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HOW CAN TEACHERS TEACH LISTENING
Teshaboyeva Nafisa Zubaydulla qizi
Scientific advisor: Jizzakh branch of the National
University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulug’bek
The faculty of psychology, the department of Foreign languages:
Philology and teaching languages: English
Eshimova Kifoyat Qahramon qizi
Student of group 102-23
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14227558
Abstract:
The article explores effective strategies for teaching listening skills in the
classroom, emphasizing the importance of active listening as a key component of language
learning. It outlines various approaches that can be employed by teachers to improve
students' listening comprehension, including pre-listening activities to activate prior
knowledge, focused listening tasks during audio exercises, and post-listening activities to
reinforce understanding. The article stresses the need for diverse listening materials, such as
podcasts, audio clips, and dialogues, to cater to different learning styles and engage students.
It also highlights the role of listening for specific information and the development of critical
thinking skills through audio-based tasks. The importance of creating a supportive and
interactive learning environment, where students feel comfortable practicing listening skills,
is underscored. Furthermore, the article suggests using technology and multimedia resources
to enhance engagement and facilitate varied listening practice. By incorporating these
strategies, teachers can create a dynamic and inclusive listening curriculum that helps
students build their auditory skills, leading to more effective communication.
Key words:
Gap filling, poster, the difference between real-life and in-class listening,
bottom-up listening, active listening, discourse marker.
Understanding listening skills
Further reading, teaching, and learning resources Type Resource description (tap/click
to open) Use Lesson plan for secondary to develop listening skills by watching a video Use
Lesson plan for secondary which develops listening gap fill skills Use Lesson plans for primary
using poems Use Poster with ideas for teaching listening Use A framework for planning a
listening lesson Use Lesson plans with audio to develop higher order thinking skills Read
Article with ideas for using songs in class Read Article about developing listening skills in
young learners Read Article with ideas for helping secondary students with listening
Overview This module aims to help you teach listening skills. You'll look at the differences
between real-life and in-class listening, as well as how to identify learners' specific needs and
the practical challenges they face with listening in English. The module also provides practice
in planning listening tasks. By the end of this module, you'll be able to:
•
identify differences between real-life and in-class listening
•
analyse learners' listening needs
•
list listening sub-skills and activities that allow learners to practise these sub-skills
•
evaluate problems associated with teaching listening and generate solutions
•
design and plan classroom listening activities.
Engaging with listening – strategies
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Further reading, teaching, and learning resources Type Resource description (tap/click
to open) Use Lesson plans for listening practice with different accents and colloquial
expressions Use Poster with ideas for pre listening activities Read Article exploring the
difference between top-down and bottom-up listening Read Article explaining how to make
listening an authentic experience Read Article explaining how to use podcasts to develop
listening skills Watch Webinar looking at authentic listening Watch Video with ideas of how to
develop bottom-up listening Overview The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to
listening strategies. The module defines what people listen to and why, and what can help
your learners – and you, as a teacher – to listen effectively. By the end of this module, you'll be
able to:
•
list the differences between spoken and written forms of language
•
describe strategies for helping learners to listen more effectively
•
identify examples of transactional and interactional listening
•
analyse and plan classroom activities that promote strategies to increase effective
listening skills.
Teaching listening skills presents a series of challenges. It is perhaps the most
ephemeral of language skills, hard to understand, teach, and assess.
How do you really know that someone understood you correctly without asking after
every sentence “Do you understand?” (And students are often programmed to respond “yes”
even when they didn’t.) This problem may also apply to
, the other “receptive”
language skill, in that its focus is largely on the comprehension of 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 (especially when even many native speakers of
English often have difficulties with this)? However, while
ambiguous, there are actually a number of principles that apply in teaching listening skills in
English.
Even native speakers need help with this.
Focus on the speaker. Look at him or her
because facial expressions and div language can communicate as much as language. For
example, there will usually be more engagement with the listener in making eye contact and
use of hand gestures if what the speaker is saying is of importance to him or her. In addition,
it’s easy to mistake what someone actually said if you are not focusing on him or her and are
engaged in some other task, such as reading or texting.
Ask the speaker to slow down or repeat when you don’t understand or just want
to be certain about what you heard.
Repeat back what you think you heard him or her say,
as there can often be a gap between what we thought we heard and what the speaker
intended. This gap can be addressed by letting the speaker know what you heard: for
example, “So what I’m hearing from you is that you would like more quiet and fewer
distractions after 9 p.m. so that you can study.” This is called “active listening,” in which the
listening portion of a conversation becomes as active as the speaking part in communicating a
message, and not only helps the listener in understanding what the speaker is saying, but also
can help the speaker in organizing his thoughts and clarify what he wants to communicate:
e.g., the speaker may be spluttering something about the late hour and her test tomorrow, and
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may not consciously know what she is trying to ask for—or is too reticent—until the listener
clarifies.
In a formal lecture or speech, the speaker will usually let you know ahead of time
the organization of the discourse
: “Today we will discuss the two types of diabetes, Type
One and Type Two, although as we will see, there is some overlap—” and then what will
follow is a description of Types One and Two, with the overlap probably addressed at the end.
These devices, called “discourse markers,” actually help the listener in organizing and
understanding the lecture. Even in less formal conversation, speakers will often structure
their discourse, especially if they want to make certain they are understood: “Okay, there are a
few issues I need to raise with you….” With this informal marker of “there are a few—” and
the use of the word “issues,” the speaker signals the importance of what follows. “A few,” it
may be noted, is a vague expression, and what follows may be anywhere from two to five or
six issues. The listener may clarify when the “issues” are covered by asking “Is there anything
else?” when the speaker pauses.
What words does the speaker emphasize?
Usually the speaker will let you know by
stressing the main point: “Let’s talk about the TIME we will meet tomorrow….” The stressed
word “time” signals that the time of tomorrow’s appointment is the main point, as does the
marker “Let’s talk about—”
In addition, certain words signal importance by themselves, such as “issues,” as seen
above: whatever follows “issues” is of importance. Other key words signaling importance are
“concerns” and “points.”
In formal lectures the speaker usually also “marks” main points with key
phrases:
“The main point is…” or “On the other hand, some people take an opposing
viewpoint….” But even in everyday conversation the speaker often uses less formal markers:
for example, “I guess what I’m trying to say is—” is often used before a main point.
Even native speakers, who actually use markers or key vocabulary, may not have
consciously thought about these devices.
Introducing some key markers and vocabulary is
often welcome it makes explicit how to understand and manage conversations, which may
have been something a mystery (such as why a friend reacts with anger at your student
ignoring a raised “issue”). In addition, key terms such as “active listening” and “discourse
marker” should be introduced and exemplified.
For new concepts, such as active listening, a model is needed.
This can be provided
by traditional print example dialogues as well as film clips, and teacher modeling with
volunteer students: e.g., the teacher might say, “Gina, tell me something of importance to you,
and I’ll listen actively. The rest of the class, pay attention, and then let’s discuss what goes into
active listening.”
This might be especially important in active listening, which few people, native or
nonnative speakers, really know how to do, as we are used to either sitting quietly while a
speaker finishes his speech (or diatribe, if he or she is angry), or interrupting, when we think
he or she is wrong, or sitting and planning what we will say in response, etc. Active listening
takes practice, but is worth it in terms of improved listening skills and relationships.
Conclusion
The article provides practical strategies for teaching listening skills effectively in the
classroom. It highlights the importance of developing students' ability to comprehend spoken
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language, which is crucial for communication. The article recommends a variety of techniques,
such as pre-listening activities to set context, focused listening tasks during audio exercises,
and post-listening discussions to reinforce understanding. It suggests incorporating diverse
listening materials—like recordings, podcasts, and real-life conversations—to cater to
different learning styles. Additionally, the article emphasizes using technology and
multimedia resources to engage students and provide varied listening experiences. Teachers
are encouraged to create a supportive, interactive environment where students feel confident
practicing their listening skills, ultimately enhancing their overall language proficiency.
References:
1.
Teshaboyeva Nafisa Zubaydullayevna “Teaching vocabulary in ESL classroom”
2.
Baruah, T.C. (2001). The English Teachers Handbook. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt.
Ltd. Print.
3.
Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. New York: Longman.
Print.
4.
Mothe P.S. Innovative Techniques of Teaching Vocabulary at---fllt2013. Org.www.
Fllt2013. Org. / private---/ 377.web.
5.
Mcmarthy, M. And O‟Dell,. (2005). English Vocabulary in Use. Chennai: MultivistaBloom,
P. (2000). How children learn the meanings of words. Cambridge, MA.
6.
Decarrico, J.S. (2001). “Vocabulary Learning and Teaching”.Celce-Murcia, M. (ed.).
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, pp. 285-299. Boston: Heinle&Heinle.
