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Second Thoughts on Teaching Listening

The status of listening in language programs has undergone substantial change in recent years. From being a neglected skill relegated to passing treatment as a minor strand within a speaking course it now appears as a core course in many language programs. The development of good listening skills is seen not only as something valuable for its own sake but as something that supports the growth of other aspects of language use, such as speaking and reading. One reason for the increased attention to the teaching of listening is a pragmatic one. Many learners need to support the demands made on them in school, work, travel or other settings and language institutes and publishers have responded to these needs by providing a range of courses and materials to support the teaching of listening. At the same time the status of listening within language learning theory has also been strengthened and a body of research now exists which provides a deeper understanding of the processes involved in understanding communication in a second language. Some SLA theorists (e.g. Krashen) have also stressed the role of listening in facilitating second language acquisition. In a sense then the teaching of listening has never been in a better state, with few questioning its usefulness and with a wide variety of interesting course materials on the market for teachers to choose from.

Yet there are still lingering questions concerning the goals of L2 listening instruction. This article seeks to explore some of these questions and in so doing, raise some basic questions concerning a pedagogy of teaching second language listening. To do this I will examine listening from two perspectives – listening as comprehension and listening as acquisition.

Read the complete article. (PDF, 98 KB)

This article was first published by Sage Publications.

Dr. Jack C Richards is an applied linguist, writer, and teacher trainer. He is the author of Springboard as well as New Person to Person , Tactics for Listening and Listen for It . He has also written scholarly articles for numerous professional journals.

Dr. Richards is currently affiliated with the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Language Centre in Singapore where he teaches candidates for the Diploma in TESL and the MA in Applied Linguistics issued by the National University of Singapore.

Source

Oxford Teacher's Club - http://www.oup.com/elt/teachersclub/adults/