Finding out about seminars
In this activity you are going to listen to an interview with Elwyn, a university tutor, who is explaining what seminars in the UK are like.
Elwyn
Instruction
Listen to the interview with Elwyn to see how many of these points he mentions. Select the tick for the points that he mentions and the cross for those he doesn't mention. Then read the feedback to check your answers. You can listen to the interview as many times as you need to.
Seminars can be challenging if you are unfamiliar with this method of teaching.
Students are expected to take part by speaking in seminars.
Some students express their ideas spontaneously.
Seminar discussion may focus on a piece of reading or research.
It's not necessary to prepare in advance for seminars.
In seminars, the tutor guides the discussion and encourages the students to take part.
Learning through an exchange of views is central to most seminars.
Students should be willing to speak and listen to each others' opinions in seminars.
Audio transcript (pdf, 12kb).
Listen to the interview with Elwyn again with the transcript above if you need to check your understanding. The parts of the transcript containing the answers to the listening task are highlighted.