Teaching Listening Skills in the ESL Classroom
Teaching Listening
Reasons for Listening
There are several reasons to incorporate listening activities in the ESL classroom:
- Spoken language often differs significantly from written language.
- Listening improves students’ pronunciation by exposing them to appropriate pitch and intonation.
- Listening texts serve as excellent pronunciation models.
- Exposure to various English accents broadens students’ understanding, but teachers should exercise judgment in selecting the varieties used.
Different Kinds of Listening
We can distinguish between two main types of listening:
Intensive Listening
Intensive listening involves detailed analysis of language or listening for specific information. This type of listening helps students develop specific listening skills and analyze how English is spoken.
Extensive Listening
Extensive listening focuses on gaining a general understanding of a longer recording. Students prioritize meaning over form and are exposed to extended stretches of language. The goal is to provide ample target language input.
Listening Resources
There are two primary listening resources:
- Recorded Extracts: These offer controlled and repeatable listening experiences.
- Live Listening: This involves real-life interactions in the classroom, providing a dynamic and engaging experience.
The main advantage of live listening is the opportunity for students to interact with the speaker, making the experience more interactive and exciting.
Listening Principles
- Encourage Frequent Listening: The more students listen, the better their listening skills become. Integrate listening activities regularly and encourage students to listen to English outside of class.
- Prepare Students for Listening: Help students get ready to listen by using visuals, discussing the topic, and activating prior knowledge.
- Repetition is Key: Rarely will playing an audio track once be sufficient. Students benefit from multiple listenings to grasp details they might have missed initially.
- Focus on Content and Meaning: Encourage students to engage with the meaning and message of the listening material, not just the language itself.
- Vary Tasks Based on Listening Stage: Initial listening tasks should be straightforward and general, while later tasks can focus on specific details, language use, or pronunciation.
- Maximize Text Exploitation: Utilize listening texts for various purposes beyond the initial listening activity. Explore vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation aspects of the text.
Listening Levels and Authenticity
Expose students to diverse listening genres and consider the authenticity of the materials. Authentic speech refers to language used by native speakers in real-life situations. Aim to incorporate authentic English as soon as appropriate for the students’ level.
Listening Skills
Students need to develop a range of listening skills, including recognizing paralinguistic cues (e.g., intonation), listening for specific information, and understanding general meaning. The required skills will vary depending on the genre of the listening material.
Listening Sequences
Jigsaw Listening
Jigsaw listening provides a purpose and goal for students. Divide students into groups and have each group listen to a different recording on the same topic. Students then share information and piece together the complete picture.
Message-Taking
Students listen to a recorded phone message or announcement and write down the key information. This activity can be adapted to various contexts, such as airport or train station announcements.
Music and Sound Effects
Songs and instrumental music offer engaging listening activities. Students can fill in missing lyrics, identify instruments, or describe the mood evoked by the music.
News and Other Radio Genres
Students can listen to news broadcasts and identify specific topics or the order in which they are presented. Other radio genres, such as interviews or talk shows, can also be used.
Poetry
Poetry readings can be used to explore mood, imagery, and language. Students can discuss their interpretations and analyze the poet’s use of language.
Stories
Storytelling provides opportunities for students to follow narratives, identify characters, and predict outcomes. Teachers can ask comprehension questions or have students retell the story in their own words.
Monologues
Various monologue genres, such as speeches or interviews, can be used for listening tasks. Students can identify the speaker’s opinion, summarize the main points, or compare different perspectives.
Audio and Video
Choosing Appropriate Material
Select video material that matches the students’ level and interests. Overly difficult or simplistic content can demotivate learners. Video offers visual support but can also distract students from the audio content.
Video Techniques for Language Learners
- Play the Video Without Sound: Students predict the conversation based on visual cues. Then, play the video with sound to confirm or revise their predictions.
- Play the Audio Without the Picture: Students focus solely on the audio information and create mental images. Then, show the video to compare their interpretations with the actual visuals.
- Freeze Frame: Pause the video at a key moment and ask students to predict what will happen next.
- Divide the Class in Half: One half watches the video while the other half listens to their descriptions. This encourages active listening and descriptive language.