Active Listening in the EFL/ESL Class:

5 tips for better listening in language learning

Oftentimes I’ve been asked the very same question by different

generations of students at the university: “Teacher, what can I do to

improve my listening skills?” The good thing about the question is that my

pupils are aware of the importance of becoming better listeners. Yet the

problem is that learners tend to make the same mistakes repeatedly and

are negatively affecting their listening potential.

Do we really listen? Not really. Based on Seth S. Horowitz (2012), an

auditory neuroscientist at Brown University, “the difference between the

sense of hearing and the skill of listening is attention.” The students’

problem is that they hear a lot, but they can’t focus to listen attentively.

Barbara Bray (2012) labels this skill as “active listening.” And this is exactly

what students need to develop.

How can students learn to listen actively and attentively? In language

learning, a well-developed and robust ear is a must, not only for

pronunciation training but also in public speaking and content courses, as

well as in real life. This “robust” ear can be developed by working and

implementing five basic tips, which are the ones I share with my English-

learning students.

Tip 1< LISTENING FOR UNDERSTANDING: Students have the wrong

idea that they have to comprehend every single word uttered by a speaker

(professors, partners, etc.), and this is not true. Communication is based

on the understanding of a message, not of individual words. Students need

to learn to extract “the global meaning” of an explanation in class, or a

listening task. Vocabulary can be dealt differently in some other occasion to

benefit listening. Listening for understanding is the first key towards

attentive listening.

Tip 2< CLARIFICATION: Whether it’s a cultural condition, or not, many

students are afraid of asking for clarification. And they forget that a good

language teacher does not complain because students ask, but s/he simply

explains again. Clarification is necessary since a second explanation or

repetition can be the difference between understanding or remaining with

a gap in one’s learning. So, if we are listening for understanding, and

something is not clear to us, it’s always a good idea to ask the speaker to

clarify for us. This behavior also reflects one’s search for attentive listening

and that one is interested in the topic being discussed.

Tip 3< BODY LANGUAGE: At times students tend to forget that

communication is not only verbal; they forget that we also communicate

nonverbally. Body language is also important in becoming a good listener

since what is being said is usually accompanied with facial gestures and

hand movements. Decoding these gestures can definitely enhance people’s

understanding of the message that is being conveyed. By asking for

repetition when necessary and by reading people’s body movements, we

also develop our attentive listening to turn into a better decoder of

messages.

Tip 4< OPEN-MINDEDNESS: To become a good listener, the student

needs to be curious, and that’s why being open-minded is a must. While

listening, we become receptive for new ideas and different points of view

other speakers are willing to share with us. And it’s also necessary not to

be biased, because prejudice will somehow diminish your listening

potential. As it can be seen, open-mindedness is another key element in

becoming focused and attentive listeners.

Tip 5< THE ENVIRONMENT: A crucial element in developing one’s

listening skill is your surroundings. In today’s world, there are plenty of

distractors that hinder one’s listening potential. For that reason, one has to

stop what one is doing. Text-messaging with friends in class, listening to

your music by having your earphones on, or surfing the Web in your phone

or other device affect your listening. Noise is another element to take into

account. If practicing your listening, it is always a good idea to look for a

quiet place where you can minimize background noise. This will allow you

to focus and listen attentively.

As it can be seen, good listening skills don’t just depend on listening per

se. There are external elements that need to be considered and improved

to be a much attentive, active listener. What you have been provided here

is just a collection of tips I give my students at the university. However,

there are more extensive lists of recommendations to explore and practice.

Please, explore these two collections of tips that can also help your

students become better listeners.

Kay Lindahl’s Top Ten Powerful Listening Practices

Barbara Bray’s 10 Tips for Active Listening

To fully develop and comprehend this teaching issue, it’s advisable to

research and expand these areas:

1 Steps to effective learning

2 The art of listening

3 Hearing vs. listening

4 Learning to listen

5 Listening training skills

Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano

ELT Instructor & Trainer based in Costa Rica

Curricular Developer at CCCN

Senior ELT Professor at Universidad Latina

Freelance ELT Consultant for OUP in Central America

For further comments or suggestions, reach me at:

@jonacuso – Twitter

jonacuso@gmail.com – Gmail

Other blogs I often write for my students at the university are:

1. http://bin-02.blogspot.com/

2. http://bin-04.blogspot.com/

3. http://bin-06.blogspot.com/

- Bray, Barbara (2012) 10 Tips for Active Listening. Rethinking

Learning. Published at http://barbarabray.net/2012/01/10/10-tips-

for-active-listening/

- Horowitz, Seth S. (2012) The Science and Art of Listening. The

New York Times: Nov 9, 2012. Published at

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/why-listening-

is-so-much-more-than-hearing.html?_r=2

- Lindahl, Kay (2009) Top Ten Powerful Listening Practices. The

Listening Center. Published at

http://www.sacredlistening.com/tlc_topten.htm