Chapter 6 – Listening or Viewing Skills
Listening and Viewing Principles to Live By
Logan Fisher; Bibi Halima; and Keli Yerian
Taking in information and processing it can be daunting when learning a language! This is the case in interpretive mode when we are just listening to a video or a teacher in the class, as well as in interpersonal mode, when we are interacting with someone in real time. Often, we’ll only catch bits and pieces of what is being communicated (or nothing at all) and sometimes we struggle to follow the meaning. Although it can be frustrating, this is a normal part of the language learning process, but having the huge “aha” moment when things start to make sense makes it all worth it! So, what are some principles for listening (or viewing, if you are a signer) that can help us get there?
Find your comfort zone… then push a little beyond
When listening or watching media on your own (such as watching TV or YouTube or listening to music), one of the most important principles is to choose content that’s at your level or a little beyond your level. There are more and more YouTube channels and podcasts to choose from that are designed to give real-life content to people who are learning languages. Pushing yourself to understand content slightly beyond what you already know will reinforce your current vocabulary and naturally teach you new material through inferences and context clues. Spend time in that “slightly beyond” zone until you realize you feel fully comfortable with the input you are getting. Then, it’s time to level up and be a little uncomfortable again.
Research Note
Krashen (1982) labels the situation of choosing content slightly beyond our current level as i+1. To break this down, i is defined as our current level of proficiency, and +1 means including some content a little above that level. Krashen posits that language acquisition happens best when learners process messages at their i+1 in their target language because they are able to process the meaning of the input relatively easily while getting exposure to a few new vocabulary, expressions, collocations, and structures in a meaningful context.
Be yourself and enjoy what you like
Choosing content that you enjoy for second language input can be really helpful in improving your receptive skills. If you like watching soccer, for example, try finding videos about it in the language you’re learning. If you have a favorite celebrity, try finding out what people in other countries are saying about them. Making language learning more enjoyable means that you’ll (likely) invest more into the process. You’re likely to want to keep learning since your motivation will be more intrinsic as we discussed in Chapter 1. When you like what you’re listening to or viewing, you are much more likely to get into a flow and enjoy it without getting frustrated. Who cares whether you’re learning language in a classroom or by watching trashy reality TV? The point is, you’re learning.
Research