Name : Refangga Thomas Agatis

NIM : 1910117210027
Class : A2 Academic Writing

Ways to Teach Listening Skills

In terms of teaching English, there are four main skills that must be mastered by
language learners, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening skill is
considered to be the main skill that must be mastered by language learners because it is the
one of most used skills in everyday life. In teaching listening skills, the learning strategy used
by the teacher is important and is one of the factors that determine the success of mastering
listening skills. For this reason, the teacher should find an appropriate listening learning
strategy to support the learners in mastering listening skills.
There are diverse strategies that can be applied by teachers in teaching listening
skills. In selecting the appropriate strategy for teaching listening skills, teachers should keep
in mind that teaching listening skills are different from teaching other skills. Helgeson
(2003), in his excellent overview of listening research, asserts that listening is receptive and
commonly occurs in real-time. In other words, it means when we are listeners, we pay
attention to the spoken language. When we pay attention to a speaker, our brain is actively
processing the information we receive and demand us to give a productive oral response.
Listening learning strategies should be focused not only on the output but also on the
process. In this matter, Opp-Beckman & Klinghammer (2006, p. 45) suggest that bottom-up
and top-down strategies can be applied to integrate listening and speaking with students who
are involved in the classroom. For example, at the beginning of the lesson, the teacher
discusses the topic they will discuss in Bahasa Indonesia. During the listening process, the
teacher demonstrates strategies that can be applied according to the objectives and types of
texts discussed. With this strategy, teachers can raise students' awareness that listening skills
require active involvement. In addition, teachers can help students improve their abilities and
self-confidence.
Taking everything into account, listening skill is the language modality that is used
regularly. It should be noted down that teaching listening skills is different from other skills.
In teaching listening skills, the focus should be on the process. Nevertheless, selecting the
appropriate listening learning strategy to be conducted in the classroom is important. Bottom-
up and top-down strategies can be an option because they can strike up the students' active
involvement.
References
Helgesen, M. (2003). Listening. In D. Nunan (Ed). Practical English Language Teaching (p.
24). Singapore: McGraw-hill Companies, Inc.
Opp-Beckman, L. & Klinghammer, S. (2006). Shaping the Way We Teach English:
Successful Practices Around the World. Washington, the U.S.: The Office of English
Programs. (p. 45).