Developing Listening Skills
Listening tests are designed to give an objective assessment of an individual's listening skills. However, it is important to remember that in the classroom we should be developing rather than testing our students' listening abilities. In developing their general listening skills, we will not only be helping them to pass listening tests, but we will also be helping them to improve their general understanding of English.
There are many ways of helping your learners in class, and you will find lots of interesting activities on this website, but you can also encourage them to develop their listening skills themselves outside the classroom. Even when they are not in an English-speaking country there are many things they can do. It is important for students to understand that listening skills can be built up gradually using real-life language, if we adopt an appropriate approach. Encouraging students to be satisfied with understanding the gist or main points of a lecture or broadcast, rather than expecting to understand every word and nuance, as they would in their first language, is especially useful. Therefore, encourage your students to:
- Listen to broadcasts in English. Many ICFE candidates will have ready access to international news channels and other broadcast media in English. Television does not always provide the best listening practice, as the visual image conveys a large part of the information in films and documentaries. In news and discussion programmes, however this is less the case and, especially where topics of professional relevance are under discussion, candidates can develop appropriate skills. For example, candidates can listen to a televised discussion and identify the main views held by the two parties, identify the topic under discussion and the points about which there is agreement and disagreement. If candidates can focus on extracting the gist and identifying the attitudes of speakers, even if they are unable to follow the detail, then they will be practicing useful skills for the ICFE Test of Listening.
- Investigate websites that offer ‘podcasts’ and other audio content which can be downloaded. Some educational and professional bodies provide transcriptions or summaries of lectures which can then be listened to online. Students can obtain the visual information, e.g. a set of slides, and then follow the main points of the lecture. This will help develop skills of identifying the structure of a talk which will be useful for Part 3 of the test. Downloaded lectures can also be paused and reviewed, so that key information can be checked or noted down at the listener’s own speed.
- Make the most of any listening they do outside class, e.g. when visiting conferences and other training events where English might be used. Even if the content of a presentation or lecture is not immediately relevant to them, it may be an opportunity for ICFE candidates to practice their listening skills in English. Encourage students to make a note of the main points or interesting words and phrases to look up afterwards, or to make a list of headings that represent the main parts of the talk.