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Basics:
Listening NYC is a video listening course for intermediate English language learners designed by Chris Hale. The videos provide short (2-3 minutes) descriptions of how to get the most out of living in NYC. The course can be done in or out of class, as homework or a stand alone activity. Teachers wishing to implement the course into their own curriculum can use the "Warm-Up" lessons in class prior to assigning the video segments for home work. Later in class, teachers can go over the answers to the Listening Sheet questions in class, spending as little as 10-15 minutes of class time. Other teachers may want to play the videos in class as well, in which case they can be downloaded for free from the LX TV First Look podcast site on iTunes , put on an iPod or other media player, and attached to a TV using standard AV cables. Please note that subtitled versions of the videos are only viewable on the Listening NYC website. (If you would like copies of the subtitled videos, please send me a note). All of the videos are also publicly available on YouTube, though sifting through that sight can be daunting.

Listening Sheets, as well as full transcripts of the videos can be downloaded by clinking the links to the left of the videos. Listening Sheets can be printed out by the teacher and distributed to students in class prior to assigning the video lessons for homework, or teachers may ask students to print them out themselves and bring them to class completed.

Procedures:
I think there should be little written in the way of procedures, as I want teachers to use the course in such a way as it compliments their own situations. I will briefly explain how I envisioned the course, and how I used it.

As I was teaching ESL in Queens, the topics were naturally of interest to my students. Though I think New York is an interesting place for students anywhere in the world. Choosing something interesting, as well as brief- which can be played several times, increases student interest and ultimately motivation.

In general, I would spend an hour of class time on the warm-up lessons before introducing the video segments. I would then play the un-subtitled version of the video 2-3 times in class and after each time I would have students work in groups to compare how much of the Listening Sheet they had completed. I would then play the subtitled version 2 more times. After the last time, we would go over the answers in class together. Finally, students would answer the discussion questions in their groups. At that point I would play the un-subtitled video again. This normally took 1 hour of class time. My rational for doing it class was that, besides needing to pilot the program, students often lamented their poor listening skills in real-life situations (authentic input).

Although I used the course in class, it could just as easily be assigned as weekly homework. Students can do the activities on the website, or they can download the videos themselves and put them on their portable media devices. In this way, students can watch the videos and practice their listening skills anywhere.

I wanted to make sure students completed as much of the listening handout as they could by just watching the non-subtitled version of the video. After that, I encouraged students to watch the subtitled version to help them fill in any gaps. Finally, they can review the transcript document to check their own answers.

Benefits for Students:
Besides the basic benefit of learning more about a dynamic city and its inhabitants, students are exposed to authentic listening environments. By the end of the course, listening and compression will be enhanced, paving the way for students to better navigate real-world encounters in English. I felt that if students could focus on one condensed, authentic sample, by the end of the activity they would be impressed with their level of comprehension. The first time the video is played, students groan and complain that they didn't understand a word. However, by the end of the hour they can watch the video without subtitles and understand almost everything. This did wonders for their motivation and this activity turned into one of their favorites that semester.

Benefits for Teachers:
Many teachers, myself included, lament the fact that students are often only exposed to authentic English in the classroom. We constantly search for ways to enhance classroom input and encourage students to search out materials on their own. We often ask students to listen to the radio or watch English TV shows and movies that they find interesting. This type of exposure is difficult to enforce and impossible to assess due to the sheer number of options available to the student. Additionally, movies and TV shows are much too long to hold a learner's attention for the full duration. The videos in this course are short enough to manage, which makes assessment of comprehension possible. And, they are interesting for the students.

I Need Your Help:
Listening NYC is a work in progress, and there are still some "quirks" to work out. I would hope that teachers could inform me of any issues that arise while implementing the program so that I might make it better (this includes type-o's in the transcripts and listening sheets). Please click the contact link at the top of the site to send me a note. If you think of any ways to improve the program, I would love to hear from you as well.