strategies learning listening

Listening strategies

Listening is the one skill that we use the most in everyday life. Listening is the first skills which learners usually develop. Listening comprehension is basis for our speaking, reading, and writing. Learners listen to an uttarance, then they repeat it, next they learn to read it, and finally they learn to write it. To improve our listening skill, it is important to listen actively. Make it habit to listen audio, news, song, and whatch the films in the Eglish sub title.

Before we listen, you will have to decide what our purpose is. There are 3 different types of listening:

Ø  Listening for gist

Listen to understand the main idea of the text.

Ø  Listening for specific information

Listen to  find out specific details. For example, find out key word.

Ø  Listening for detailed understanding

Listen to understand all the information of the text.

Suggesstion for improving our listening skill

1.      Before we listening

·         Think about the topic that we are going to listen. What do we already know about the topic? What can possibly be the content of the text?

·         Think about what type of text that we are going to listen? What do we know about this type of text?

·         Relax and make ourself ready to pay attention to listening text.

2.      While we are listening

·         Try to ignore the words that we think are less important.

·         If there are words that we do not understand, use our general knowledge as well as to find out the meaning.

·         If we still do not understand about something, use a dictionary or ask someone for help.

·         Focus on key words and facts.

·         Take notes during listen to support our memory.

·         Intonation and stress of the speaker will help us to understand.

·         Try to think ahead. What might the speaker say? What might happen? Which vocabulary that used by speaker?

3.      After we have listen

·         Think again about the topic. Have we understand about the text?

·         Review our notes.

·         Check if we have complete our task corectly.

·         Do we have any problem during listening? Do we have problem to complet our task now? Identify the problems and ask someone for help.

·         Listen again to understand the difficult passages.

O’Malley and Chamot’s declare three basic categories strategies:

1.      Cognitive strategies: these are activities which learners use to remember and develop language and to facilititate comprehension.

·         Predicting what a piece of listening will be about, or what language/information will come next.

·         Drawing inferences when information is not stated or has been missed.

·         Guessing meaning of unknown words.

·         Using intonation and pausing to segment words and phrases.

·         Other micro-strategies to do with processing language- identifying stressed words, listening for markers, listening for structures etc.

·         Using schematic and contextual information (top-down) together with linguistic information (bottom-up) to arrive at meaning.

·         Visualizing the situation they are hearing about.

·         Piecing together meaning from words that have been heard.

2.      Metacognitive strategies: these are activities which learners use to organize, monitor and evaluate how well they are understanding.

·         Focusing attention, concentrating and clearing the mind before listening.

·         Applying an advance organizer before listening

·         Going in with a plan

·         Getting used to speed and finding ways of coping with it

·         Being aware when they are losing attention and refocusing concentrating

·         Deciding what the main purpose of listening is

·         Checking how well they have understood

·         Taking notes

·         Paying attention to the main points

·         Identifying listening problems and planning how to improve them.

3.      Socio affective strategies: these are activities in which learners interact with other people in order to help their comprehension and encourage themselves to continue listening.

·         Asking for clarification

·         Checking that they have got the right idea

·         Providing themselves with opportunities for listening

·         Motivation themselves to listen

·         Lowering anxiety about listening

·         Providing a personal response to the information or ideas presented in the piece of listening

·         Empathizing with the speaker and trying to understand the reason for a particular message.