Teaching Listening

‘Nature gave us one tongue and two ears,

So we could hear twice as much as we speak.'

(Epictetus, Greek philosopher)

Listening is the language modality that is used most frequently. It has been estimated that adults spend almost half their communication time listening, and students may receive as much as 90% of their in-school information through listening to instructors and to one another. Not all listening is the same; casual greetings, for example, require a different sort of listening capability than do academic lectures. Language learning requires intentional listening that employs strategies for identifying sounds and making meaning from them. Listening involves a sender (a person, radio and television), a message, and a receiver (the listener). In addition, listeners must deal with the sender's choice of vocabulary, structure, and speed of delivery. The complexity of the listening process is magnified in second language contexts, where the receiver also has incomplete control of the language. Teaching listening skills is one of the most difficult tasks for any ESL teacher. This is because successful listening skills are acquired over time and with lots of practice. It's frustrating for students because there are no rules as in grammar teaching. Speaking and writing also have very specific exercises that can lead to improved skills. This is not to say that there are not ways of improving listening skills; however they are difficult to quantify. One of the largest inhibitors for students is often mental block. While listening, a student suddenly decides that he or she doesn't understand what is being said. Some students convince themselves that they are not able to understand spoken English well and create problems for themselves. What reaches our ears is not a string of words or phrases or even