The official website of educator Jack C Richards

Enhancing Listening Skills

Submitted by Hamed Nastaran, Bushehr, Iran

First you need to find an audio and its text. It can be a song and its lyrics, a movie with subtitle, or a book’s readings along with the audio track (The kind of reading with the target accent). Now depending on your English level; you may start from your desired step:

  1. Listen to the audio casually, don’t worry about the vague parts. At first it’s enough to just get the idea.
  2. Analyze it, look for details; check if you have any questions about it.
  3. Listen for the second time, and try to write what you hear. You may pause or rewind the audio.
  4. Revise what you wrote.
  5. Continue the cycle till you’re satisfied with the attempts.
  6. Check what you wrote with the original text.
  7. Correct you writing, then check with the audio.

Notes:

  1. If you are a beginner, animations are more suitable for you since the voices are recorded in a studio.
  2. Try not to understand everything in the first attempt. Some times getting some distance is the key to understanding things better.
  3. Concerts are preferred to movies and songs since you can hear different pronunciations of a word in different circumstances.
  4. Try not to get used to using headphones; if you’re a beginner, you may get started with it to boost the process, but do not stick to it.
  5. Avoid using the original text instead of your draft in the last stage.