Developing Listening Comprehension Skills

Listening comprehension is a key initial step in communication. The better students can understand what is being said, the better will be their ability to communicate.  In addition, they will be better able to notice the characteristics of the target language which will help to improve their language development.

In order to have good skills in listening comprehension and to speak it fluently, a learner should practise listening to audio and video aids (dialogues, thematic texts and narrative stories). It is preferable to have English transcripts of audio and video material. Learners should practice listening comprehension with subsequent speaking in the following sequence:

1.  Learners should listen to each sentence several times. At the same time they should see each

sentence in the transcript.

2. Learners need to make sure they understand everything clearly in each sentence in terms of

pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

3. Without looking into the transcript, learners should try to repeat each sentence (say it aloud)

exactly as they heard it. Without being able to repeat a sentence, a learner cannot understand it.

4. Then it is essential that learners listen to that particular conversation or text (story) in short

paragraphs or chunks, say each paragraph aloud, and compare to the transcript.

5. Finally it is necessary that learners listen to the whole conversation or story without interruption several times, and try to tell the content of the whole conversation or text (story) they heard. They can write key words and phrases, or main ideas as a plan, or questions on that particular dialogue or text to make easier for them to convey their content in English. It is important for learners to compare what they said to the transcript.

 

Skills for Note Taking in the Lecture

Note taking is one way of enhancing listening. Note taking which is done improperly creates a barrier to effective listening. The listener has to be vested with skills for note taking before, during and after the class as follows:

 

A. Before Class

1. Develop a mindset which is geared towards listening

2. Go over the materials of the previous lecture while waiting for the next lecture to begin.

3. Preview the assigned readings to establish some background knowledge.

4. Determine what you know and what you do not know about the material in order to focus your listening or learning.

5. Skim relevant reading assignments to acquaint you with the main ideas, new technical terms etc.

6. Do what you can to improve your physical and mental alertness (tiredness, hunger, sleepiness, the place where you sit in the classroom, can affect motivation and attention).

7. Choose note books that will enhance your systematic note – taking; have a separate note book with full sized pages for each course.

8. Develop the positive intention to listen.

 

B. During Class

The following steps are aimed at improving your note taking strategies in lectures and seminars.

1.    Arrive on time. Often it is at the beginning of the lecture that the subject is introduced and the outline of the lecture is set out. If you miss this, you may spend the rest of the lecture trying to work out what is going on.

2.    Sit where you can see and hear the speaker easily and where there are no distractions. Resist distractions, emotional reactions or boredom.

3.     Make sure you are an active listener. Active listening is a thinking activity. The more you think about the ideas you are noting down, the more you will understand and remember them at a later date.

4.     Concentrate on what the speaker is saying. Note that the speaker’s body language provides clues to what is important.

5.     Decide why the lecture is important to you. If you do not have a clear reason for listening to a speaker, you will not be a motivated listener.

6.     Develop a flexible note-taking strategy, which can be adapted to suit the style of the lecture. Learn your lecturer’s style. Notice how s/he operates. Some lecturers will give you an outline of what the lecture will cover at the beginning and some lecturers may sum up the most important points at the end. Some will distribute handouts, or will post lecture notes online in advance or after the lecture, to which you can add your own comments.

7.     Note the pattern of organization in the lecture. Does it begin or end with a brief summary of the main concepts, themes or ideas? How are details or examples used to develop specific points? What is the relationship between the points presented?

8.     Review your notes after the lecture. You should think about how your lecture notes relate to your notes from the course readings. Look out for the developing themes of the course, and think about how this lecture relates to the previous lectures in your course

9.    Ask yourself: what questions does this lecture answer? What is the relationship between the lectures and the readings recommended? What possible examination questions could be answered from the information you have gathered?

10.  Organize your notes as a way to review, test your understanding of ideas, and prepare for examinations.

11. Use abbreviations when necessary. The use of abbreviations saves time and energy. Examples: b/4 – before, i/c – in charge, sb – some body

12.  Use symbols (where necessary or important) Science students apply more symbols than students of arts or social sciences. In sciences there are internationally accredited symbols. Examples: = equals, > more, % percentage

13.   Be consistent in your use of form, abbreviations etc in your notes. Give headings to important points and organizational clues: main points and examples.

14.  Write the notes in your own words, but if you cannot don’t let it take away your attention from the lecture.

15.  Ask questions if you don’t understand. The lecture/presenter may allow time for questions at the end of the class. Otherwise approach the lecturer or presenter after the class.

16.  Listen carefully to the information given toward the end of the class; summary statements may be particularly valuable in highlighting main points; there may be possible quiz questions etc.

 

C. After Class

1. Clear up any questions or doubts raised by the lecture by asking either the teacher or classmates.

2. Fill in missing points or misunderstood term from text or other sources.

3. Edit your notes. Label main points, add questions to be answered. Highlight key points in the notes with different colors of ink.

4. Think over what you have learnt; make separate notes of your ideas and reflections.

 

The Lecture

Lectures are rather like an extended review article. They attempt to introduce a new subject in an accessible way, providing an outline of both its principal debates and its various chronologies. At their best they usefully review the latest unpublished research and its effects on previous debates, while also linking up other components of the course. Because of the necessary speed of the lecture it is imperative that you listen and understand before you take notes. Do not try to write everything down or even everything you could. Follow the argument(s), and selectively note the evidence deployed.

The Seminar

Seminar classes take a wide variety of forms, which require students to engage differently. However, generally they are intended to examine issues in greater depth than allowed in lectures and, consequently, demand substantial preparation from students to work effectively. As their purpose is to enable students to explore their ideas, the quality and coherence of the discussion varies, and with it your need is to take notes. Although the tutor's job is to keep the discussion relevant, what is relevant to you may not be to someone else.

Again, do not write everything down, or just note what the tutor says (s/he may be playing devil's advocate to promote debate). Follow the discussion so you understand its principal themes and then note them down. You may find it easier to write up your notes after the tutorial. Again, here are some suggestions:

• Do be punctual. It is at the beginning of lectures and seminars that the subject is introduced and the approach to be taken is set out. Miss this and the rest will seem a mystery.
• Do not rush to pack up and go as soon as you hear the tutor/lecturer start to sum up. The closing remarks often raise important issues that will be discussed in the following class/lecture.
• Note down the names of the historians associated with particular arguments or schools of thought. If in doubt ask the tutor/lecturer to write a name on the blackboard.
• Do not go to sleep when you receive a handout. Mark and annotate it; refer to it in your other notes; so in six months' time you know why you were given it.

Note-Taking Skills

Effective note taking from lectures and readings is an essential skill for university study. Good note taking allows a permanent record for revision and a register of relevant points that you can integrate with your own writing and speaking. Good note taking reduces the risk of plagiarism. It also helps you distinguish where your ideas came from and how you think about those ideas.

Effective note taking requires:

• recognizing the main ideas
• identifying what information is relevant to your task
• having a system of note taking that works for you
• reducing the information to note and diagram format
• where possible, putting the information in your own words
• recording the source of the information

 

Barriers to Effective Listening

Effective listening requires the listener to direct all the attention to the speaker otherwise communication may be blocked. The factors which can hinder communication are simply referred to as communication barriers. The following are the barriers to effective communication.

1. Mental distraction - trying to think of other things than the lecture or speakers talk acts as a barrier to listening.

2.Wandering attention - this is when the listener’s mind is set away from the speaker’s talk or presentation. The outcome of which is communication breakdown.

3. Planning to present a good argument - listener’s efforts to prepare an argument or a question in order to ask the speaker leads him to lose listening concentration. The outcome of which is to miss the rest of the speaker’s points.

4. Lack of interest - this hinders listening since the listener gets bored to the subject presented or topic under discussion.

5. Avoiding the effort to understand what is difficult - in attempts to avoid understanding difficult concepts or topic, the listener diverts attention hence blocking communication.

6. Listener’s tendency to criticize the speaker - criticizing speaker’s appearance, mannerisms, voice, language and others causes poor listening. This is because most of the listener’s time is devoted for criticism rendering less attention to listening.

7. Emotional blocks (deaf sports) - the listener is carried away by emotional fantasies and imaginations which are not related to the topic being discussed. In this situation the listener is blocked away from effective communication.

8. Emotional excitement - irritating emotions which result from feeling angry due to gender bias, racial prejudice or any other causes may lead a speaker to be mentally upset. The outcome of which is that the listener set away from the speaker’s intended message.

9. Impatience - in communication the rule of turn taking is very important. This means that the listener has to allow the speaker to speak without unnecessary interruptions. But in case the listener does not wait until the speaker has finished then this interruption decreases the ability of the listener to comprehend the intended message.

10. Poor health - when the listener is overwhelmed by illness i.e feeling pain, headache or any other illness then his/her ability to listen gets affected hence impeding listening ability.

11. Excessive note taking - trying to take down extensive notes is one of the factors that disturb listening. This has an adverse out come to the listener, since he/she misses the points.

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