Improving Student Listening: Challenges and Teacher Strategies

This essay examines the listening challenges students face, drawing from an article that highlights linguistic obstacles such as varying speech speeds, accents, and homophones, as well as grammatical complexities and technical terminology. It emphasizes the importance of effective listening skills for students' academic success, especially in understanding lectures and presentations. The essay then proposes five strategies teachers can use to enhance students' listening abilities: fostering active listening habits, encouraging note-making during lectures, creating conducive learning environments, promoting listening for gist and detail, and preparing students by providing context for technical terms or unfamiliar accents. The strategies aim to help students overcome communication barriers and improve their overall comprehension and academic performance. Desklib provides access to solved assignments and study resources for students.

Essay

Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................3
1. Discuss five of the listening challenges from the article. ..................................................................3
2. Suggest five strategies teachers can use to help students improve their listening skills. .................5
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................7
Reference list ........................................................................................................................................8
Books and Journals:..........................................................................................................................8
Online...............................................................................................................................................8

SSHE Project essay template
Introduction
Listening skills play a vital role in life of a student. It helps to listen and interpret the
messages in an effective manner. It helps to build positive human relations. It is important
for a student to have good listening skills as that helps to understand the lecture in an
effective manner (Djabbаrova, 2020). There is discussion related to listening sills that help
the students to give good presentation. A article related to listening skills is being reviewed
in order to attain good knowledge and understanding. There are various challenges that
come in path of student due to lack of good listening skills. In the end of this report there is
suggestions for teachers that will help to enhance listening skills of the students.
Main body – includes two parts
1. Discuss five of the listening challenges from the
article.
According to Yoon and Templeton, (2019) there are various linguistic challenges that
are faced by the students. There is need of good and effective listening skills in life of every
individual. A student needs proper listening skills to gain insights from the class and lecture
that they take. At the same time while giving presentation there s need of effective listening
skills that help the student to know and understand the questions that are asked to them
while presentation or after the presentation. As there are different speed at which the
lecture is delivered. It is seen that the teachers have there own level of communicating the
lecture. If the students do not have effective listening skills, then they will not be able to get
the details in an effective way. It is seen that if the lecture is delivered at a fast speed than it
causes problem for the individual that are listening. The issue is a student is not having habit
of listening to the lectures.
The accent of the person delivering the lecture is also a challenge for the person as
the accent of the teacher is different. The students are unable to understand the points in
an effective manner. For example that are from different nation have there own way of
communication and the student is unable to understand the accent. The people of different
nation have there own way of speaking and that is different.

It is seen that there are words that are pronounced in the same manner. The
students face problem to listen to them and understand them. It is a issue for the student
to hear the word and understand its meaning, as per the person that is delivering the
message. The words such as “wait” and “weight”, “here” and “hear” have related
pronunciation. The students get confused and that may change meaning of the sentence.
Along with that at the time of taking online classes it is so much difficulty to understand the
word with same pronunciation in a right manner.
It is noted that Vio Firmandani, (2020) The issue of grammar is one of the major
problem as there are various things that are considered such as noun, prepositions, verbs
etc. It is necessary to take have strong knowledge of grammar so that they are able to
understand things better. If the lecturer uses fast tone and long sentences that it becomes
difficult for the student to understand the information. They are unable to gain insights from
the lecture and use it in an effective manner. Effective listening skills are required by a
person so that they are able to understand what teacher wants to communicate. The
student that has strong grammar is able to understand the things in a better manner.
The use of technical terms is common in guest lectures, and that is also a challenge
for the students. As they must have ability to understand the technical words. It is difficult
for the students to learn and remind what is being delivered in the lecture. There are so
many issues that arise in life of student due to inefficiency in listening skills (Tambunan and
et.al., 2018). For example at the time of online lecture the issue is faced at a large level. As
there is connectivity issue and the use of technical words are difficult to understand. This is
a major issue that is causing difficulty for the students. All these are the issues that are faced
due to ineffective listening skills. As the accent and high tone of communication makes it
difficult for the students. The use of technical words is also a issue for the students.
2. Suggest five strategies teachers can use to help
students improve their listening skills.
As per Spataro and Bloch, (2018)It is important to note that there is need to have
good and effective listening skills. A teacher has the ability to teach the students and
develop some strategies of growth for benefit of students. As there is huge importance of
good listening skills in the life's of students. Above is discussion that helps to understand the

issues and challenges faced by students. So, the strategies will help the students to listen
accurately and understand effectively. First of all they should help students to become
active listener. Active listening means the pattern of listening that helps the person to be
engaged in the conversation. The students must develop this habit and use it in day to day
life. For this they require full concentration and dedication while the lecture. For example
there is time when teacher is taking lecture and there is some construction work going
outside. A active listener will have ability to be engaged and do not get distracted with the
barriers of communication. It is is necessary to listen to each and every thing is a effective
manner. An active listener is person that is able to understand the topic in an effective
manner.
According to Perry and Parikh, (2018) Note making is another strategy that is helpful
for the students. It is examined that there is need of making notes at the time of lecture.
The students should make it a practice and should note down all the topic that are discussed
in class. So, that whenever they revise the topic they are able to remember each and every
point effectively. The student that is able to make notes effectively is able to do the revision
accurately. It is so much helpful for the students to write what they listen in the form of
notes. The teachers must make in compulsory for the students to take care of each and
every point that is being discussed in class.
The teacher must create a environment where all the students are able to listen
carefully. There are so many reasons of disturbance that are being faced by the students. A
environment that has silence and all the students are engaged in learning is helpful. For
example, if the teacher always take test after the topic gets completed. Then there is an
environment where the students are interested in listening and make full efforts to gain
insights (Fraser and et.al., 2019). They will like to answer the questions that are being asked
and do not want to waste the time. When all the students are listening than the
environment attracts others as well to learn and listen. For example, there is a student is
class is unable to concentrate, but when he finds that there is silence in class and all the
other students are listening to the teacher and are giving answers as well. Then he also
become a good listener and tries to understand the topic.
According to Listening for Gist and Detail, (2020) Listen from gist is another strategy
that can help the students. There are certain barriers to communication and it is observed

that students that students that are able to listen with gist are successful. As the student are
also able to guess according to the discussion in the class. The listener is able to guess
according to the discussion around. They are unable to understand a work for which the
guess it according to the sentence. They use clues to to guess the meaning of words that are
being discussed in the class.
Another way that may help the students is to know the context and be prepared.
When the use of technical words is done. Or the accent of teacher is different. The student
must have ability to understand the points with the context that is being used by teacher.
The topic is known to them. So the use of hard words are also understandable (Meigouni
and Shirkhani, 2020). When they listen with full concentration then they are able to prepare
themselves and use it in an effective manner. By following all these strategies student is able
to overcome all the challenges that are faced by them.
Conclusion
From the above discussion it is analysed that being a active listener is important. As listening
skills play a vital role in the life of an individual. There are a lot of benefits of having effective
listening skills. In this report there is discussion related to the issues that the student has to face
such as long sentences with items such as run-on sentences and clauses, technical terms,
etc. due to ineffective listening skills. Along with that there are recommendations and
strategies that must be used by teachers in order to help the students.

Reference list
Books and Journals:
Djabbаrova, F.O., 2020. Modern methods of teaching listening skills. Science and
Education, 1(Special Issue 2).
Fraser and et.al., 2019. Overt and covert: Strategies for building employability skills of
vocational education graduates. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate
Employability.
Meigouni, E.A.M.M. and Shirkhani, S., 2020. Oral communication strategies used by Iranian
EFL learners and their relationship with the learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and
anxiety level. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 8(1), pp.1-20.
Perry, R.E. and Parikh, J.R., 2018. Developing effective mentor-mentee relationships in
radiology. Journal of the American College of Radiology, 15(2), pp.328-333.
Spataro, S.E. and Bloch, J., 2018. “Can you repeat that?” Teaching active listening in
management education. Journal of Management Education, 42(2), pp.168-198.
Tambunan and et.al., 2018. Adversities and Challenges on Listening and Speaking Learning
of the English Language Students. Journal of English Language Studies, 3(1), pp.31-
40.
Vio Firmandani, A., 2020. TEACHING LISTENING THROUGH SHADOWING
TECHNIQUE (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Islam Majapahit).

Yoon, H.S. and Templeton, T.N., 2019. The practice of listening to children: The challenges of
hearing children out in an adult-regulated world. Harvard Educational
Review, 89(1), pp.55-84.
Online
Listening for Gist and Detail, 2020. [Online] Available through:
<https://englishpost.org/teaching-activity-listening-for-gist-and- detail/>