What is listening and why is it important?
Listening is often seen as a passive skill, but it’s crucial in everyday communication. About 40% of our communication involves listening, while speaking makes up 35%. So, what exactly is listening?
Listening is a complex cognitive activity that involves perceiving, understanding, and actively processing spoken information.
To effectively understand foreign speech, you need to recognize individual sounds and words (phonetics), understand their meanings (vocabulary), and grasp the overall message, considering the speaker’s intonation and non-verbal cues (in face-to-face communication).
Why are listening activities often difficult?
One of the challenges in developing listening skills in language classes is that we usually listen to recorded dialogues or monologues without seeing the speaker. Non-verbal cues convey a lot of information. In real life, we see gestures, lip movements, facial expressions, and can ask for clarification. In lessons, this isn’t possible, making it hard for students to understand recordings and causing anxiety and frustration.
Can you improve your listening skills without traveling abroad?
Yes, you can! There are many materials, resources, and textbooks available that allow you to develop listening skills at home. The key is to choose methods that interest you and aren’t exhausting. Let’s look at some of the most interesting options.
- Music. This method is great for those who love listening to English music and are just starting to learn the language. Most English songs have a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary, but that’s okay! Our goal is to practice listening, and it’s fine if you don’t understand everything at first. Start with simple, slow songs that you can sing along to. Find the lyrics and try singing as much as you can. Mimic the rhythm and intonation. Record yourself and compare it to the original to hear what you pronounce correctly and what needs work. This will help train your phonetics, which is crucial for listening and speaking skills.
- Video. This method works for both beginners and advanced learners. Videos where you can see and hear the speaker are more effective for developing listening skills. Non-verbal cues (gestures, facial expressions, etc.) help you understand more. Choose videos with clear diction, appropriate speech speed, an understandable accent, and a pleasant voice. Listen and repeat after the speaker, mimicking intonation, rhythm, and speed. Search for “listening for beginners” to find simple videos with listening exercises. This will help develop your phonetic skills and expand your vocabulary.
- A more advanced and interesting option is educational videos. If you have a hobby or job that involves manual work (handicrafts, wood carving, etc.) or computer work (design, programming, etc.), find videos in English that match your interests and learn something new! This method is effective because you use the language as a tool for gaining knowledge, allowing this skills to develop naturally. Even if you don’t understand most of the content at first, don’t get discouraged! Over time, you’ll start to understand more and learn many new words while mastering new skills.
- Movies and TV shows. This method is great for intermediate English learners. Start with movies and TV shows you’ve already seen in your native language. Initially, watch with English audio and subtitles in your native language, then gradually switch to English subtitles and finally watch without subtitles. The purpose of subtitles is not to read the entire movie (that’s a reading skill) but to catch what you missed by ear. Try to rely less on subtitles and focus more on listening. Ideally, watch and repeat the lines you like or understand best. Pay attention to the actors’ lip movements for additional support.
- Podcasts. This is perhaps the most effective but also the most challenging way to develop listening skills. It requires significant effort to understand the speakers since there are no visual cues. You need to pay more attention to words and intonation. Initially, this will be very difficult, but over time you will start to understand more. The great advantage of podcasts is that you can listen to them almost anytime: while commuting, doing monotonous work, or household chores. Don’t worry if you don’t understand much at first. Choose a podcast that matches your interests and make it a habit to listen regularly. Over time, you will find it much easier to understand people speaking in English.
In conclusion, listening is a complex activity that involves various skills. However, you can develop these skills even without leaving your home.
Sources:
- Theory of Teaching Foreign Languages. Linguodidactics and Methodology: a study guide for students of linguistic universities and faculties of foreign language higher education institutions, N.D. Galskova, N.I. Gez. – 3rd edition, revised. – Moscow: Publisher Center “Academy”, 2006.
- Teaching Listening, English Language Teacher Development Series, Thomas S.C. Farrell, Series Editor, 2013.
- Listening: The Most Difficult Skill to Teach, Natasha Walker, Manchester Metropolitan University, Encuentro 23, 2014, pp. 167-175.
- Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching, Jim Scrivener, Third Edition, 2011.
