Season 5 Finale Double Bill: Dr Kedi Simpson: Listening isnt Passive

Listening is often treated as passive. Dr Kedi Simpson explains why it isn’t.

In part one of this double-bill season finale, Will Marks is joined by Dr Kedi Simpson — head of languages and researcher with a doctorate from the University of Oxford — to unpack what’s really happening when students listen in a language classroom.

This episode digs into why “doing a listening” isn’t the same as teaching listening, how anxiety and segmentation shape comprehension, why mishearings are so revealing, and what practices like dictation and transcripts can tell us about learners’ thinking. It’s practical, thoughtful, and grounded firmly in classroom reality.

Part two drops next week, where the conversation turns to assessment, GCSE listening, and what listening could look like in the future.

For transcripts, links, and to send in your listener voice notes, head to
www.languagelabpodcast.co.uk

Sound engineered by Isla McIntosh
Executively produced by Isla McIntosh & Will Marks

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