What this unit is about
In the past, the school curriculum for English language teaching in India privileged the teaching of reading and writing. However, policy documents like the National Curriculum Framework (2005, p. 40) now also recognise the importance of teaching listening and speaking:
Speech and listening, reading and writing, are all generalised skills, and children’s mastery over them becomes the key factor affecting success at school. In many situations, all of these skills need to be used together.
Listening and speaking are now taught because they are very important parts of being able to use English to communicate. Listening skills are also crucial to the development of speaking skills. Listening to other speakers helps students to develop their pronunciation and fluency in English.
Successful listening skills are acquired over time and with lots of practice. Your students need exposure to spoken English to be able to develop their listening skills. However, students in some parts of India may not have many opportunities to listen to English outside the classroom.
This unit offers ideas about how you can use resources creatively to develop meaningful listening activities in your English classes that involve all pupils.
OpenLearn - Strategies for teaching listening
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