Origami as an educational tool: listening answers and explanations
Two trainee teachers, Seb and Lia, discuss a video of a primary school lesson using origami. They talk about the skills the children showed, comment on five children in the class, and discuss the teacher's preparation, why origami isn't used more, and how they could use it in their own maths teaching.
In order. The skills (21-22) come first. 'Shall we talk about the individual children we saw on the video?' starts 23-27, with the children in the same order as the list. 'One reason why the origami activity worked so well' leads into 28-30. Seb and Lia share the answers, and 29 depends on them agreeing.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: Separate what the children actually did in the video from what Seb and Lia say could happen in other lessons. 'It would also be interesting to see' and 'with younger children you could' introduce ideas that weren't shown.
Question 21-22
Answer: B and D (in either order)From Lia's 'It was interesting to see the educational skills'
Which two educational skills did the video show?
you could see them really listening hard to make sure they did all the steps in the right order … the children were all having fun while being taught something new.
Question says → You hear
following instructionsdid all the steps in the right order
learning through playhaving fun while being taught something new
Why: B: listening hard and doing the steps in the right order is following instructions. D: having fun while learning something new is learning through play.
The trap: C, working cooperatively, is Seb's idea for another lesson: 'In this lesson they were working individually'. A, solving problems, is also only a suggestion, and E is about younger children.
Matching (A-G)
Questions 23-27
How to attack this block: Five children, seven comments, two left over. Each child gets a short exchange, and the first thing said is often the before, not the result (Sid was disruptive, Naomi was losing interest, Zara's bird turned out fine). Wait for the main point.
Question 23
Answer: D'Let's start with Sid'
What do they say about Sid?
He really benefited from having to use his hands - it helped him to settle down and start concentrating.
Question says → You hear
seemed to find the activity calmingit helped him to settle down
Why: Settling down after being disruptive means the activity calmed him: D.
The trap: 'Disruptive' comes first, but that's how he was before the origami started.
Question 24
Answer: A'What about Jack?'
What do they say about Jack?
I noticed he seemed to want to work things out for himself. … You could see him trying out different things rather than asking the teacher for help.
Question says → You hear
demonstrated independencework things out for himself
Why: Working things out for himself is independence: A.
The trap: B uses 'teacher' and 'help', but Jack did the opposite: 'rather than asking the teacher for help'.
Question 25
Answer: C'What did you make of Naomi?'
What do they say about Naomi?
she decided she wanted her mouse to be the best and that motivated her to try harder.
Question says → You hear
developed a competitive attitudewanted her mouse to be the best
Why: Wanting hers to be the best and trying harder is a competitive attitude: C.
The trap: E is the opposite: Lia says 'She didn't seem satisfied with hers in the end'.
Question 26
Answer: G'Anya was such a star'
What do they say about Anya?
She listened so carefully and then produced the perfect bird with very little effort.
Question says → You hear
seemed to find the activity easywith very little effort
Why: 'Very little effort' means she found it easy, and Seb adds the teacher could have made it harder for her: G.
The trap: A perfect bird might make you think she was pleased with it (E), but nobody says how she felt about the result.
Question 27
Answer: FThe last child, 'I think it was the first time Zara had come across origami'
What do they say about Zara?
She looked as if she didn't really get what was going on. … She seemed unsure about what she was supposed to do
Question says → You hear
seemed confuseddidn't really get what was going on / seemed unsure
Why: Not getting what was going on and being unsure what to do is being confused: F.
The trap: 'Hers didn't turn out too badly' sounds like E, but it's a comment on the result, not how she felt. Both students describe her as unsure.
Multiple choice
Questions 28-30
How to attack this block: Three opinions near the end. For 29 the question says 'agree', so ignore Lia's first idea, which Seb rejects. For 30 listen for what is 'coming up soon' in their class.
Question 28
Answer: A'the teacher was well prepared'
What should the teacher do before an origami lesson?
I think it would have taken me ages to prepare examples. … much better for them to be able to hold something, rather than just looking at pictures.
Question says → You hear
make models that demonstrate the different stagesprepare examples … of the steps involved
Why: The teacher made physical examples of each step, and both students say it was a really good idea: A.
The trap: Verbal explanations are mentioned, but the point is that the models supported them, not that children were taught terminology (B).
Question 29
Answer: B'It's strange that origami isn't used more widely'
Why might teachers not want to use origami?
I bet it's because so many teachers are clumsy like me. … That's true - too much effort required if you're not good with your hands.
Question says → You hear
not have the necessary skillsso many teachers are clumsy / not good with your hands
Why: Being clumsy and not good with your hands means lacking the skills, and Lia agrees: 'That's true': B.
The trap: Seb says it's 'no different to any other craft activity', which rejects Lia's first idea, not crafts being unimportant (A). 'Too much effort' is about skill, not time (C).
Question 30
Answer: CNear the end, 'I think we should try it out in our maths teaching practice'
Why will they use origami in their maths teaching practice?
I think it would also work really well for presenting fractions. which is coming up soon.
Question says → You hear
to introduce a new conceptpresenting fractions. which is coming up soon
Why: Fractions are 'coming up soon', so origami would present a new topic: C.
The trap: Lia's point that the kids 'might struggle with' fractions sounds like a challenge (B) or a misunderstanding (A), but it's a reason origami will help, not the purpose. Geometric shapes and symmetry have already been covered.
Teamwork (C) and problem solving (A) are both mentioned, but as ideas for a different lesson. In the video the children worked individually, following the steps and having fun.
Zara's bird 'didn't turn out too badly', which tempts E. The comment is about how she seemed during the task: unsure and not getting what was going on, so confused.
Lia first suggests children may find it unappealing, and Seb rejects that. They agree on the next idea: teachers are clumsy and not good with their hands.
Words from this recording worth keeping
in a whole new light(Start of the discussion)
in a completely different way
individually(Skills in the video)
on their own, not in groups
fine motor skills(Skills in the video)
control of small movements, especially with the hands
disruptive(The children)
causing problems that stop a class working
motivated(The children)
made someone want to do something
clumsy(Why origami isn't used)
moving or handling things awkwardly
reinforcing(Maths teaching practice)
making knowledge stronger
symmetry(Maths teaching practice)
the quality of two halves being exactly the same
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 18 Test 4 listening paper with the real audio: all four parts, played once, marked the moment you finish. Already done it? Take it again and listen for the traps this page showed you.
Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 4, Listening Part 3. The recording, transcript and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts of the transcript only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full material, or sit the test on Langujet.
