Shadowing Practice: Lecture or Interactive Teaching? New Study of an Old Issue - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
⏸ Paused
33 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
2
Professors have lectured for centuries.
3
But how effective is lecturing to students compared to working with them?
4
A new study compared two classes of a beginning physics course at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
5
There were more than 260 students in each section.
6
Both were taught by popular and experienced professors.
7
The study took place for one week near the end of the year.
8
One class continued to be taught in the traditional lecture style.
9
The other professor was replaced by two teachers.
10
They had little teaching experience, but received training in interactive teaching methods.
11
The training was led by Carl Wyman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who leads a science education program.
12
There was almost no lecturing.
13
The teachers put the students in small groups to discuss and answer questions.
14
The instructors always gave feedback after the groups did tasks.
15
And they gave readings and quizzes to finish before class so the students would come prepared to discuss the material.
16
Professor Wyman says there was a great deal of data showing
17
how identical these two large sections of the class were before the study.
18
At the end of the experiment, both classes took the same test.
19
Students in the interactive class scored nearly twice as high as those in the traditional class.
20
Attendance also increased that week.
21
Graduate student Ellen Shalhou was one of the teachers.
22
She says the methods they used are designed to encourage students to think like science.
23
The study appeared in May in the journal Science.
24
It seems to confirm earlier findings about lecturing to large classes.
25
But some experts have criticized the way the study was done.
26
Both of the researchers who taught the class, Ms. Chaloux and Louis Delaurier, were also authors of the study.
27
This could raise questions about whether their involvement might have influenced the results.
28
Professor Wyman is currently on leave from the University of British Columbia and the University of Colorado.
29
He is the Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
30
He says research has shown better ways to teach based on evidence about how the brain learns.
31
And he hopes more professors will learn that how someone teaches may be more important than who does the teaching.
32
For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villareal.
33
You can find a link to the physics test that the students took at voaspecialenglish.com.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video provides an insightful look into the effectiveness of different teaching methods, particularly in the context of a physics course. By practicing speaking with this content, you can enhance your English speaking practice while simultaneously gaining knowledge about educational strategies. Engaging with the material allows you to adopt a clearer understanding of both scientific concepts and the language used to describe them.

Utilizing the shadowing technique with this video can significantly boost your fluency and comprehension. As you shadow speak, you’ll not only imitate the pronunciation and intonation of the speakers but also get the chance to articulate complex ideas in a structured format. The interactive teaching methods discussed demonstrate how verbal participation can dramatically enhance learning, allowing you to replicate this approach in your personal practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are prominently used. Here are a few important ones:

  • Comparative structures: Phrases like "nearly twice as high" illustrate how comparisons can emphasize differences in outcomes. This can help you articulate expressions of comparison in your English speaking practice.
  • Present perfect tense: The use of "has shown" indicates unspecified times before now. This tense is crucial for discussing research and findings in a more formal context.
  • Passive voice: The expression "was replaced" highlights actions where the doer is less important than the action itself, an essential structure in academic speaking.
  • Modal verbs: Phrases such as "may be" and "should" indicate possibility and recommendations, allowing you to express uncertainty or suggestions effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

In the video, several words and phrases may pose pronunciation challenges, especially for non-native speakers. Here are some noteworthy ones:

  • Interactive: The emphasis on the second syllable (in-ter-AC-tive) can be tricky; practicing this word using a shadowing app will help you align with native pronunciation.
  • Professor: The quick flow and connected speech often make it sound like "pro-fess-er." Ensure you maintain clarity when repeating this term.
  • Methods: Pay attention to the short vowel sound in "me-thods," which can sometimes be swallowed in fast speech.
  • Students: The "students" can be pronounced with varying amounts of stress on the syllables, making the first syllable more prominent.

By practicing these pronunciations and utilizing the shadowing technique, you can improve your spoken English and gain greater confidence in using these terms in conversations, whether academic or casual.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee