Do your students enjoy listening skills? My students often feel that it's not necessary.
My students often don’t like doing listening lessons, but I then explain to them why the listening lessons are so important. • Learners acquire new vocabulary and language in context by hearing repeated readings with embedded meaning. • Learners see how the teacher ‘thinks’ about the text and, in time, will start to develop their critical thinking about texts. • Learners can answer questions orally and individually in the text. • Learners become familiar with the structure and tone of different text genres, which helps them develop their knowledge and understanding of text types. • Learners develop a love for text by hearing engaging texts read by a fluent, expressive reader.
6 answers from our tutors
Best answer
I think that the flipped classroom model gives students the opportunity to be in control of their learning. When I assign listening exercises as homework, I give them the chance to interact with the material at their own speed. This means that when we have class, we can focus on having more in-depth discussions and practicing speaking, instead of spending time listening to audio tracks during online lessons. I've noticed that when students do the listening exercises at home, they come to class ready and more confident to share their ideas. This change from passive to active learning keeps my students engaged and enthusiastic about their own development.
get to know the student's favorite topics. for example, if they like football, let them listen to an interview about their favorite football team in English. then ask them questions about that topic. like this, the student will be interested to listen and you would achieve your goal as a teacher to include this in your teaching program
Usually students get tired of audio files of coursebooks. I try to use supplementary videos that could help develop listening skills and are more fun to watch. Videos also provide good context for follow-up activities like discussions.
Check your English level for free
Take our quick and free test to find out your current level of English
Start test
One of the first things I do with my new students is for them to start listening to a podcast of a radio drama that has a new episode every day. I do this because the key to learning a language, any language is to first listen, then to speak, then to read, then write and finally to learn grammar. English is a non-phonetic language, meaning that pronunciation CANNOT be learnt from reading, English spelling does not reflect the sound of the words. There are many students who truly believe that you can only learn a language from text books, and that listening is just a distraction. If I encounter such resistance, I ask them to pronounce the following words: though, thought, through, thorough, rough, cough, taught, ought. There are many red faces, as 98% of students cannot pronounce any of these words propoerly, because up until they have a lesson with me, they had never HEARD these words being spoken by a native English speaker. QED! Like this answer? Then why not book a lesson.
I've noticed that students' attitudes towards listening skills can vary widely. Some students enjoy listening activities because they find them engaging and a practical way to improve their language comprehension. However, it's common for students to feel that listening skills are less necessary than speaking or writing.
From my experience, it is best to provide these Listening Exercises outside of the session because they prefer to listen to it a couple of times and digest the material. In the next sessions you meet-up this allows both the client and the tutor/teacher to talk about the material, which is much more encouraging and motivating to speak.
Other student questions
- Dynamic and Flexible Tutor
Who is ready for a personalised learning plan based on their needs and timelines from a flexible and dynamic tutor? Book a lesson with me amd let's get started.
- What makes your English lessons unique and effective for students⁉️
I make lessons fun, practical, and tailored to help learners improve fast and use English confidently.
- Are you ready to unlock endless opportunities by mastering the universal language of the world ?
Best answer
