How to Improve English Language Listening Skills in EFL Learners

There are four principal venues that are frequently used in order to develop listening comprehension skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. By integrating these resources, the EFL teaching professional can effectively aid learners not only in listening comprehension skills development but also in multiple aspects of connected speech production. Understanding a listening passage can be made all the more difficult by four key influence factors including: the number of speakers in the passage, the technical difficulty and level of the spoken material in the passage, the speed of the speech and the accent(s) of the speakers in the passage and whether or not there is any external support provided for the listening passage. (i.e., photos, illustrations, graphics, vocabulary review or pre-listening activities, etc.) ref. Brown and Yule, 1983

Speech and Language Modeling by the Teacher

If the EFL teacher is a native or near native English speaker, then the dialogues can be modeled in addition to modeling pronunciation and connected speech examples. If the EFL or ESL teacher is not a native (or near native) English speaker, and this teacher does not have sufficient speech and pronunciation in English to model these aspects for the learners, then other English speech modeling and input sources can be used. Besides, we must not limit learners by thinking they can only learn and improve in a particular way. (M. Spratt, 2005)

Audio-Visual Resources

A valuable audio-visual aspect is provided to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners by native-speaker-produced CDs and DVDs. Speech and cultural elements can be illustrated or demonstrated using authentic audio-visual materials such as movie clips and documentaries, student-produced recordings and TV programs or commercials, among many others.

Audio cassettes or CD – ROMs

A wide range of CDs and DVDs exist to provide native speech modeling of different speaking, pronunciation, national and regional English accents. Multiple varieties of English are commonly used throughout the world and having examples of these by which learners can be exposed to the differences in spoken English will be helpful in demonstrating pronunciation variables. Online, over-the-air and cable radio broadcasts can be especially effective and are readily available in much of the world.

Three examples of excellent online radio broadcast sites are:

• http://www.live365.com

• http://www.archive.org

• http://www.multilingualBooks.com/online-radio.html

Online Audio and Video

Increasingly, institutes of higher learning are making integrated online materials available to learners. These may consist of spoken dialogues, video dialogues, short stories, interactive games, poems, rhymes and riddles, spoken grammar, connected speech examples, movie clips, interviews, documentaries and even pronunciation lists. Learners can log into the website at their institution to receive extended practice materials to complement in-class learning. Many large, well-established universities, institutes and ELT materials publishers are making such materials available online to both clients and the general public. In addition, specialized websites for English language teaching have cropped up in abundance and offer a plethora of materials and didactic assistance for the ELT professional.

Some examples of available materials online include:

• Penguin - http://www.penguinenglish.com

• Pearson – Longman [http://www.longman.com]

• Heinemann - http://www.heinemann.com/

• Oxford University - Press http://www.oup.com

• Cambridge University Press - [http://www.cup.org]

• Heinle and Heinle - http://www.heinle.com/esl_d/

• McGraw – Hill - educational resources http://mcgraw-hill.co.uk/kingscourt/

• Harvard University – Open Courseware

http://oedb.org/library/features/236-open-courseware-collections

A web search using “online English language teaching materials” will yield a virtual bonanza of materials, planning and resources for the time-strapped English teacher.

Although listening comprehension skills of themselves cannot be “taught”, the English (EFL) teacher can guide the learner’s practice in listening and increment their intensity of study and practice to aid in the development of listening comprehension skills in EFL learners. This can be especially effective when the learners live in one Braj Kashru’s “outer circle” countries (B. Kashru, 1980) where there may well be a quite limited exposure to spoken English available for the English language learners. English teachers should be resourceful in identifying and acquiring materials to augment their classes in proving as broad a variety of listening comprehension materials as possible for their classes. Thus, by integrating any and all available resources, any English language teaching professional can effectively aid learners not only in developing their listening comprehension skills but also in the demonstration of multiple aspects of connected speech in worldwide Englishes.

How to Improve Language and Speech Skills

I'm going to give you some advice to show you how to improve Language and speech skills. This is a wonderful goal for yourself to develop such skills. Most people don't the courage to learn these and would rather stay in their comfort zone. For that, I commend you.

Learn By Doing: This is part of the slogan from Toastmasters (a non-profit public speaking organization). This probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but it really is the truth. If you want to get better at this, you really need to just get up in front of people and speak. There is just no way around it. It is by far the best way of learning. You'll feel bad sometimes. You'll feel bad about mistakes and other little things. That happens. That's what it takes to be good because you learn from those mistakes and become a better speaker. It doesn't sound nice, but I guarantee there is a light at the end of the tunnel.


Table Topics: This is another exercise that comes from Toastmasters. Basically the idea is that doing prepared speeches, only really practices so many different skills. There are other skills to harness that can really improve your Language skills and speaking on your toes. Table topics is a situation where you go up to the podium and you have no idea what you're going to talk about. Someone will give you a topic or scenario and you're supposed to give a speech on the spot. This probably scares most people and it is a bit scary, but the skills you learn from this are amazing. Forcing yourself to think on your feet, while standing in front of a crowd, can really push you past the nervous behavior that makes your mind go blank.

Using Popular Songs to Improve Language Listening Comprehension Skills

Are you students sometimes bored in spite of your best efforts? Are you looking for some new and different techniques? Could you use a learning activity that would really wake them up? Would you like to get and keep the students' interest? Even have them helping you? Then try this classroom-tested technique by using student-selected songs to teach listening comprehension.

Almost everyone loves music. It is a part of our Language and life from before birth onwards. As babies, we hear lullabies. As young children we play, sing and dance to a myriad of nursery rhymes. As adolescents, we are consumed by the beat of popular music artists worldwide. As adults, every form of advertising we hear, every special event we experience, is in part, music. Music pervades television, movies, theater, and even the nightly news. When we exercise, when we work, when we play, when we worship and even when we die, music is there to reinforce or alter or every mood and emotion. A catchy tune is played, hummed or sung, at times in our head, as we go about our everyday lives. So, why not include music and songs in Language learning as well?

Factors Contributing to Listening Comprehension of Song

o Use of new vocabulary, idioms and expressions - You'll need to address the new material offered in each song. This includes grammar, vocabulary and usage.

o Pronunciation and accent of the singer - Every native speaker doesn't pronounce or sing with the same accent. Students may be exposed to an accent which is outside the realm of what they might normally hear in context.

o Use of new grammar and structure Song writers and singers are notoriously "loose" when it comes to use of grammar, structure, pronunciation, stress and other language factors applied to songs. The teacher must prepare for this.

Three Principal Song Selection Criteria

1. Use songs that are popular with the students whenever possible. Unfortunately, students frequently select songs for classroom use which are objectionable in some way making the song unusable.

2. Songs MUST have clear and understandable lyrics. Nothing is worse than a song almost nobody can understand. If you have trouble understanding the lyrics by listening, then another song needs to be selected.

3. Songs should have an appropriate theme. There's enough bad news, negativity and violence in the world already. Songs with any type of negative theme should be avoided. There are plenty of positive, upbeat, even humorous songs available. Use these.

Music pervades virtually every aspect of our lives

Music pervades virtually every aspect of our lives. Students adore it. It contains numerous useful elements for language teaching and it's fun for both the teacher and students. So, why not include music and songs in your language learning classes as well?