Shadowing Practice: Science experiment for Year 12 students: Đề thi IELTS LISTENING (actual test) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Part 3 You will hear a trainee science teacher called Claire talking about her practical teaching work to another trainee called Jake.
2
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.
3
Thank you.
4
questions 21 to 25.
5
Hi, Jake.
6
How are you getting on with the practical teaching?
7
It's harder than I expected, but I've got some great classes.
8
How about you?
9
Not brilliant.
10
I'm really struggling with my Year 12 science class.
11
Are they hard to control?
12
Well, I don't have discipline problems as such.
13
It's just that they don't seem to think
14
that science has anything to do with their lives it's depressing they listen to what i say
15
and i gave them a test last week and the results weren't too bad but there's no real engagement right
16
and as part of my teaching practice i have to design
17
an experiment for them to do i was wondering about something
18
on the children's diets you know asking them to record what they eat and maybe linking it to their state of health?
19
Hmm, let's think.
20
So your methodology would involve the children recording what they eat,
21
okay, but you'd also need to have access to the children's medical records, and I don't think people would be happy about that.
22
Confidentiality would be an issue.
23
If you could get the right data, the conclusions might be significant, but I suspect it's not going to be easy.
24
Right.
25
Have you thought about doing an experiment using animals?
26
Wouldn't that be upsetting for the children?
27
Well, the animals don't have to be harmed in any way.
28
It could just be an experiment where they're given a certain diet and the effects are observed.
29
Would I have to get permission to use these animals?
30
Yes.
31
You'd have to submit an outline of the experiment and fill in a form, but it's quite straightforward.
32
But if we found out that, say, a particular diet affects the health of animals, the same thing wouldn't necessarily be true for people, would it?
33
No, that's true.
34
But the findings for any experiment are going to be limited.
35
It's inevitable.
36
I suppose so.
37
So what animals could I use to investigate the effects of diet?
38
Mice?
39
Yes.
40
You'd need experimental mice, ones that have been specially bred for experiments.
41
OK, so what will your experiment be investigating exactly?
42
Well, something to do with nutrition.
43
So maybe we could look at food supplements, things like extra iron and extra protein and their impact on health.
44
That might be rather broad.
45
Maybe just look at the effects of one supplement, like sugar, on the health of the mice.
46
In fact, maybe the focus could be on whether mice can control their own diet.
47
So what happens when they have access to more sugar that they don't really need?
48
Exactly.
49
Do they eat it or do they decide to leave it?
50
Great.
51
Then later on you could do a follow-up experiment adding another variable.
52
Like you could give some of the mice the chance to be more active, running on a wheel or something, and the others just sit around and don't do much.
53
Or I could repeat the experiment, but change the type of food I provided, or use mice with a different genetic structure.
54
But I think your idea would be more interesting.
55
I might think about that some more.
56
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.
57
Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.
58
So, can I talk through a possible procedure for the experiment where mice are given a sugar supplement?
59
Sure.
60
I did a similar experiment in college, actually.
61
Great.
62
So, how many mice would I need?
63
I'd say about 12, and all young ones, not a mixture of old and young.
64
OK.
65
And I'd need two groups of equal sizes, so six in each group.
66
And how would I tell them apart?
67
I suppose I could put some sort of tag on one group or just mark them in some way.
68
You could use food colouring.
69
That wouldn't hurt them.
70
Perfect.
71
Then each group would go into a separate cage and one group, let's call them group A, would be the control group.
72
So they'd just have ordinary mouse food.
73
I suppose you can buy that?
74
Yes, it comes in dry pellets.
75
And the other group would have the same as the first group, but they'd also have the extra sugar.
76
Would you just give them straight sugar?
77
It might be better to give them something like cereal with it.
78
Hmm.
79
Then you'd need to weigh the mice, I should think, once a week.
80
And you'd need an electronic balance.
81
But we can't hold them on the balance, or it'd affect the reading.
82
Exactly.
83
so you need something called a weighing chamber to stop the mice from running away.
84
It sounds complicated but actually you can just use a plastic box with holes in the top.
85
OK.
86
So once we've measured the weight gain of each mouse we
87
can work out the average for each group as well as the standard deviation and then see where we go from there.
88
That sounds cool.
89
I think the students will enjoy it.
90
Yes.
91
One thing you must remember...
92
Thank you.
93
Thank you.

Context & Background

In this engaging dialogue, we hear from Claire, a trainee science teacher, and her peer, Jake. They discuss the challenges of teaching Year 12 students, particularly in making science relatable and engaging. Claire shares her experience of designing an experiment to help her students realize the practical implications of science in everyday life, especially concerning nutrition and its impact on health. Their conversation underscores the importance of practical applications in learning, revealing both the hurdles and potential of engaging students through hands-on experimentation.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I’m really struggling with my Year 12 science class.” - A candid expression of difficulty, which can be used in many contexts.
  • “It’s harder than I expected.” - A great way to discuss challenges in any new situation.
  • “I suspect it’s not going to be easy.” - A phrase to imply doubt about the simplicity of a task.
  • “Could you get the right data?” - Useful when discussing information collection and research.
  • “The findings for any experiment are going to be limited.” - A thoughtful statement that can apply to various fields.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To improve your English speaking skills using this video, follow these steps to effectively use a shadowing app or any shadowing site you prefer:

  1. Listen Attentively: Watch the video once without pausing, and focus on the general context of the conversation. Try to grasp the main ideas discussed by Claire and Jake.
  2. Break it Down: Replay the video in segments, pausing after each sentence or important phrase. Repeat aloud what you hear, mimicking the exact pronunciation and intonation. Use this opportunity to work on your IELTS speaking practice.
  3. Practice Shadowing: Utilize a shadow speak method where you speak simultaneously with the audio. This helps in developing a natural rhythm and flow in your spoken English.
  4. Focus on Key Phrases: Emphasize the top phrases listed above. Incorporate them into your everyday conversations to enhance your vocabulary.
  5. Review & Reflect: After practicing, watch the video once more and notice how your comprehension and pronunciation have improved. Evaluate your progress and set new goals for your next sessions.

Consistent practice using effective methods like shadowing can vastly improve your fluency and listening skills. Embrace the journey of learning with enthusiasm, and leverage modern tools such as your preferred shadowing app to fine-tune your skills!

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.