Listening Techniques

7/25/2019 Listening Techniques

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WHAT IS INVOLVED

IN THE TEACHING OF

LISTENING?

It is also undeniable that students do much

more listening than speaking in a regular

class (with few exceptions speaking activities

area interactive and also imply listening to

the interlocutor to carry out tasks) and that

is one of the reasons why listening should be

given serious attention. Students are moreexposed to input than to real opportunities

to produce language orally. In fact, Brown

also points out researchers conclusions that

stress the crucial importance of whatever

mental processes were brought to bear on

the learners converting input into intake.

Brown (2001) rightly states that it is by listening that we internalize linguistic

information; that listening is the skill without which we cannot produce language.

This is clear evidence that, as Brown says, the work with listening comprehension

cannot be underestimated in the language classroom.

More than just being exposed to certain input what counts (for the learner) is

the linguistic information that you ultimately glean from that exposure through

conscious and subconscious attention, through cognitive strategies of retention,

through feedback, and through interaction. It is the difference between what is

said (input) and what is actually retained (intake) that will determine the learners

success in listening comprehension.


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LISTENING

TECHNIQUES

Techniques are necessary in the sense that they organize and focus the listening

task. They are essential as in the classroom context we deal with learning situations

which presuppose experimentation, rehearsal and construction. Brown (2001)

presents six principles that can permeate the designing of listening techniques:

1. Listening techniques have to lead tolistening competence and should be given

the same importance other linguistic aspects

receive in the classroom. As mentioned before,

listening techniques are to promote successful

comprehension.

2.Listening techniques should appeal to listenersinterests and goals. Students background

knowledge and teachers information about

students play an important part in success in

comprehension. Techniques have to be motivating

so as to interest students and stimulate them to

search for the information in the task.

3. Real-life tasks can also be very motivating.The use of authentic language and contexts show

students the relevance of the activity and its

connection within the communicative approach.

Students naturally feel drawn to both the task and

the passage.


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LISTENING

TECHNIQUES

4. Tasks can verify if students were able to pick up those specic pieces ofinformation. However, there may be successful comprehension of other aspects

that were not contemplated in the task. Verication of the listening ability is, then,

partial and biased. That is why techniques have to be varied and aimed at different

strategies. Brown (2001) lists some:

outlines or notes on a message

expansion of what was heard

translation or repetition of the passage

practice based on the passage

practice based on the processing of the information

DOING

CHOOSING

TRANSFERRING

ANSWERING

CONDENSING

EXTENDING

DUPLICATING

MODELING

CONVERSING

physical response to a command

selection from alternatives

selection from alternatives

answering questions about the message


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TECHNIQUES

5. Listening techniques should also encourage the development of listeningstrategies. Students have to be aware of how to listen. It is the teachers job to

provide students with strategies that they can also take outside the classroom.

Once again, by recognizing that the classroom knowledge can be useful when

students are exposed to real life situations of comprehension, they will naturally

be motivated and ready to transfer strategies from one context to the other.

Brown (2001) presents some of these strategies:

Looking for key word

Looking for non-verbal cues to meaning

Predicting a speakers purpose by the context of the spoken discourse

Activating background knowledge

Guessing at meanings

Seeking clarication

Listening for the general gist

Test-taking strategies for listening comprehension


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LISTENING

TECHNIQUESPenny Ur (1996) also brings her views on listening activities. She organizes her

classication in terms of listening skill, level of difculty, etc. She takes into

consideration the amount and complexity of response demanded of the learner.

1.One type of activity can be the one thatdoesnt require actual linguistic answer.

Learners can respond via facial expressions

or body language, for example. Typically this

can be the alternative when dealing with

stories, songs, movies, etc.

2.Activities that presuppose short responses are also very popular:

Obeying instructions (performing actions, drawing, etc.)

Ticking off items (items in lists, information mentioned, etc.)

True or false (indicating whether statements are right or wrong) Detecting mistakes (indicating the false information in a passage)

Cloze (lling in gaps according to the information in the passage)

Guessing denitions (identifying elements based on the information in the passage)

Skimming (providing the general topic in the passage)

Scanning (providing specic information about content in the passage)


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LISTENING

TECHNIQUES3.Other activities require more detailed answers:

Answering questions (providing the information requested)

Note-taking (providing the information requested in note form)

Paraphrasing (using different words to reproduce the passage)

Translating (using mother tongue to reproduce the passage)

Summarizing (providing a summary of the content of the passage)

Long gap-lling (complementing parts of the passage)


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LISTENING

TECHNIQUES3.Ur (1996) explains that certain activities can be considered a jump-off pointto extend work on the other three skills. They are integrating listening activities:

Problem-solving (using information from the passage to carry out discussions

or argumentative texts)

Interpretation (using information from the passage for analysis and discussion).

The more activities are varied, the more students will develop different strategiesand make progress towards successful comprehension. Teachers have to be

prepared to provide for such variety, if it is not offered by the course book.

Listening Techniques

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