Teaching the listening skill to third year students of english at the university of Guelma
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Date
2008
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Oum-El-Bouaghi university
Abstract
The aim of this investigation was an attempt to confirm the hypotheses proposed in the introduction, i.e. teachers can't do well with their listening courses, and develop their learners' aural abilities unless they are given the appropriate pedagogical materials, with a revised methodology.
Concerning the methodology, it is really difficult for beginning teachers (who represent the majority of the teachers in the english department at the University of Guelma) to choose among the large variety of approaches and methods available. The best way is to adapt one that fits better the communicative needs of the learner.
The students `questionnaire revealed that third-year students are highly motivated to learn english and improve their listening abilities, but they complained seriously from the insufficiency of the time allocated to listening activities which they describe as vital for the acquisition of the english language. This questionnaire stressed also the need for authentic materials, and real life speech situations. So our students need more intensive practice in listening in order to develop their aural/oral abilities if we want them to realise the aim of our second and third hypotheses, which is to be able to communicate more if they have the skill of understanding the spoken language.
The questionnaire administered to teachers was of great importance to this research project since it shed light on different problems and difficulties relevant to the teaching of the listening skill. The questionnaire revealed that the department offered no appropriate pedagogical teaching materials, no reliable official program, and lacks teachers' methodology. All this together with the limited time allocated to listening might affect and restrain the obtention of good results with learners.
There is an extreme necessity on the part of the authorities to supply teachers with an elaborated program that serves as a guideline.
It is obvious that the teachers of "Oral Expression" need to work together and have more pedagogical meetings if they want to introduce changes in the official program in order to adapt it to their learners. Training is highly required for both beginning and experimented teachers.
We also insist on the frequent co-ordination with teachers of other modules, because a good teacher knows that his success may depend on the progression and integration of other basic courses.
Although we presented some suggestions for a better teaching of the listening skill, and offered possible solutions for its improvement, they are not to be taken as rules.
We do not pretend to provide new theories or to bring new ways of teaching the aural skill. We tried simply to drive teachers' attention to some practical facts about the subject. It is clear that there is no particular method to teach foreign language, it's just a matter of motivation, creativity, and professionalism.
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Enseignement langue (anglais) : EFL