Proposes implementing the technique of narrow listening to advance second-language learners' comprehension of casual talk. This activity requires a native-language speaker to digress on tape on a familiar topic of interest to the learner so that the learner can listen to the native speaker both in person and later via the tape as often as he…

Focuses on creating warm-up exercises for use with choral groups, offering tips for developing the exercises. Explains that a warm-up is useful for teaching students to sing, listen, and learn specific music concepts and activities. Provides a list of additional resources and example activities. (CMK)

Examines listeners' perceptions of musical intensity in nine excerpts of orchestral music in order to compare two measures of overall effect in music. Explains that two assessments were used: (1) recording subjects' responses as they listened to music excerpts; and (2) recording subjects' ratings of intensity. (CMK)

Investigates whether self-confidence--expressed both as willingness to communicate and lack of anxiety--is an indicator of overall listening competence. Finds communication confidence and listening comprehension positively related, but notes that students' ability to decipher emotional content tends to be inversely related to their expressed…

Examines whether more attention needs to be paid to listening as a necessary skill in the diagnosing and preparation of foreign language students and whether listening skill is a good predictor of language achievement. (GLR)

Discusses the importance of teaching English-as-a-Second-Language students to be effective listeners, examining different types of listening (listening for gist, listening for specific information, and inference) and describing how to determine the direction in which students listen (top down or bottom up). Two sidebars present teaching tips and…

This study examined effects of text listening strategy instruction on listening and reading comprehension skills of 95 9- to 11-year-old poor readers of whom half were also poor listeners. Results indicated significant program effects on strategic listening and strategic reading posttests. Although improvements were maintained, transfer to more…

Explores listener preference as an explanation for differences in traditional and nontraditional students' learning and listening orientations in the college classroom. Indicates partial support for this perspective in that traditional students prefer a people-oriented listening style while nontraditional students are more likely to utilize an…

As the first volume in a set of programmed instructional materials to help college students improve their communication skills in preparation for the job market, this booklet presents an overview of communication skills and a section on active listening. Designed for students to use on their own, the format of the program is to present a situation…

Social workers are actively engaging in the practice of interdisciplinary community collaboration (ICC) with the goal of bringing diverse groups together to improve the conditions of communities and enhance the quality of life of population groups. Yet, collaborations are challenging and require great skill and commitment. The pedagogy and the…

Age-normed tests of listening comprehension, oral expression, reading comprehension, and written expression were administered in Grades 1 (n = 128), 3, and 5, or 3 (n = 113), 5, and 7. Confirmatory factor analyses compared 1- and 4-factor models at each grade level and supported a 4-factor model of language by ear, mouth, eye, and hand. Multiple…

This paper examines the effects that digital stories may have on the understanding of spoken English by a group of 6-year-old Spanish learners. To accomplish this aim, a quasi-experimental research study was launched in six state schools in Madrid. A pre-post test design was used to investigate whether internet-based technology could improve…

The experiments described in this paper compare inference-based and expectancy-based models of the comprehension of indirect, non-literal expressions. The inference-based model claims that the comprehension of non-literal meanings requires more and deeper processing than the comprehension of literal meanings. The expectancy-based model rests on…

Real learning often can't be quantified, and a corporate-style preoccupation with "data" turns schooling into something shallow and lifeless. Ideally, attention to learning signifies an effort to capture how each student makes sense of the world, so teachers can meet them where they are. "Teaching is mostly listening." (It's the learners who…