Teach listening comprehension with real results
Listening is an activity not a passive action. It is a tiring experience listening to someone talk for an hour, especially if the person talking is not using your native tongue. The reason for this is because your brain is supplying the missing information, or words you miss along the way. When native English speakers talk with each other they may only hear 50% of the words spoken. The rest of the information is supplied by what we know of intonation, rhythm, and culture.
I believe that listening comprehension deserves more attention than it gets. I think it’s among the most vital elements in learning to speak a language. Below is a simple task, that when used and practiced properly, will yield great results. This task is something the students should take home with them. It doesn’t really work as a classroom activity.
1. Get a text with a recording of someone reading the text. The first step is to resolve all translation issues. Make sure the students understand all the key words and phrases in the text. Provide a translation of the key words and phrases if possible.
2. Put aside the text and listen to the recording, stopping each time you do not understand. Consult the text if needed.
3. Do this twice more.
4. A few days later test the students by playing the text and asking very detailed questions as well as general purpose questions.
Encourage the students to listen to the text and test themselves in their own time. If they can understand everything in the text without consulting the reading then they are ready to move on to the next text.
Finding enough text recordings for each student could be a problem. But the results are worth the trouble.