TEACHING LISTENING

WHAT IS LISTENING?

 Listening is the ability to

identify and understand
what others are saying.
This involves understanding
a speaker's accent or
pronunciation, his grammar
and his vocabulary, and
grasping his meaning.

 In Listening classes,
students are usually
given practice in listening
but they are not actually
taught listening. Practice
is not enough.

 The factors listed below

can help you judge the
relative ease or difficulty
of a listening text for a
particular purpose and a
particular group of
students.

1- How is the information

organized?

- Does the story line, narrative, or

instruction conform to familiar
expectations?

-Texts in which the events are

presented in natural
chronological order, main ideas
first, details and examples
second) are easier to follow.

2- How familiar are the

students with the topic?
Remember that misapplication
of background knowledge due
to cultural differences can
create major comprehension
difficulties.

3- Does the text involve multiple

individuals and objects?
- Are they clearly differentiated? It is

easier to understand a text with a

doctor and a patient than one with two
doctors, and it is even easier if they
are of the opposite sex. In other words,
the more marked the differences, the
easier the comprehension.

4- Does the text offer visual

support to aid in the
interpretation of what the
listeners hear? Visual aids
such as maps, diagrams,
pictures, or the images in a
video help contextualize the
listening input and provide
clues to meaning.

 We can divide the

listening process into
THREE stages:

 PRE-LISTENING:
(purpose must be given at
this stage)
DURING (IN-WHILE)
LISTENING
POST -LISTENING
(SPEAKING).

 Pre-listening Activities:

-The teacher asks the students what

they are going to listen to.
- A discussion atmosphere is tried to
be created.
-At this stage Prepare your learners
by introducing the topic and finding
out what they already know about it.

 - A good way to do this is to have a

brainstorming session and some
discussion questions related to the
topic.
- Then provide any necessary
background information and new
vocabulary they will need for the
listening activity.

 During Listening
Activities: While
students are listening to
the tape the teacher asks
them to take some notes.

 First time: Get the gist.

(Play tape without
stopping.)
(Focus on main ideas and
themes.)

 Second time: Listen for

details (Stop tape if
necessary .)
Focus on individual words,
idioms, ideas.
Give students a task
(something to listen for).

 Ask them to fill in the

gabs or circle an answers
which are easily picked
up

 Post-listening activity :
(speaking)

Comprehension check .
Expand topic.
Follow-up discussion
Cultural aspects.
Relate to their lives
(Personalization)

Example:
Daily activity

Woman: So, what's your usual day like? You always seem
so busy.
Man: Well, I usually get up around 5:00 a.m. and work on
the computer until 6:00 a.m.
Woman: Why do you get up so early?
Man: Well, I have to leave home at twenty to seven (6:40
a.m.) so I can catch a bus at 7:00 o'clock . It takes me
about twenty minutes to walk to the bus stop from my
house.
Woman: And what time do you get to work?
Man: Uh, my bus takes about an hour to get there, but it
stops right in front of my office.
Woman: That's nice. And what time do you get off work?
Man: Uh, around 5:00 o'clock. Then, we eat dinner
around 6:30, and my wife and I read and play with the
kids until 8:00 or so.

 Woman: So, when do you work on your website? You said

one time that you create it at home?
Man: Well, my wife and I often watch TV or talk until 10:00
o'clock. She then often reads while I work on my site, and I
sometimes stay up until the early hours of the morning, but
I try to finish everything by one or two.
Woman: And then you get up at 5:00 a.m.?
Man: Well, yeah, but it's important to live a balanced life. I
enjoy what I do, but you have to set aside time for family
and yourself.
Woman: I agree.
Man: But I think my wife has the toughest job. She spends
her whole day taking care of our family . . . taking the kids
to school, working in the garden, buying groceries, taking
the kids to piano lessons . . . [ Wow! ] That's a full-time job,
but she enjoys what she does.
Woman: Well, it sounds you're a busy, but lucky man.
Man: I think so too.

 Pre-Listening Exercises :
What is your daily schedule?
What time do you wake up and
go to work or school?
What do you do when you get
home?
What time do you go to bed?

Listening Exercises
1- What time does the man get
up?
A. at 5:00 a.m.
B. at 6:00 a.m.
C. at 7:00 a.m.

2. What time does he get to

work?
A. at 7:00 a.m.
B. at 8:00 a.m.
C. at 9:00 a.m.

3. What does he do with his

family around 6:30 p.m.?
A. They read books
together
B. They play games.
C. They eat dinner.

 Woman: So, what's your usual day like?

You always seem so (--------).
Man: Well, I (-------) get up around 5:00 a.m.
and work on the computer until 6:00 a.m.
Woman: Why do you get up so early?
Man: Well, I have to (--------) home at twenty
to seven (6:40 a.m.) so I can catch a bus at
7:00 o'clock . It takes me about twenty
minutes to walk to the bus stop from my
house.
Woman: And what time do you get to work?

 Students of low levels:

they listen to a relevant tape , then
you ask them to:
- fill in the blanks. No more than one
word in each short paragraph.
- listen to a sentence, then select
the sentence they heard from two or
three choices not more .

 Example:

our new neighbor is a

dentist.
1- our new neighbor is a
scientist.
2- our new neighbor is a
cyclist.

 The following ideas will

help make your listening
activities successful:

1- Noise
Reduce distractions and
noise during the listening
segment.

 2- Play the text a total of 2-3 times.

Tell students in advance you will
repeat it. This will reduce their
anxiety about not catching it all the
first time. Copy the recording three
times so you don't need to rewind.
The reader should not simply read
three times, because students want
to hear exact repetition of the
pronunciation, intonation, and pace,
not just the words.

 3- Content:
The material should be
interesting and
appropriate for your class
level in topic, speed, and
vocabulary.