Using your OCAD U library account, you can access thousands of videos and films through the databases below and listen to the huge variety of English speech patterns, vocabulary, slang and idioms.
Where are you listening from, and what are you listening to? If you're an English language learner, you'll use different strategies for listening to a lecture, participating in a group discussion, or talking to your professor.
Active Listening is a strategy that can be used in every situation, whether academic, professional or casual. This video gives an introduction to the parts of active listening, as well as to some of the body language listeners use in North America to show respect to the speaker.
Learn more about active listening here:
Active Listening Guide, University of Adelaide Writing and Learning Centre
Note Taking and Listening Tipsheet, University of Toronto Scarborough
Presentation on Active Listening and Note Taking, Wilfred Laurier University
Your lectures include a lot of different types of information, so if you're an English Language Learner, you will need to apply different strategies for listening. Your instructor might present ideas, define concepts, use icebreakers and examples, tell a joke, relate a story or give assignment instructions.
1. Learn to recognize lecture vocabulary and cue words:
2. Draw, doodle and diagram while listening, especially if you're a visual learner.
3. Practice longer listening by subscribing to podcasts on topics you're interested in:
4. Watch videos and films that have closed captioning and transcripts available:
Can you pronounce “toque”? Are you familiar with the “windchill factor”? Canadian English contains local and regional vocabulary and pronunciation, so it’s helpful to become familiar with them if you’re living in and studying in Canada.