MODULE 5 PART 1: LISTENING – AN OVERVIEW

EDUCATION IS THE ABILITY TO LISTEN TO ALMOST ANYTHING WITHOUT LOSING YOUR

TEMPER OR SELF-CONFIDENCE – ROBERT FROST

1. WHAT IS LISTENING?
Listening is the ability to receive words through the ears and to make sense of
them. Some teachers think that listening is the easiest skill to teach, whereas most
students think that it is the most difficult skill to develop. In fact, it needs a lot of
practice over a long period of time.

Did you know?

 On average, we listen twice as much as we speak.
 We listen four times more than we read.
 We listen five more times than we write.

So, as you can see, listening is the skill that needs to be developed the most if we
want our students to be able to communicate.

Why do we listen?
There are a number of reasons why we listen:

 To perform actions and follow instructions, eg, when someone asks us to close the
window.
 To absorb information, eg, when we listen to the news on the radio or TV.
 To solve problems, eg, when someone explains to you how to do something on the
computer.
 To manipulate information, eg, when you call a bank customer service help-line to
ask how to transfer funds.
 As part of negotiation of meaning, when clarifying what someone has said.
 Socially and for enjoyment, eg, when listening to gossip or music.