Theoretical basis of listening

In Indonesia, One of crucial problems on the teaching of listening skill is lack of listening audio and video materials from the native speakers of English. In fact, students should be familiar with how the language pronounced or spoken and finally they are able to adopt and use it naturally in authentic situation. Students are given listening materials as often as possible, so that they have enough input as the references to use in communication. At this point, it is clear that the teaching of English should emphasize on listening-first as a main method in improving English.

(2) The following summaries describe some theoretical basis of listening:

According to Howatt and Dakin (1974), listening is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying. This process involves understanding a speakers accent or pronunciation, the speakers grammar and vocabulary, and comprehension of meaning. An able listener is capable of doing these four things simultaneously. Thomlisons (1984) definition of listening includes active listening, which goes beyond comprehending as understanding the message content, to comprehension as an act of empathetic understanding of the speaker. Furthermore, Gordon (1985) argues that empathy is essential to listening and contends that it is more than a polite attempt to identify a speakers perspectives. Rather more importantly, empathetic understanding expands to egocentric pro-social behavior. Thus, the listener altruistically acknowledges concern for the speakers welfare and interests.

Ronald and Roskelly (1985) define listening as an active process requiring the same skills of prediction, hypothesizing, checking, revising, and generalizing that writing and reading demand; and these authors present specific exercises to make students active listeners who are aware of the inner voice one hears when writing.

Listening is STILL a problem! First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task (noun=exercise, job) for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. So, now you know you are not alone....! OK. The most important thing is to listen, and that means as often as possible. The next step is to find listening resources. This is where the Internet really comes in handy (idiom = to be useful) as a tool for English students. First you need to: Download The RealPlayerfrom RealMedia.com The RealPlayer allows you to listen to RealAudio and use the Internet like a radio station. Many sites now also provide listening using the Windows Media Player - or even have their own players on the site. Once you have the RealPlayer you can begin to listen to English as it is used in everyday life. The possibilities are almost unlimited. You can: Listen to All Things Considered news stories on NPR Strategies Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (adjective=upset) by limited understanding. What should you do?

Here is some of the advice I give my students: Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything. Keep cool (idiom=stay relaxed) when you do not understand - even if you continue to not understand for a long time. Do not translate into your native language (synonym=mother tongue) Listen for the gist (noun=general idea) of the conversation. Don't concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas. I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn't understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This approach (synonym=method) usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts; Firstly, translating creates a barrier (noun=wall, separation) between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm (adjective=relaxed), I noticed that - even if I spaced out (idiom=to not pay attention) I could usually understand what the speaker had said. I had discovered some of the most important things about listening comprehension: Translating creates a barrier between yourself and the person who is speaking While you are listening to another person speaking a foreign language (English in this case), the temptation is to immediately translate into your native language. This temptation becomes much stronger when you hear a word you don't understand. This is only natural as we want to understand everything that is said. However, when you translate into your native language, you are taking the focusof your attention away from the speaker and concentrating on the translation process taking place in your brain. This would be fine if you could put the speaker on hold (phrasal verb=to make a person wait). In real life however, the person continues talking while you translate. This situation obviously leads to less -not more- understanding. I have discovered that translation leads to a kind of block (noun=no movement or activity ) in my brain which sometimes doesn't allow me to understand anything at all!

Most people repeat themselves Think for a moment about your friends, family and colleagues. When they speak in your native tongue, do they repeat themselves? I don't mean literally (adverb=word for word), I mean the general idea. If they are like most people I have met, they probably do. That means that whenever you listen to someone speaking, it is very likely (adjective=probable) that he/she will repeat the information, giving you a second, third or even fourth chance to understand what has been said. By remaining calm, allowing yourself to notunderstand, and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: Understanding English in English.

How to Master English Listening By A.M. Howard, eHow Contributor updated April 29, 2011 Print this article Listening naturally and effectively is an important step in learning English.It is important to listen well as it is to speak well. Listening combines the skills of reading, speaking and an understanding of culture. When native English speakers listen, they automatically pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues, such as variations in accent and stress, as well as body language. Mastering several skills is important in English listening. Difficulty: Moderately Challenging .Read aloud. Hearing the words as you read them forms an important association in your brain. Speak loudly and clearly, paying attention to each word carefully. Do this every day, and you will become more comfortable with the sound of your voice and that of others. 2.Find other English speakers. Join English-speaking groups to share experiences, tips and exercise listening skills. Learning with other non-native speakers is a great way to feel comfortable about making mistakes and to build strategies for studying. If you can find native English speakers, watch how they speak, and ask them to slow down if you have trouble understanding the language. 3.Learn the various sounds of English. English can vary from place to place (from British English to American English, for example), so learn the differences between accents. Informal spoken English is also very different from dictionary or written English. The speed of spoken English can alter the sounds from what they would be in a dictionary. Master these differences. 4.Understand the cultural context. Spoken English often relies heavily on slang and cultural references. Use your background knowledge to relate what is being said to the speaker's wider cultural experience. Sometimes, you will have to guess and make assumptions. If you are not sure what the speaker is referring to, ask. 5.Like anything else, English listening skills only come with practice. Listen to English, from native speakers and nonnative speakers, at every opportunity. Find English radio broadcasts, or find an online service like Voice of America, which provides news stories in both Special English and Standard English, to practice listening. Try to make your listening skills happen automatically, without thinking. 6.Turn on the subtitles track for English movies. Pay attention to both the actors' mouths and the subtitles. Repeat the words as the actors say them, mimicking as closely as possible how they speak, paying attention to stressed syllables and body language. Learning to speak like a native speaker will help by listening to native speakers. This can work for TV programs, as well.

Improve Your English Listening You can improve your English listening skills and English verbal skills simply by listening. When learning your first language you spend most of your time listening. This is an important point because you honed your skills by taking in more than you put out. The same principle applies to learning a second language such as English. Those who wish to learn English a lot faster do well to take a few tips in mind when it comes to English listening skills. Listening Skills Listening is more that hearing mere words. Listening is an active process where the student listens to the English word being spoken, processes it, assigns its meaning, and then strives to reuse it in spoken or written form. This process is the integral method that needs to be used for successful English listening and comprehension. By verbally clarifying the message, striving to comprehend it, writing it down, and repeating it verbally clarifies the context and meaning of the spoken language. By honing listening skills, then one can make this whole process easier. Students can become more effective listeners by honing different types of listening skills: comprehensive listening, Critical listening and appreciative listening. What to Listen To You may have found that your English lessons are progressing well, English grammar is now familiar, reading and writing is beginning to go smoothly, and you can formulate your own sentences verbally. However, carrying on a conversation is still quite difficult. nglish listening and comprehension is a difficult task to master. To work through this, you need to learn to listen. You need to listen to spoken conversation as much as possible. To do this, simply tune into your radio or internet radio to channels such as BBC, NPR: "All Things Considered" and other radio talk shows. You may find it easy to tune out and allow these to play in the background while you are busy about your day. Your mind is powerful and will take in all that it hears. The more you listen, the more the brain stores away and this makes it easier to comprehend later. To make this work even better, when you do find yourself in conversation or listening to English, don't try to translate. Instead, simply listen to the speaker; often the mind will do the work for you. Translating into your mother tongue will just create a barrier in the long run. English Listening Is an ArT English is more than just words on paper, it is an art form. It involves more than hearing and writing, it involves process oriented thinking skills. The ability to listen effectively develops the students' use of the English language and helps their speech mature. Therefore, it is important for students to provide ample opportunities for themselves to observe and practice the behaviors of effective listeners. Why is Listening Important? Listening effectively is one of the most important skills a person can hone. Listening effectively is a core competency skill for all meaningful relationships. As we become better listeners, we can uncover deeper meaning in language and communication styles. Being able to listen well also developed a healthy self-concept both in the listener and in the one speaking. It creates trust, provides for conflict resolution, and shows respect for others. By becoming better listeners, we also pave the way for others to respect us and listen to us more.

How to Train Listening? December 21, 2010 Two simple definitions * To Hear: hear what sounded * To listen: listen to a voice in serious Do you realize that you are very talented in speaking? Sure! Since you are so far very expert in Indonesian language and live for 24 hours a day with the Indonesian language If you master one language very well, as now, then you are also able to learn another language well, too. But have you ever asked, "How was I to learn my native language?" Apparently, you never "learn" - you immediately speak with your mother tongue. Approximately, after two or three years of age you start talking, a few words, but slowly and surely you can say one sentence and speak without much thought anymore. It is the result of you hear people around you speak, every day even every night you hear and keep hearing. Maybe you listened to them talk, but certainly you listen to them. And then, suddenly you can speak. For two or three years that the language input in the form of words into your head, until finally he was able to produce output. That's why hearing (hearing) and listening (listening) is very important to you. The more words you absorb, the more you can remove it (speaking). How do I hear a lot of words in English if you are not in English-speaking country? Fortunately, there are many, many ways which I will describe below: Radio You can hear the radio broadcasts in English. The most popular is the BBC World Service and Voice of America. Both have special programs to learn English. Television Presents many TV shows in English. Box office movies almost every night comes on your screen. Not to mention if you subscribe to cable TV, a growing number of English-language shows that you can see. Internet Internet is really extraordinary discoveries in language acquisition. You can search on Google about Language Learning Tips, Home Podcast, Classic listening and words related to language learning on the internet, then it will show you the sites that provide special programs to learn the language either listening or reading. Of the three sources on the course, you will find many language learning materials so that your language learning process will be more enjoyable. Learn listening skills first, do not worry if you do not understand what you hear. As the saying goes "Hearing comes first! Understanding comes next! "

Practice English Listening English listening practice is very important if you want to converse in English with your colleagues, neighbours or other people in the English-speaking country where you are working and living. There are several easy activities which can give you a lot of English listening practice. Practice English Listening Practicing listening skills is very important to mastering the English language. Learning English as a second language is a popular activity world wide because English is among the most spoken languages. People living in non-English regions learn it for various reasons, such as working abroad, living abroad, and watching an English movie. There are four basic language skills; reading, writing, speaking and listening. Out of all four of these language skills, listening is the most difficult to master. The English spoken in the ESL class is quite different from the real English used by natives. Due to regional accents, colloquialisms, and/or local idioms, it is difficult to understand English used commonly by natives Though it can be a task to become proficient in English listening skills, it is not impossible. You can use several resources for natural English. You can make best use of them for English listening practice. Basic Advice for English Listening practice To practice English listening, it is not just about listening to the words. Besides listening to the words, it is about understanding the context. Before starting your English listening practice, it is important to specify your listening objective. It is more important to achieve your objective than tracking every word. Some useful Activities for English Listening Practice One of the easiest sources of getting good practice of English language is joining an English class taught by a native English speaker. However, you can have more opportunities to improve your English listening. You can follow the ideas presented here to develop your English listening skill by catching natural English. Watching an English Movie You can simply improve your English listening skill by watching an interesting English movie. However, it is better to watch it at your home where you can listen to the English sound track along with English subtitlesFor English listening practice, it is important to watch scene by scene and listen to the dialogues carefully. In case of confusion, read the subtitlesIt is often the case that English language learners learn to read and write English before speaking and listening. After listening to any dialogue or watching a complete conversation, it is important to analyze it. It helps your understand the context of the words spoken Catching the English News Listening to English news broadcast is a very useful activity for English listening practice. After listen to the news story, again analyze it. You can compare your analysis by listening to news broadcast in your language. In addition, you can listen to the English news in the repeat broadcast, also. glish for at least an hour.