Critical review on Aural Comprehension Instruction

CRITICAL REVIEW

Aural Comprehension Instruction:

Principles and Practices

(Joan Morley. 2001. Aural Comprehension Instruction: Principles and Practices. In “Teaching English as a Second or Foreign language”. Celce-Murcia (Ed).  IIIrd edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Pp. 69-84).

Analyzed by

Suprihatin

State University of Malang, Graduate Program in English Language Teaching

E-mail: Suprihatinrafza@yahoo.co.id

Blog: wingpascasarjanainggris

Abstract

This paper reviews the book written by John Morley entitled Aural Comprehension Instruction: Principles and Practices. The result of reviewing the book will be good for the readers, the reviewers as well as the writer to develop better comprehension in critical  review of applying linguistic.

1. Introduction

First traces the changing pattern of second language listening instruction, outline four generic instruction models and discusses some of the psycho-social dimension of listening. During the past thirty years, theory and practice in language learning and language teaching have change in some fundamental ways. In retrospect, the four themes that dominated the second AILA (International Association of Applied Linguistics) Conference in 1969 (Cambridge, England) seem to have been prophetic in pointing the way toward in trend second/foreign language (S/FL) education during the last quarter of the twentieth century. They heralded new views of the important of; 1. Individual learners and the individuality of learning; 2. Listening and reading as non passive and very complex receptive processes; 3. Listening comprehension’s being recognize as a fundamental skill; 4. Real language use for real communication as a viable classroom model. Aural comprehension establishes a base for the development of oral language within the “speech chain” of listening and speaking (Denes and Pinson 1963)

In particular, listening comprehension lesson are a  vehicle for teaching element of grammatical structure and allow new vocabulary item to be contextualized within a body of communicative discourse Morley notes: “ Perhaps an assumption that listening is a reflex, a little like breathing – listening seldom receives overt teaching attention in one’s native language – has masked the importance and complexity of listening with understanding in the non- native language” (1972).In reality, listening s used far more than any other any other single language  skill in normal daily life. On average, we can expect to listen twice as much as we speak, four time more than we read, and fife time more than we write (rivers 1981; Weaver 1972). “Listening activity often seem like merely being – doing nothing” (1972). Newmark & Diller underscore “the need for the systematic development of listening comprehension not only as a foundation of speaking, but also as a skill in its own right…”(1964).Blair observed that special attention to listening just didn’t “sell” until recent time.

2. Result and Discussion 

However slowly and steadily more attention has been given to listening comprehension. Today, the role of listening and the purpose of listening comprehension instruction in the Second/ Foreign Language curriculum, can be one of four different perspective that reflect underlying believe about language learning theory and pedagogy.

Model #1. Listening and Repeating

Learner goals: to pattern-match: to listen and imitate; to memorize.

Instructional material: Features audio lingual style exercise/dialog memorization; based on the hearing and pattern matching model.

Procedure: Ask students to (a) listen to a word, phrase, or sentence pattern. (b)repeat (imitate) it. (c) memorize it

Value: Enables students to do pattern drills

Model #2. Listening and answering
Learner Goals: To process discrete point information: to listen and answer comprehension questions.

Instructional material: Features students response pattern based on a listening and question-answering model with occasional innovative variation on this theme

Procedure: Ask students to: (a)listen to an oral text from sentence length to lecture length.(b) answer primary factual questions. Utilized a quiz-show format of teaching

Value: Enables  students to manipulate discrete pieces of information, hopefully with increasing speed and accuracy of recall

Model #3. Task Listening
Learner Goals: To process spoken discourse for functional purposes, carry out real tasks using the information received

Instructional material: Features activities that requires a student response pattern based on listening and using model. (i,e. “listen-and-do”).

Procedure: ask students to (a) listen and process information and (b) use the orally transmitted language input immediately to complete a task which is mediated through language in a context in which success in judged in term of the task is performed

Value: The focus is on instruction that is task oriented, not question oriented

Model #4. Interactive Listening
Learner Goals: to develop aural/oral skill in semiformal interactive academic communication: critical listening, critical thinking, and effective speaking abilities.

Instructional material: Features the  real-time/real life give and take academic communication.

Procedure: Ask students to participated in discussion activities that enable them to develop all three phases of the speech act: speech decoding, critical thinking, and speech encoding, involve (a) continuous on line decoding on-line of spoken discourse, (b)simultaneous cognitive reacting (c) instant response encoding.

Value: The focus here is instruction that is communicative/ competence oriented as well as task oriented.

The article  written by John Morley talk about the need of aural comprehension instruction. Perhaps an assumption that listening is reflex, a little like breathing- listening seldom received overt teaching attention in one native language-has masked the important and complexity of listening with understanding in the non native language. In reality that listening is used for more than any other single language skill in normal daily life. We can expect that  listening is twice as much as we speak, four time more than we read, and fife time more than we write (Weaver,1972; River,1981).

The idea of understanding the learners’ need of aural comprehension instruction which is underlined by John Morley is really outstanding. With that idea, we can prepare the best way to teach listening comprehension, preparing the materials, identifying steps how to teach listening comprehension  in order to achieve the goal of the teaching and learning. Moreover by giving four perspective of model of listening and language instruction and steps,  it will make easier for the both teacher as well as students to achieve the listening comprehension instruction.

Surely, this article is useful because by knowing it, teachers are expected to be aware of learners’ strategies and learning style so that they can develop teaching strategies that are compatible with their students’ way of learning. As the result, it will develop students’ skill on listening. Moreover by using four perspective-four models of listening and language instruction, it is enable students to take their own responsibility for their own learning by enhancing the learner autonomy, independence, and self direction.

Then, material designers should conduct a need analysis and define objectives of the learner in relation to their field of study before listening materials. This can lead to providing interesting, informative to practice and reinforce the essentials learning strategies.

3. Conclusion

From the discussion above, we know that the important of listening comprehension in language learning and language teaching has moved from a status of accidental and peripheral importance to a status significance and central importance. Today there are many text and tape programs to choose from and, in general, materials are becoming more carefully principled, with serious attention to theoretical consideration.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that Second/Foreign Language listening curriculum cannot focus only on buying the right books and tapes. Skill building in listening comprehension is not something that can be accomplished in a half –hour lesson three time a week, nor attention to listening be limited to laboratory tapes. Listening, the language skill most used I life need to be central focus – all day – everyday – limited only by the availability of the target language in the school, the community and the media. Listening instruction need to include both two way interactive listening activities and task and one way reactive Listen-and-Do activities and task. Materials developers should pay careful attention to principles of design, communicative outcomes, language function, language processes, and affective consideration.

References

Anderson, A. and T. Lynch. 1988. Listening. Oxford: Oxford University press

Brown, g., and G. Yule. 1983.  Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Morley, J., 1999. Aural Comprehension Instruction: Principles and Practices. In “ Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language”. Celce Murcia (Ed). III Edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Pp. 69-84