Information collection & exchange

 
 
CHAPTER 4 
 
Teaching listening 
r discusses the role of listening in language learning. It focuses on the need for ex
language and for meaningful "real life" interaction between listener and spe
or teaching listening comprehension are discussed: the teacher, other speakers o
The characteristics of good listening exercises are expla
cteristics are presented. 
"T
hy we have two ears and only one mouth is so that we may listen more an

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to learn some
for your 
students' mista
nged by 
what you hear 
s say? If so, do your students realize the extent of your receptiveness? Do your 
tudents listen
This kind 
of listening is 
extbooks. This 
ind of listening involves listening for real messages. 
working in a country where the majority of your 
And they didn't necessarily learn these languages at 
school. If you ask them how they learned, they will probably shrug their shoulders and say they just picked 
them up. Ask a little more about this process of picking up a language and you will find two common 
fea
d to the language by people who were using it as they went about 
the
students were required to do something which necessitated 
understanding and responding to 
messages in this language. Someone might have shouted at 
the
may have been asked to pay for a bus fare, they may have had to ask the 
ric
r students may not have understood every word that was said to them, the 
in a classroom or giving lessons at someone's work 
lace. But this does not mean that you should ignore the features that go into successful informal language 
consider is exposure to the language. Babies and young children are exposed 
in their acquisition of a language. This same concept of listening in the early 
that you have to be prepared to include in your lessons segments where you talk a lot to 
ou
pro
practices. 
em
ints and negative 
feelings about your host country, but the classroom is
 
ow
ts' brains work while they are doing something else 
thing useful? Do you ever catch yourself listening for long periods of time only
kes? Or do you really try to listen to what they are saying? Are you willing to be cha
your student
s
to each other? Do you give them activities which lead to real exchanges of views?
a lot different from the listen-and-repeat drills you may have come across in t
k