Never had I thought of listening as being a neglected language skill until I read module 6. I realized it wasn't a particular focus in classes, but I did not consider it "neglected." It's true that reading and writing skills take precedence because they are considered more academic or intellectual. Speaking, which is the whole emphasis in conversation classes, is also an obviously coveted skill. So what do we do with little lone neglected listening?
I think that we should spend more time on explicitly teaching listening skills because developing listening has positive transfer implications for the other skills. Good listening skills are linked to independent or autonomous learning because students who use strategies to improve listening skills can actually increase their rate of learning languages. At least that's my hypothesis. Listening is self-directed so the learner has to be self-motivated to listen, not just hear. Anyone can be a passive listener, but a student who experiences different listening strategies in a class, focusing on activities as Wilson describes on pages 35-37, has the opportunity to transfer those awareness-raising strategies to their own independent learning once such strategies are assimilated consciously or subconsciously.
I really agree with your post. Listening is neglected and most importantly needed as a basis for all other skills. How can one's speaking and communicative skills improve if one cannot hear and understand what's going on around them. When you can understand what is being said around you, your whole world opens up.
ReplyDeleteHi Luisa! I like the your point about the difference between hearing and listening. It led me to reflect on my own choices when visiting my son in Montreal - I must admit that I 'hear' the French spoken around me rather than listen to it. My son has become functionally bilingual since moving to Montreal 3 years ago. He recently had a startling experience when, in a university elevator for the first time since graduating last year, he actually understood the conversations that surrounded him! But listening with the very basic language skills that I have in very, very hard work! I too, found the multiple strategies that Wilson offered in this chapter very helpful and I will certainly revisit them many times in the future both for my teaching practise, and my own language learning.
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