Listening and Understanding

The first impact o£ any language comes from the spoken word, whether we are concerned with the baby in the cradle or the student in college. Listening is the first experience; the attempt to under­stand accompanies it. The acquisition of a good pronunciation de­pends in large measure on the learner's listening with care and discrimination.

On the teacher's part pronunciation demands clear, distinct enunciation, i.e., a model in speech. It also requires the observance of a basic principle which is extremely important, but which many language teachers neglect, namely, the frequent, constant, and almost exclusive use of the foreign tongue in the classroom.

The teacher must also, consciously, plan listening activities de­signed to train the students in attentive listening and in careful reproduction of foreign sounds, words, and expressions. The pupils will be provided with opportunities to practice speech patterns, to construct simple sentences, and to read aloud with ease and clarity.

(C) 2009 HOW TO TEACH FOREIGN LANGUAGES EFFECTIVELY