Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
FACULTYOFPHILOLOGY
STUDENT:
MENTOR:
Armen Neziri
Doc.dr.Lulzime Kamberi
Abstract
Recently teachers are devoting more attention to listening as one of the basic skills
used in the teaching process in the study of foreign languages. This attention is due to
the introduction of communicative language teaching and the use of ICT in the
teaching process.
The experiences of many teachers show that listening improves the pronunciation and
the conversational skills of the students. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the
strategies and techniques that would help improve students listening comprehension.
The thesis also focuses on the
process of how languages are learnt and taught and why is important to learn foreign
languages. In the methodology part Ive shared a personal experience regarding the
teaching process, and Ive also mentioned some of the most commonly used methods.
The goals and techniques for teaching listening are also elaborated in detail.
Introduction
Listening plays an important role in communication as it is said that, of the total
time spent on communicating, listening takes up 40-50%; speaking, 25-30%;
reading, 11-16%; and writing, about 9% (Mendelsohn, 1994). Although the
teaching of listening comprehension has long been somewhat neglected and
poorly taught aspect of English in many EFL programs(Mendelsohn, 1994, p.
9), listening is now regarded as much more important in both EFL classrooms
and SLA research. Listening involves an active process of deciphering and
constructing meaning from both verbal and non-verbal messages (Nunan,
1998).
The need for competence in listening in EFL English language learners is
increasing, so that listening teaching has attracted considerable attention.
Unfortunately, the teaching of listening skills is still neglected in the English
language teaching process. EFL learners have serious problems in English
listening comprehension due to the fact that universities pay more attention to
English grammar, reading and vocabulary.
Literature review
A lot of discussion has been made held on defining the distinction between
acquiring a language and learning a language, mostly supported by the
American scholar Steven Krashen. He characterizes acquisition as a subconscious
process, which results only knowing about a language. Acquiring a language is
more successful and longer lasting than learning.
He suggests that foreign language learning needs to be more like the childs
acquisition of his native language, that is, the learners should learn a foreign
language as the children learn their mother tongue.
The gradual ability of a child to use the language is the result of many
subconscious processes, he hears a lot and he is never consciously taught. These
processes are based on the experiences in which the child began to acquire,
without conscious by setting out to do so and naturally comes the ability to enter
linguistically into the communication.
Language teaching
There are many methods of teaching languages. Some have fallen into relative obscurity
and others are widely used; still others have a small following, but offer useful insights.
While sometimes confused, the terms "approach", "method" and "technique" are
hierarchical concepts.
An approach is a set of assumptions about the nature of language and language
learning, but does not involve procedure or provide any details about how such
assumptions should be implemented into the classroom setting. Such can be related to
second language acquisition theory. There are three principal "approaches":
The structural view treats language as a system of structurally related elements to code
meaning (e.g. grammar).
The functional view sees language as a vehicle to express or accomplish a certain
function, such as requesting something.
The interactive view sees language as a vehicle for the creation and maintenance of
social relations, focusing on patterns of moves, acts, negotiation and interaction found in
conversational exchanges. This approach has been fairly dominant since the 1980s.
Methodology
Before mentioning the most commonly used methods in the teaching of the English language, I
want to share my personal experience of internship in the elementary school Penestia.
During the last year of my studies I had the opportunity to get an internship at a local school in
the municipality of Debar, this was a great opportunity for close encounter with the
educational process in the teaching of EFL. During this internship I had the chance to see how
are used in practice the methods and techniques in teaching English.
I noticed that the older teachers prefer to use older methods such as the grammar -translation
method, they argued that this method is effective in learning foreign languages, which I
personally do not accept given the fact that this method is most often used in the study of
extinct languages such as Latin and is mainly based on the interpretation of texts and learning
grammar rules. On the other hand, younger teachers preferred to use newer methods and
techniques, they were trying to achieve the objectives through mastery of the four basic skills:
reading, writing, speaking and listening , for this purpose, they used a variety of techniques:
brainstorming, Veno diagram, discussion, role play etc..
It left me a special impression the use of ICT in the teaching process, this enables the students
to have access to various educational sites where theyll have the opportunity to be much more
actively involved in the EL, but also the use of ICT enables teachers to be more creative and
more effective throughout the teaching process.
Research
question
last
year of my studies,
One-Way Communication
Materials:
1. Radio and television programs
2. Public address announcements (airports, train/bus stations, stores)
3. Speeches and lectures
4. Telephone customer service recordings
Procedure:
1. Help students identify the listening goal: to obtain specific information; to
decide whether to continue listening; to understand most or all of the message.
2. Help students outline predictable sequences in which information may be
presented: who-what-when-where (news stories); who-flight numberarriving/departing-gate number (airport announcements); "for [function], press
[number]" (telephone recordings)
3.Help students identify key words/phrases to listen for
Conclusion
Perhaps the most effective way to teach listening skills is for teachers to try and
model their own techniques, to create environment which encourages listening.
Teachers can create such an environment by constant and positive interaction,
actively listening to all students. English listening competence is a complex skill
that needs conscious development. It can be best developed with practice when
students reflect on the process of listening without the threat of evaluation. By
focusing on the process of listening, students can acquire a useful tool to raise
their English comprehensive competence. Listening comprehension levels affect
the capacity for improvement in other language skills such as speaking, reading,
writing and translating. It is important for the teacher to provide various
opportunities for students to practice listening skills and to become actively
involved in the listening process.