Listening
C. EADE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• ENABLE students to develop their listening skills in order to cope with authentic
audio and video materials
COURSE COMPONENTS
in-class sessions
Course Portfolio: a collection of all the materials studied during the in-class
sessions and the independent assignments. Please bring this to every session.
• Esonero: (at end of course) only for current students with minimum 80%
attendance and a completed personal Course Portfolio. The esonero consists in
a discussion of the Course Portfolio.
1
Eade
Listening
I. What is listening?
in general:
in school-related hours:
Students spend 20 percent of all school related hours just listening. If television
watching and one-half of conversations are included, students spend approximately 50 percent
of their waking hours just listening. For those hours spent in the classroom, the amount of
listening time can be almost 100 percent. Look at your own activities, especially those related
to college. Are most of your activities focused around listening, especially in the classroom?
Hearing and Listening are two very different things. Hearing is the perception of sound while
listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening
leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention, or sticking to the
task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the focusing of your
thoughts upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates listening with concentration
is actively listening. Active listening is a method of responding to another that encourages
communication. Good listening is built on three basic skills: attitude, attention, and
adjustment. These skills are known collectively as triple-A listening:
Attitude. A positive attitude paves the way for open-mindedness. Don't let reactive interference
prevent you from recalling the speaker's key points.
Attention : Your attention must focus on what you hear. The words enter your short-term
memory, where they have to be swiftly processed into ideas. If they aren't processed, then they
will be dumped from short-term memory and will be gone forever. Attentive listening makes
sure the ideas are processed.
Adjustment: What you expect to hear is not always what your hear. You need to adjust both
mentally and physically to the variations both in topic, depth and even style.
2
Eade
Listening
Read the following types of listening habits. Do they refer to Good listeners or Poor
Listeners? Which is most similar to your behaviour?
_______________ want to see how the facts and examples support the speaker's
ideas and arguments. They know that facts are important, because they support
ideas.
_______________ only want the facts. They consider everything else to be only the
speaker's opinion.
_______________ want to learn something new and try to understand the speaker's
point. They are not afraid of difficult, technical, or complicated ideas.
_______________ think it is too difficult to follow the speaker's complicated ideas
and logic. They want entertainment, not education.
_______________ use any extra time or pauses in the lecture to reflect on the
speaker's message. They think about what the speaker is saying, summarize the main
points, and think about the next points.
_______________ move along lazily with the speaker even though thinking is faster
than speaking. They daydream and falls behind.
6) Panicking
_______________ become paralyzed when they miss a word or sentence. They think
they can’t understand anything if they don’t understand everything.
_______________ relax and focus on what they do understand. They know
that they don’t need to understand everything.
3
Eade
Listening
How to be an Effective Listener: You will hear a brief talk on how to listen effectively. As
you listen, fill in the notes below using key words and phrases
4
Eade
Listening
Read the excerpt below. What is the point? Are you surprised?
Excerpts from
"Our ability to learn new words is directly related to how often we have been exposed to the
particular combinations of the sounds which make up the words. If you want to learn Spanish, for
example, frequently listening to a Spanish language radio station on the internet will dramatically
boost your ability to pick up the language and learn new words."
Dr Sulzberger's research challenges existing language learning theory. His main hypothesis is that
simply listening to a new language sets up the structures in the brain required to learn the words.
"Neural tissue required to learn and understand a new language will develop automatically from
simple exposure to the language—which is how babies learn their first language," Dr Sulzberger
says.
Dr Sulzberger looked for ways people could develop these structures to make the learning process
easier. His finding was simple: extensive exposure to the language, something made easier by
globalisation and new technology. "It is easier to learn languages these days because they are so
accessible now. You can go home and watch the news in French on the internet."
5
Eade
Listening
One helpful way to focus on what you are listening to is to visualize what you are hearing.
This turns words into images and helps you avoid the tendency to translate into your mother
tongue, which slows you down and becomes a barrier to comprehension. Images are also often
easier to remember than words.
http://www.elllo.org/english/Games/G058-Park.htm
I. Think of a park you like. In your mind’s eye, visualize the areas you like best. What can
you do in these areas?
II. Listen to Todd introducing his talk. What is he going to talk about?
III. Now listen to Todd describing the different areas in the park. As you listen, draw the
images which come to mind. Keep it simple, no one expects you to be Leonardo Da Vinci!
6
Eade
Listening
V. Now listen again and label the parts of your drawing with the words and expressions
Todd uses.
V. With your partner, use your drawings and labels to describe Todd’s park. Help each
other complete your drawings.
1) Definition of expressions. Listen and take notes on the definitions. (audio notes)
1. ban …………………………………………………………………………………….
2. local school kids ………………………………………………………………………
4. produce ……………………………………………………………………………….
6. fog …………………………………………………………………………………….
7. generate ………………………………………………………………………………
8. thatched houses………………………………………………………………………..
9. ancient dwellings………………………………………………………………………
2) Vocabulary Check
Fill in the gaps with the words listed below. Then listen to check your answers
7
Eade
Listening
a) fix things
a) local farmers
b) elderly people
b) Read a book
c) Take a photo
6) What has the speaker never done at the park?
a) Have a barbecue
4) Questions.
You will hear 5 questions about your area. Write out the questions as you hear them.
Then discuss each with your partner.
1.
2.
3.
8
Eade
Listening
4.
5.
You will now tell your partner about your favourite park or place to go to relax. First draw
the place here:
Now describe your favourite place to your partner. Use the following expressions:
Today I'm going to talk about one of my favourite places. It's a park and it's …(location)
9
Eade
Listening
And lastly if you just want to come and relax, one beautiful thing they have at the park is
10
Eade
Listening
This form of listening requires express our sorrow for their ills and
significant real-time cognitive effort as happiness at their joys.
the listener analyzes what is being
said, relating it to existing knowledge Empathetic listening: When we listen
and rules, whilst simultaneously empathetically, we go beyond
listening to the ongoing words from sympathy to seek a truer understand
the speaker. how others are feeling. This requires
excellent discrimination and close
Biased listening: Biased listening attention to the nuances of emotional
happens when the person hears only signals. When we are being truly
what they want to hear, typically empathetic, we actually feel what they
misinterpreting what the other person are feeling.
says based on the stereotypes and
other biases that they have. Such In order to get others to expose these
biased listening is often very deep parts of themselves to us, we
evaluative in nature. also need to demonstrate our
empathy in our demeanor towards
Evaluative listening: In evaluative them, asking sensitively and in a way
listening, or critical listening, we make that encourages self-disclosure.
judgments about what the other
person is saying. We seek to assess Therapeutic listening: In therapeutic
the truth of what is being said. We also listening, the listener has a purpose of
judge what they say against our not only empathizing with the speaker
values, assessing them as good or but also to use this deep connection in
bad, worthy or unworthy. order to help the speaker understand,
change or develop in some way.
Evaluative listening is particularly
pertinent when the other person is This not only happens when you go to
trying to persuade us, perhaps to see a therapist but also in many social
change our behavior and maybe even situations, where friends and family
to change our beliefs. Within this, we seek to both diagnose problems from
also discriminate between subtleties listening and also to help the speaker
of language and comprehend the cure themselves, perhaps by some
inner meaning of what is said. cathartic process. This also happens in
Typically also we weigh up the pros work situations, where managers, HR
and cons of an argument, determining people, trainers and coaches seek to
whether it makes sense logically as help employees learn and develop.
well as whether it is helpful to us.
Evaluative listening is also called Dialogic listening: The word 'dialogue'
critical, judgmental or interpretive stems from the Greek words 'dia',
listening. meaning 'through' and 'logos' meaning
'words'. Thus dialogic listening mean
Appreciative listening: In appreciative learning through conversation and an
listening, we seek certain information engaged interchange of ideas and
which will appreciate, for example that information in which we actively seek
which helps meet our needs and to learn more about the person and
goals. We use appreciative listening how they think. Dialogic listening is
when we are listening to good music, sometimes known as 'relational
poetry or maybe even the stirring listening'.
words of a great leader.
Relationship listening: Sometimes the
Sympathetic listening: In sympathetic most important factor in listening is in
listening we care about the other order to develop or sustain a
person and show this concern in the relationship. This is why lovers talk for
way we pay close attention and hours and attend closely to what each
11
Eade
Listening
other has to say when the same words helpful if the other person likes you
from someone else would seem to be and trusts you.
rather boring. Relationship listening is
also important in areas such as Adapted from
negotiation and sales, where it is http://changingminds.org/techniques
/listening/types_listening.htm
a. Choose one of the audio files below. Click on HIDE TEXT. This is important because we want
to visualize images, NOT WORDS. If you want to, you can go back and read the script later.
d. Listen again and label the parts of your drawing with the words and expressions used.
e. Listen to the audio notes and take notes on the vocabulary and expressions explained. Or if you
choose Mexico city, listen to the audio quiz and do the exercises.
f. Be ready in the next in-class session when you describe the passage to a partner.
g. Click on: Video Response What do you like most about your hometown?
Listen and do the comprehension exercises.
g. For the next in-class session: Be ready to tell your partner about one of the following:
a) advantages and disadvantages of living on a farm
b) tips on what to do for tourists visiting your country
c) your hometown.
12
Eade
Listening
13