Sound Ideas: Advanced Listening and Speaking

Abstract

Sound Ideas: Advanced Listening and Speaking by Helen Fragiadakis and Virginia M. Maurer. Boston, MA: Heinle and Heinle, 1995. 257 pp. Reviewed by Celeste Burton University of California, Los Angeles In recent years the attention being paid to the development of oral language skills in second language instruction has increased. This attention is partly a result of the acceptance and promotion of more communicative and meaning-based ap- proaches to language teaching. This growing interest has resulted in the produc- tion of more oral language texts that provide opportunities for English language learners to develop and practice listening and speaking skills. One new twist in the new approaches is that the majority of these texts build on learners' grammatical knowledge and incorporate actual discourse situations in their task applications. Sound Ideas: Advanced Listening and Speaking, written by Helen Fragiadakis and Virginia M. Maurer, is one of many volumes in Heinle and Heinle's Tapestry series targeting students of English as a Second Language (ESL). Since it was specifically prepared for developing the oral communication (listening and speak- ing) skills of advanced ESL learners, it successfully supplements texts targeting the development of the other language Like all skills (study skills, grammar, vocabulary, etc.). the other texts in the series, Sound Ideas is developed upon certain principles that reflect a specific philosophy of language learning and teaching. are: These are expressed at the beginning of the text and serve as a foundation upon which the chapters and their individual activities are based. These principles Empowering learners their learning strategies Helping students improve Recognizing and handling learning styles effectively Offering authentic, meaningful communication Understanding and valuing different cultures Integrating language skills. Upon examination that occurs in of these principles, one can undoubtedly conclude that great deal on student involvement and stu- the text's content and activities are student-oriented; in other words, the learning Sound Ideas depends a dent activity. Fragiadakis and Maurer's approach to oral communication represents one in which from the very start, practical, everyday communication is is the focus. For this purpose, the authors have chosen to combine listening and speaking activities un- der specially chosen topics. Their approach Issues in Applied Linguistics based on, and informed by the inter- ISSN 1050-4273 Vol. 9 No. 1998, Regents of the University of California