There has been a growing interest in and concern for the teaching of listening in the last 40 years. Looking back over the years, we can see how the emphases on teaching listening and the focus of listening instruction have changed. Although instructional practices were initially heavily influenced by models of the written language and a…

A modified version of the traditional dictation exercise is recommended in order to answer two unmet needs which caused such exercises to fall into disfavor: the systematic teaching of specific points, and the use of authentic linguistic samples. (JB)

Discusses general strategies and specific devices to motivate intermediate and advanced students to use the language laboratory frequently and efficiently. Suggests types of materials most effective for language laboratory use. (PMJ)

An approach to increasing intermediate students' listening comprehension of conversational Spanish used video materials taped from real Spanish TV broadcasts. Careful breakdown into comprehensible units, combined with repetition and then student reproduction, improved listening skills in the class more than did conventional methods in control…

A discussion of the Total Physical Response method of second language instruction places the concept within the context of other unconventional language learning methods, reviews the rationale behind the approach, and outlines the classroom procedures used. A sampling of useful commands for classroom use is included. (19 references) (MSE)

The design of instructional materials for second language listening comprehension is discussed, based on the premise that such materials must reflect a view of the nature and processes of listening. Two distinct kinds of cognitive processes involved in listening are examined: bottom-up processing, or the use of incoming data as a source of…

Reviews some technological advances and classroom games which may be used to increase listening comprehension skills in the foreign language classroom. These include the Random Access Memory (RAM), the Sens-it-Cell, and the SCUCHO game. (AM)

Provides a model for teaching listening comprehension through the use of soap operas. (AM)

The assignment of listening tasks for students to do while listening to conversational English tapes in a Japanese language lab is described. Students are instructed to create their own visuals. Sample activities and procedures are outlined. (Contains 13 references.) (LB)

The speech introduces a colloquium on the teaching of listening comprehension to students of English for academic purposes (EAP). The colloquium's aim is to address ways that EAP instructors can improve students' lecture listening skills by discussing the types of background discourse knowledge and listening strategies that…

Some aural activities are described that can help language students with their listening comprehension. They include dictation, a "who am I?" exercise, sketch-drawing, chart completion, a comparison exercise, and a flow diagram. (LB)

Telling and listening to stories is an ancient tradition that can benefit foreign language learners of all ages, languages, and levels of proficiency. Stories contain linguistic, paralinguistic, discourse, and cultural features that provide the comprehensible input and output that students need to develop their conversational skills. Instructors…

This article affirms the pedagogical validity of using radio commercials in English as second language listening classes and offers suggestions on how to introduce this type of material. (CFM)

Nonnative university students have difficulty coping with lectures given in English and need authentic and relevant material in listening and note-taking courses. One approach based on a transcription of a paleontology lecture is presented, suggested by linguistic analysis of 40 science lectures at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. (four…

In the comprehension approach to second language instruction, the major procedure is to provide students with comprehensible input, which it is the students' responsibility to understand. The aim is to encourage nucleation of the target language, that is the crystallization of the rule system. Teaching procedures focus on strategies for implicit…