It has been suggested that second language (L2) listeners are the most under-researched
group of language learners (for example, see Harding, Anderson & Brunfaut, 2015;
Yeldham, 2017). This dilemma is further exacerbated by test-orientated approaches
taken by teachers which, by-and-large, are more interested in assessing learners’ level of
comprehension (or lack of) rather than offering them specific instruction to develop their
listening skills (Graham, Santos & Vanderplank, 2011; Siegel & Siegel, 2015). Recognizing
these issues, and our limited skills to teach L2 listening effectively, we embarked on an
action research project which began with giving listening greater prominence in our
teaching. We have begun by developing original teaching materials to address bottom-up
listening skills, which research has shown to be a more appropriate focus for developing
lower-level learners’ listening skills (e.g., Siegel & Siegel, 2015). This paper shares three
ELF-informed classroom activities that have been positively received in our ELF classes.
