Listening skill:
Purposes of listening
Listening is a versatile skill, and how we approach it depends largely on why we’re listening. Are we listening to catch the main idea, to find specific information, or to understand the speaker’s emotions? As teachers, understanding these different purposes helps us design listening activities that meet our students’ needs. In this lesson, we’ll explore the various purposes of listening and how you can use this knowledge to make your teaching more effective.
Why do we listen?
The different purposes of listening
People listen for many reasons, and each purpose requires a different approach. Here are the most common purposes of listening:
Listening for gist:
- This means listening to get the general idea of a text without worrying about every detail. It’s like understanding the main plot of a movie without catching every line of dialogue.
- Example:
A student listens to a news report to find out the main topic, such as a weather forecast or a sports event.
Listening for specific information:
- This means listening to find particular details, such as names, dates, or numbers. It’s like searching for a specific piece of information in a conversation.
- Example:
A student listens to a train announcement to find out the departure time of their train.
Listening for detailed understanding:
- This means listening carefully to understand every part of a text, including supporting details and examples. It’s like studying a lecture to grasp all the key points.
- Example:
A student listens to a teacher’s explanation of a grammar rule to understand how it works.
Listening for inference:
- This means understanding implied meanings or ideas that aren’t directly stated. It’s like reading between the lines in a conversation.
- Example:
A student hears, “She didn’t say a word all day,” and infers that the person is upset.
Listening for attitude and opinion:
- This means understanding the speaker’s feelings, tone, or perspective. It’s like detecting whether someone is happy, sarcastic, or annoyed.
- Example:
A student listens to a speaker’s tone and realizes they’re joking, not being serious.
Listening for pleasure:
- This means listening for enjoyment, such as to music, podcasts, or stories. The focus is on the experience, not on analyzing every detail.
- Example:
A student listens to their favorite song or an audiobook to relax.
How approaches to listening vary by purpose
The way we listen changes depending on our purpose. Here’s how:
Listening for pleasure:
- Approach: Relax and enjoy the experience.
- Skills: Fluency, enjoyment, and the ability to follow a narrative..
Listening for specific information:
- Approach: Listen selectively for specific details.
- Skills: Scanning for keywords, focusing on relevant parts of the text.
Listening for detailed understanding:
- Approach: Listen carefully to understand every part of the text.
- Skills: Note-taking, identifying supporting details, following complex ideas.
Listening for attitude and opinion:
- Approach: Focus on the speaker’s tone, emotions, and perspective.
- Skills: Detecting emotions, understanding sarcasm or humor.
Listening for inference:
- Approach: Listen for implied meanings and read between the lines.
- Skills: Critical thinking, interpreting tone and context.
How to use this knowledge of listening purpose in teaching
Understanding the purposes of listening allows you to tailor your lessons to your students’ needs. Here’s how to apply this in the classroom:
- Match listening tasks to purposes:
- Choose activities that align with the purpose of the lesson. For example, use a news clip for listening for gist, a train announcement for listening for specific information, and a podcast for listening for pleasure.
- Example: If your goal is to teach listening for gist, use a short audio clip and ask students to identify the main topic.
- Teach different listening strategies:
- Show students how to adjust their listening approach based on the purpose. For example, teach skimming for listening for gist and scanning for listening for specific information.
- Example: For a lesson on listening for inference, teach students how to identify tone and implied meanings.
- Set clear goals:
- Explain the purpose of each listening activity to your students. For example, “Today, we’re listening to this dialogue to find specific information about the characters.”
- Example: For a listening for pleasure activity, let students choose their own songs or stories and set aside time for relaxed listening.
- Use real-world examples:
- Use audio materials that students will encounter in real life, such as announcements, interviews, or podcasts. This makes the lesson practical and relevant.
- Example: Teach students how to listen to a job interview or a travel announcement.
- Encourage reflection:
- After listening, ask students to reflect on how they approached the text and whether it helped them achieve their purpose.
- Example: “Did focusing on keywords help you find the information quickly? What could you do differently next time?”
Purpose-related real-world
listening activities in the classroom
Here are some classroom activities to help students practice different listening purposes:
Listening for pleasure:
Set up a class listening corner with a variety of songs, audiobooks, or podcasts for students to enjoy.
Listening for specific information:
Play a flight announcement and ask students to note the flight number and gate.
Listening for detailed understanding:
Play a lecture and ask students to take notes on the key points.
Listening for inference:
Play a dialogue where a character says, “I’m so tired of this,” and ask students to infer what “this” refers to.
Listening for attitude and opinion:
Play a speech and ask students whether the speaker is enthusiastic, skeptical, or neutral.
Listening for gist:
Play a short news clip and ask students to summarize the main idea in one sentence.
Final thoughts
Listening is a multifaceted skill, and understanding the different purposes of listening helps us teach it more effectively. By matching tasks to purposes, teaching appropriate strategies, and setting clear goals, we can help our students become confident and versatile listeners.
So, whether your students are listening for fun, for information, or for critical analysis, your guidance can help them unlock the full potential of every audio text. Happy teaching!
To your CELTA journal:
Think about your favorite ways to teach listening for different purposes.
Reflect on your favorite ways to teach listening for different purposes, such as listening for specific information, listening for gist, or inferencing. Write in your CELTA journal about your experiences, the strategies you use, and why they are effective. Describe any challenges you have faced, such as varying listening levels or learner engagement, and explain how you addressed them.
- Next lesson: Features of listening texts
- Previous lesson: Basic concepts and terminology used for describing listening skills