M4 Week 4 - 1665095020

Listening Strategies
Objectives:
1. Find out the importance of teaching listening skills
2. Determine teaching strategies for listening
3. Apply listening strategies in teaching
A number of difficulties arise while trying to teach listening skills. It is one of

the most ephemeral linguistic abilities and is challenging to comprehend,
teach, and evaluate.
Without checking to see if they understood you correctly after each statement,
how can you be sure? The focus of reading, the other "receptive" language
skill, is primarily on understanding another speaker's production; however,
while the teacher has some understanding of how to teach someone to read
in English by teaching context clues, for example, to help students
comprehend text, how do you really teach someone to listen better? (And
students are frequently programmed to respond "yes" even when they didn't.)
However, despite the fact that teaching listening skills in English may appear
confusing, there are really a number of rules that apply.
Principles for Good Listening
1. Pay Attention. Even fluent speakers require assistance with this. Observe
the speaker closely. Look at them because their body language and facial
emotions may convey just as much information as their words. For instance,
if what the speaker is saying is significant to him or her, there will often be
more interaction with the listener in terms of eye contact and hand
movements. Additionally, it's simple to misinterpret what someone truly said
if you are not paying attention to them and are preoccupied with something
else, like reading or texting.
2. Practice Active Listening. When you don't understand or simply want to

make sure you understood what was said, ask the speaker to speak more
slowly or to repeat themselves. Restate what you believe you heard the other
person say since there is frequently a discrepancy between what we believe
we heard and what the speaker intended. By telling the speaker what you
heard, you may close this gap. For instance, you could say, "So what I'm
hearing from you is that you would prefer more calm and less distractions
after 9 p.m. in order for you to study. This is known as "active listening," in
which the listening portion of a conversation becomes as active as the
speaking portion in communicating a message. This not only aids the speaker
in organizing his thoughts and making clear what he wants to communicate,
but also aids the listener in understanding what the speaker is saying. For
instance, the speaker may be sputtering something about the late hour and
her test the following day without consciously realizing what she is trying to
ask for.
3. Give emphasis on Structure. In a formal lecture or speech, the speaker

will typically let you know how the discourse will be structured in advance:
"Today we will discuss the two types of diabetes, Type One and Type Two,
although as we will see, there is some overlap—" and what will come next is
a description of Types One and Two, with the overlap likely addressed at the
end. These things, referred to as "discourse markers," genuinely assist the
audience in following and comprehending the presentation. Even in less formal
discussion, speakers will frequently organize their speech, particularly if they
want to be understood.
4. Look for Markers. Even in casual conversation, the speaker frequently

employs less formal markers: for instance, "I think what I meant was….." is
frequently used before a main point. In formal lectures, the speaker also
typically "marks" main points with key phrases: "My point is..." or "On the
contrary, some people may say...."
5. Be ready for Key Words. Which phrases does the speaker highlight? Let's
discuss about the TIME we will meet tomorrow...." indicates that the time of
tomorrow's meeting is the major topic, as does the marker. Usually the
speaker will let you know by emphasizing the main point. Additionally, certain
words denote significance by themselves, such as "problems," as seen above:
everything that comes after "issues" is significant. "Concerns" and "points"
are other important keywords that denote significance.
Principles of Teaching Listening
Making it explicit
Even native speakers who regularly employ markers or key words may not
have given these devices much conscious attention. Making explicit how to
interpret and handle interactions, which may have been unclear (for example,
why a buddy becomes angry at your student for neglecting a voiced
"problem"), is typically welcomed by introducing certain crucial indicators and
words. Key concepts like "active listening" and "discourse marker" should also
be defined and shown.
Doing Practice
Since we are accustomed to either sitting quietly while a speaker finishes his
or her speech (or diatribe, if the speaker is angry), interrupting when we
believe the speaker is wrong, sitting and formulating our next move, etc., this
may be particularly crucial when active listening, which is a skill that very few
people, native or nonnative, truly possess. The benefits of stronger
connections and listening abilities outweigh the work required for active
listening.
Modeling
A model is required for novel ideas, such as active listening. Traditional print
sample conversations, movie clips, and instructor modeling with willing
students can all be used to give this.
Strategies in Teaching Listening
1. Focus on teaching listening as a skill.

Give them clear breakdowns of the skill, and then have them practice, role-
play, create posters, and dramatize scenarios. To assist with this, provide
positive reinforcement, and/or give kids praise when they use a skill
effectively.
2. Be a role model of good listening

We don't truly listen to students very frequently because we are preoccupied
with how we will respond to them. To improve your own listening, use the
"counselling" skill of restating or rephrasing what pupils say. Ask pupils to
reiterate your viewpoints or those of others. In class discussions, pair or group
projects, or individual talks, insist on one person speaking at a time. Draw the
class's attention to your listening when working with younger grades, and then
have higher grades dissect what good listening sounds like, feels like, and
looks like.
3. Getting to know your students help

Learn about their passions, pastimes, favorite music and sports, families, etc.
Children will pay greater attention to teachers they believe are interested in
and familiar with them. Apply memory techniques, look up school pictures, or
take notes when teaching up to 150 students at a high school so that you may
use the information in your discussions with the students. See a few of our
posts for tips on how to develop rapport with pupils.
4. Use of reflective listening activities

Reflective reading can be used to diffuse difficult circumstances. A student's
feelings are validated when a teacher says, "Joey, I can tell you're angry
(disappointed, irritated, or unhappy)." The teacher also gives the student the
words to explain those feelings, which can help the student move on by easing
the intensity of those feelings. You may learn about pupils' emotional states
by listening to them speak.
5. Giving your student a voice is also for listening

Allow your students to voice their opinions and discuss topics that affect them,
such as their learning, assessments, classrooms, and school values. Students
need to feel heard and understood. If people believe they have been heard,
they will be more willing to accept the current situation. How Does Student
Voice Fare?
6. Talk less inside the class
Kids can successfully listen for around half their age in minutes, which is
approximately 5 minutes for a child of 10 and approximately 7.5 minutes for
a child of 15! Change up the classroom activities so that students are
speaking, writing, moving, and listening in different ways.
7. Put “Cold Calling” into good use

Have you ever observed that the same 4 or 5 kids consistently respond to
questions? Introduce cold calling (no hands up), in which any student may be
asked to provide the class with an explanation of a subject or a solution to a
query. Dylan William uses the straightforward tactic of putting the names of
the pupils on paddle pop sticks before picking a name at random to choose
who gets to answer. Create a culture of risk-taking in your classroom by
promoting thinking rather than focusing on getting the "right" answer to
guarantee that kids feel comfortable to "have a try."
8. Observe students behavior

What message is their behavior trying to convey? You may learn a lot about
your efficacy as a teacher and how you can improve to better support student
learning by paying attention to what students think and feel about the
assignments they are given to complete and the method they are being
taught. According to John Hattie, one of the factors most strongly influencing
student success is teacher feedback.
References:
1. Brian Tomlinson (editor), 2012, “Developing Materials for Language
Teaching,” Bloomsbury, USA
2. Julie Norton and Heather Buchanan, 2022, “The Routledge Handbook of
Materials Development for Language Teaching,” Routledge, USA
3. Brian Tomlinson (editor), 2022, “Developing Materials for Language
Teaching 3rd Edition,” Bloomsbury, USA
4. www.tesolonline.com

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Listening Strategies

A number of difficulties arise while trying to teach listening skills. It is one of

Principles for Good Listening

2. Practice Active Listening. When you don't understand or simply want to

3. Give emphasis on Structure. In a formal lecture or speech, the speaker

4. Look for Markers. Even in casual conversation, the speaker frequently

1. Focus on teaching listening as a skill.

2. Be a role model of good listening

3. Getting to know your students help

4. Use of reflective listening activities

5. Giving your student a voice is also for listening

7. Put “Cold Calling” into good use

8. Observe students behavior

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