Three people were on a train in England. As they approached a station, one of the travelers asked, "Is this Wemberly?" "No," replied a second passenger, "it's Thursday." Whereupon the third person remarked, "Oh, I am too; let's have a drink!"
How much time should we spend developing listening skills?
We seem to concentrate on speaking a language but I think we should learn to listen and understand a language also. Looking at the Natural Approach and Total Physical Response there is a "silent period" given where a substantial amount of oral input is given. Just like children learning a 1st language students are listening to language which is just beyond the learner's ability. The stress of speaking is eliminated until the student is ready to do so. However I don't think adult learners have the luxury for a long "period of silence". I believe there is a need for adult students to communicate from the beginning.
Even though the apparent language speaking skill is the product of communication, listening skills should not be overlooked or underrated. Along with teaching skills you are also teaching strategies for students to become good listeners. Companies are training employees in "active listening" for soft skills in the customer service industry. There are points such as having eye contact, body language, focus on what the person is saying, don't think of a rebuttal while the person is speaking, acknowledge you're listening with "really" "uh uh" etc.
Whether an adult is learning a language for pleasure, travel or business there are many components involved with listening skills. After assessing the needs and level of students there are many points for a teacher to consider in choosing a good listening text: content, delivery, length, quality of recordings, speed and number of speakers and accents. These considerations reflect what the student faces in real life. In a multicultural society like ours there are varied accents to listen to besides a Canadian accent. Perhaps your students want to keep up with current affairs by listening to a dense news cast. The reason for learning listening skills for some students is to take notes for academic lectures. The content should have relevance and meaning for the students if following a Communicative Approach to teaching.
By teaching listening strategies to your students you enable them to become independent learners away from the classroom. You can teach learners strategies for effective listening. You can teach how to listen for the general gist of a conversation and predict what a speaker will say due to the context of the discourse. You can teach how to ask for clarification and guess the meaning or listen for key words. You can practise these strategies in the classroom to develop confidence and competence in your students.
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