Listening Texts

What makes a good listening text? This was the question posed at the beginning of J.J. Wilson’s chapter 2 called “Listening texts and listening strategies.” I found his answer was well thought out and quite all-encompassing. Some details he mentioned included that the text should be believable, a seemingly real conversation or interaction. He also suggested including new information, having the information relevant to the listener and presenting a text with the appropriate language level.

Believability of a text is helpful for engaging a student’s attention. Authenticity is often hard to create and texts often become clean-cut, easy to follow and simple to understand. In spite of the fact that these scripted texts can be simple to follow along with, most students want to experience something they would meet in the real world. There is great debate over what type of text is useful but as in most things, I think it is valuable to have a healthy tension. Authenticity, messiness and real-life comments, misuses and false starts draw in the engagement of a student. However, when the messiness is too much, students can become overwhelmed. Having a script with authenticity yet still presented in a straightforward manner that is mostly cleaned up, can aid students in being engaged and they can also gain an understanding of the text.

New information also draws in students to pay attention. Hearing a story that you have never heard before keeps you on edge and captivates your interest. New information is exciting and often relevant. However, there is something to be said about hearing information for the second time. There are times when hearing something familiar can aide a beginner in listening to something in a different language.

A listening text should also strive to be relevant to the listener. Without relevance, there is no point to practice listening. Very seldom a teacher should pull out a listening text that has zero relevance to their students. When students are interested in what is being talked about, there is an engagement with the text that is unattainable with a boring unrelated listening activity. Having a worthy text that is applicable to students may be hard to come by, but it is much more effective. Students can expand their knowledge, not only of their listening capabilities but also their knowledge in the subject of the listening text.

 Lastly, it is essential to be presenting a listening text that is the appropriate language level to students. Having students participate in an activity that is far above their language level leaves students feeling defeated. Presenting an activity that is too easy for students to understand does not teach them anything and is a waste of class time. It is important for students to be able to have a good grasp at what they are listening to but also feel challenged to learn what they do not know.

Fitting all these important details into a listening text can be time-consuming. It may take patience on the part of the teacher to learn what is relevant to her students and what level they are at. However, when all these details come into alignment, students can blossom in their listening abilities. There will be engagement, challenges, successes and much growth.  

Bibliography

Wilson, J. J. (2012). How to teach listening. Harlow: Person.