conversation. Jun 09, 2022: Weve revamped this article. T-Chart, Pair, Defend (Perryman and Seidlitz, 2011) Below is a summary of the classroom strategies shared by Valentina Gonzalez during her conversation with Listenwise’s Monica Brady-Myerov.
