This FREE Tool Instantly Creates Listening Tasks (It’s Genius!)

I’ve got another tech tool to help learners with their listening and I think you’re going to love to it! Want to know what it is? Keep watching...

If this is the first time we’re meeting, I’m Jo Gakonga, I’m a teacher educator, a CELTA and MA tutor and I’ve also got a website at ELT-Training.com where I make video-based material for teachers at all stages of their careers. Check it out and don’t forget to like and subscribe if you want to see more- I make a new video every week.

A quick heads up and thank you to Nik Peachey who showed me this tool in his monthly newsletter. The link’s in the description if you want to sign up- and I’d highly recommend it.

Listening is often an issue for learners- it’s just difficult- and sometimes you want something simple that fits the lesson and the learners you’re teaching that isn’t either too fast, too hard, or, frankly, just a bit boring.

The answer- as it often is with lesson preparation- is to make your own. But that brings up all kinds of problems too. Who’s got the time to sit there recording their own audio, editing out the bits where you cough or the dog barks and I know many English teachers feel (probably needlessly) self-conscious about their accent, especially if English isn’t their first language.

That’s where this little gem comes in: Speechma.com.

It’s a text to speech tool- and yes, I know there are a lot of other tools like this out there- but this is nice because it’s completely free, it seems to work well and you can choose whether you have a male or female voice and there’s a range of accents. Better still, you can control the speed so it’s great for lower levels.

Let me show you…

How It Works (It’s Easy!)
I’m going to take you through it step by step. Promise, it’s really quick.

Step 1: Write your text.
This could be a short news report, a story… whatever fits your lesson. And if you’re stuck for ideas? Get ChatGPT to help you out.

Step 2: Copy and paste it into Speechma.
Pop it straight into the box on the homepage.

Step 3: Choose a voice.
Male, female, different accents—and they’re all really clear, which makes a big difference for learners.

Step 4: Adjust the speed.
If you’ve got lower-level learners, slowing it down a little is really helpful. (And they won’t even know you’ve done it)

Step 5: Download it.
Click download and that’s it! You’ve got yourself an audio file you can use for listening practice, homework or any task you fancy.

You can also get it to translate the text into other languages if you want to. Look, I’ll leave you to find a good use for that!

How You Can Use It
So what can you do with these listening texts? Loads of things!

✔️ Set up simple gap-fill tasks or comprehension questions.

✔️ Do a dictogloss with it- my favourite activity!

✔️ Give it to them as a link and get them to practice shadow reading at home.

✔️ Or just use it to give them more exposure to listening in class or for homework.

And because you made it yourself (with a little help from Speechma), it’s exactly the right level and content for your learners.

If you want to try it out, head over to Speechma.com. I’ll put the link below so you can find it easily.

And… if you’re looking for more practical, easy-to-use ideas like this- especially if you’re wanting to feel a bit more confident with planning lessons or teaching pronunciation and grammar- come and have a look at The Next Step.

It’s my programme designed to help teachers just like you who want to refresh their skills, build confidence and make teaching feel a bit more manageable and a lot more enjoyable!

There’s weekly input with emails to remind you and a workbook to guide you through and a lovely community of like-minded teachers who get what it’s like and monthly live teacher chats with me. I’ll pop the link for that below, too.

Wrap Up
Right! That’s it from me for now. Go and have a play with Speechma, and if you do, let me know how you get on. I’d love to hear.

See you soon!