Lesson 1- Introduction (Teaching Listening)

Listening in not hearing what the other party in the conversation has to say.
“Listening means talking a vigorous, human interest in what is being told us,” said poet Alice
Duer Miller. “You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every
sound comes back fuller and richer.
Elements and Levels of listening
Author Marvin Gottlieb cites four elements of good listening:

1. Attention-the focused perception of both visual and verbal stimuli

2. Hearing-the physiological act of ‘opening the gates to your ears’
3. Understanding-Assigning meaning to the messages received
4. Remembering-the storing of meaningful information” (“Managing Group Process.”
Praeger, 2003)

He also cites four levels of listening: acknowledging, sympathizing, paraphrasing,

and empathizing. The four levels of listening range from passive to interactive when
considered separately. However, the most effective listeners are able to project all four levels
at the same time. That means they show they’re paying attention, they show interest, and
convey that they are working to understand the speaker’s message.

In teaching, listening is the neglected communication skill. While all of us have had
instruction in reading, writing, and speaking, few have had any formal instruction in
listening. We may not be aware of it, but, listening takes as much as 50% of our everyday
communication time. It is the main channel of classroom instruction and the most used
language skill at work and at home. Many learners want to develop effective listening
comprehension because it is crucial to their academic, professional and personal success.

Hearing is natural process while listening is skill. – Cabbab

4 Kinds of Listening (Wolvin and Coakley, 1992)
1. Comprehensive (Informational) Listening - students listen for the content of the
message
2. Critical (Evaluative) Listening- Students judge the message
3. Appreciative (Aesthetic) Listening- Students listen for enjoyment
4. Therapeutic (Emphatic) Listening – Students listen to support others.

From CONSTEL: English (1999), the following types of listening are mentioned:
1. Marginal listening- the listener hears sounds but ignores them. He/ She does not have
any focus.
2. Attentive listening- the listener focuses attention on what is being said and shows
interest in it. This is done when directions and instructions are given and when one
listens to an informative talk such as lectures or oral reports in school.
3. Critical listening- the listener has to decide on the true worth of an idea, pass judgment
on a claim made and make decisions on whether to accept what is being said at face
value.
4. Appreciative listening- the listener derives pleasures from what he/she hears. It can
stem from a song or lines of poetry listened to.
Barriers to Listening
1. Physical Barriers – to comprehend the message, the students should hear it. But
reception may be blocked by noise in the room or outside the room; poor acoustics;
impaired hearing of the students; tiredness, sleepiness and hunger; or plain
inattention.
2. Psychological barrier – these are preconceived beliefs about the subject being
discussed that prevent the hearers from receiving the speaker’s/teacher’s ideas; the
negative attitude towards the subject which to the hearer is difficult, uninteresting or
unpleasant; or antagonism towards the speaker.
3. Language barrier – is the level of language too high for the students? The
teacher’s/speaker’s pronunciation and grammar could also be a distraction to the
hearer.
Keys to Effective listening
Here are some tips to being an effective active listener:

1. Stop talking.
2. Maintain eye contact with the speaker if possible.
3. Pay attention and listen for ideas.
4. Find areas of interest.
5. Judge content, not delivery.
6. Judge ideas, not appearances.
7. Don’t interrupt, and be patient.
8. Hold back your points or counterpoints.
9. Resist distractions.
10. Make effective use of lag time.
11. Pay attention to nonverbal information.
12. Keep your mind open, and be flexible.
13. Ask questions during pauses and give feedback.
14. Listen with empathy to try and see the speaker’s viewpoint.
15. Anticipate, summarize, weigh the evidence, and listen between the lines.