LISTENINGCOMPREHENSION*

TESOL

What is listening comprehensionDefinition: decoding of the stream of speech, which involves continual mental processing, concentrated attention, and memoryComprehension of utterances requires:perception of the soundsrecognition and identification of the segments (chunks of speech)understanding the communicative expressions and syntactic structuresinterpretation of the message

Listeners require two kinds of knowledge to identify utterances: knowledge of the syntax and morphological elementsreal-world knowledgeProcess of storing a stream of speech into long-term memory:receiving messageplacing message temporarily in short-term memory selecting the main ideasstoring main ideas in long-term memory

How do learners acquire the skills needed to identify, understand, and interpret oral input?Teach the phonemic systemTeach necessary morphosyntactic rules and segmentation of subject, verb, object, phrases, and clausesRepeat an utterance or a brief passage Stop at the end of every utterance and ask questions to ensure comprehension

Before listening:Explain difficult vocabulary/cultural allusions in the passageGive simple, clear, precise explanations of what to listen for through pre-listening questions.Divide a passage into manageable pieces.Discuss the pragmatic elements in the situation.Have learners make notes about what they expect to hear (based on the title).

While listening:Give learners a list of facts and items they can check as they are listening.Give them maps on which they can chart a route being discussed.Tell them to jot down only the key words as they listen.Have them draw something simple which the passage suggests.

After listening:Take a dictation of the passage.Fill in a cloze test.Answer multiple-choice questions.Answer open-ended questions.Write a two- or three-line summary.Tell the style of the language.Tell who the speakers are, what their attitudes are.Tell what they can infer from what A has said.