Book-detail

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About the Book :This book challenges the orthodox approach to the teaching of second language listening, which is based upon the asking and answering of comprehension questions. It critically examines the practices and assumptions associated with this approach and suggests ways of revising them. The main argument of the book is that a preoccupation with the notion of 'comprehension' has led the teacher to focus upon the product of listening in the form of answers to questions, and to ignore the listening process itself. It therefore provides an informed account of the psychological processes which make up the skill of listening, and analyses in depth the characteristics of the speech signal from which a listener has to construct a message. Drawing upon this information, the book proposes a radical alternative to the comprehension approach, one which targets aspects of listening that are perceptually or cognitively demanding for the learner and provides for intensive small-scale practice in them. The book contains detailed examples of possible exercise types.