SUMMARY READING LISTENING
 WHAT IS LISTENING?
Listening is an active, purposeful process of making sense of what we hear. Speaking
and writing are productive skills. Listening and reading are receptive skills because they require
a person to receive and understand incoming information (input). People can listen
andunderstand at a higher level that they produce.
Listeners combine what they hear with their own ideas and experiences, in other words,
they create the meaning in their own minds. Meaning is not in the text (whatever is being
listened to) but it is something that is constructed by listeners based on a number of different
knowledge sources such as knowledge of language, of context, and general background
knowledge. Listening is meaning based.
Listening is compared to reading but there are two differences. First, listening usually
happens in real time and in the midst of a conversation.
 BACKGROUND TO THE TEACHING OF LISTENING
At the beginning listening was virtually ignored. In the late 1800, interest in using
children´ s learning of their first language as a model for foreign language teaching grew. Later,
the reform movement promoted ideas such as the teaching of spoken language so that learners
should hear language before seeing it in written form. Later, the direct method promoted the
teaching of listening comprehension. After World War II the audiolingual method dominated
foreign language teaching. In the 1970’s and early 1980´s the introduction of Communicative
Language teaching increased the role of listening. Krashen’ s input hypothesis made a major
impact on language teaching. This hypothesis establishes that people acquire language by
meeting language that is a bit higher than our current level. Listening was seen as a major
source of comprehensible input.
 PRINCIPLES FOR TEACHING LISTENING
1. Expose students to different ways of processing information: bottom- up vs. top- down
The distinction between these ways is based on the way learners try to understand what they
read or hear.
With Bottom-up processing, students start with the component parts: words, grammar, etc.
With Top- down processing learners start from their background knowledge, either content
Schema (general information based on previous learning and life experience) or textual schema
(awareness of the kinds of information used in a given situation) Schemas are abstract notions
we possess based on experiences. We need to help learners to integrate the two (interactive
processing). Pre listening activities are a good way to do this because we provide a context for
interpretation and activate the previous – background knowledge, which helps interpretation.
2. Expose students to different types of listening.
It is not just what they are listening to but it is what they are listening for. Listeners need to
consider their purpose and experience listening for different reasons.
 Listening for specific information: pay attention to details such as names, time, specific
language.
 Global or gist listening: understand the information in a more general way such as main
ideas, sequence of events.
 Inference: listening between lines, listening for meaning that is implied but not stated
directly. Inference occurs at the same time as some other types of listening. Inference
requires some abstract thinking.
3. Teach a variety of tasks
Since learners do the tasks as they listen, it is important that the task itself does not
demand too much production of learners because these tasks cannot be done in real time.
Besides, it is better to work with short focused tasks because listening weighs on person’s
working memory. When people listen in a second or foreign language, they process the
meaning of what they are listening and the language itself.
Speaking is a good production task because they have the exposure to different types of
texts and respond in different ways. Incorporating different tasks increase students’ interest.
4. Consider text, difficulty, and authenticity
The text determines how easy or difficult something is to understand. Learners need
exposure to and practice with natural sounding language. Speed is one of the text
difficulties. A simple technique to work with speed is to put pauses between phrases and
sentences. The Cognitive load presents 6 factors that increase or decrease understanding;






number of individuals or objects in a text
how clearly the individuals or objects are distinct form one another
Simple, specific spatial relationships are easier to understand that complex ones
order of events
The number of inferences needed
The information is consistent with what the learners already know.
Authentic texts should be realistic.
There are two aspects of authenticity: the task and the input
TASK: simulated ( modeled after a real life task) and minimal- incidental (checks
understanding but in a way that is not done outside of the classroom)
INPUT: genuine, altered, adapted, simulated and minimal- incidental.
5. Teach listening strategies






Predicting: think about what they will hear
Inferring: listen between lines
Monitoring: notice what they understand and do not
Clarifying: ask questions and give feedback to the speaker
Responding: react to what they hear
Evaluating: check on what they have understood
 CLASSROOM TECHNIQUESAND TASKS
1. Dictation with a difference
2. Do it yourself: modifying materials to add Listening for specific information:
listening to the same recording for a different purpose.
A. Micro listening: usually done after they know the main topic of the recording but before
they have begun the main listening task. For example, ask students to listen for the
target items.
B. Bits and pieces: before the main task. For example, brainstorming vocabulary.
C. What do I want to know?: before the main task. In groups or pairs write questions about
the information they think will be given.
D. Dictation and cloze: students fill in the blanks before they listen, read the passage and
make their best guesses.
3. What are they talking about? Listening for gist
Give learners a lot of experiences with the activity, both as a task in itself and as a way in to
other types of listening with the same recording.
4. Do it yourself: adding gist tasks
Transform listening for specific information exercises into global listening tasks.
Examples: guessing main ideas from a list, identifying the order of events, relating pictures
or identifying pictures related to the information.
5. Listening between lines: inference tasks
Inferring meaning is challenging because it requires abstract processing.
6. Do it yourself inference
Inference depends on the text and the task. It is important to take into consideration the
focus on emotions and the looks for background information.
Listening can be a good way to preview a speaking activity and speaking can be useful
to expand on what they have listened to.
The lesson plan to include listening should include a warm up activity that integrates
top down and bottom up data, a main listening task, and a speaking task related to the
previous task.