Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Background
- Part II Rethinking the comprehension approach
- Part III Process, not product
- 5 A diagnostic approach to L2 listening
- 6 Dividing listening into its components
- 7 A process approach
- Part IV A process view of listening
- Part V The challenge of the real world
- Part VI Conclusion
- Appendices
- Glossary of listening-related terms
- References
- Index
- References
5 - A diagnostic approach to L2 listening
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Background
- Part II Rethinking the comprehension approach
- Part III Process, not product
- 5 A diagnostic approach to L2 listening
- 6 Dividing listening into its components
- 7 A process approach
- Part IV A process view of listening
- Part V The challenge of the real world
- Part VI Conclusion
- Appendices
- Glossary of listening-related terms
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), US PresidentOur current approach to the teaching of second language listening places faith in extended practice. It embodies a belief that learners' listening skills improve if they are exposed over time to a large number of spoken texts in the target language. Attempts are made to grade the texts in terms of the frequency and complexity of the language they employ; and progress is judged by the learner's ability to handle texts of increasing linguistic difficulty.
The fallacy in this version of events lies in the assumption that extended exposure to L2 speech necessarily leads to better listening skills. This may well be the case when learners are living in a target language environment. Under such conditions, they have a high level of exposure, a strong motivation for teasing out meaning from the speech that is going on around them, and the possibility of negotiating meaning and repairing breakdowns by means of face-to-face encounters. But the situation of those who are acquiring L2 in a classroom is very different. It certainly happens that some learners' skills do improve over time by dint of answering comprehension questions on a series of recordings, but those of many others do not.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Listening in the Language Classroom , pp. 79 - 95Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009