WHAT IS INVOLVED

IN THE TEACHING OF
LISTENING?
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.
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 more
exposed 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.
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.

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 to

listening 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 listeners

interests 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.

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
4.

Tasks can verify if students were able to pick up those specific pieces of
information. However, there may be successful comprehension of other aspects
that were not contemplated in the task. Verification 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:

DOING

physical response to a command

CHOOSING

selection from alternatives

TRANSFERRING
ANSWERING

answering questions about the message

CONDENSING

outlines or notes on a message

EXTENDING

expansion of what was heard

DUPLICATING
MODELING
CONVERSING

selection from alternatives

translation or repetition of the passage

practice based on the passage

practice based on the processing of the information

3

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
5.

Listening techniques should also encourage the development of listening

strategies. 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 clarification

Listening for the general gist

Test-taking strategies for listening comprehension

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
5.

Listening techniques have to

consider the notions of bottomup and top-down processing.
Bottom-up techniques are the
ones which proceed from
sounds to words to grammatical
relations to lexical meanings,
etc., to a final message. Topdown processing is evoked from
a bank of prior knowledge and
global expectations (Morley
1991:87) and other background information (schemata) that the listener brings
to the text. Brown (2001) emphasizes that learners should operate from both
directions since they offer keys to determining the meaning of spoken discourse.

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
Penny Ur (1996) also brings her views on listening activities. She organizes her
classification in terms of listening skill, level of difficulty, etc. She takes into
consideration the amount and complexity of response demanded of the learner.

1.

One type of activity can be the one that

doesnt 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 (filling in gaps according to the information in the passage)
Guessing definitions (identifying elements based on the information in the passage)
Skimming (providing the general topic in the passage)
Scanning (providing specific information about content in the passage)

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
3. 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-filling (complementing parts of the passage)

LISTENING
TECHNIQUES
3. Ur (1996) explains that certain activities can be considered a jump-off point
to 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 strategies
and make progress towards successful comprehension. Teachers have to be
prepared to provide for such variety, if it is not offered by the course book.