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TOPIC 1:
LISTENING TO VARIOUS SIMPLE ORAL TEXTS
Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in
the communication process. When we learn a language, there are four skills that
we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we
usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to
write. These are called the four "language skills”.
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
As you can see, listening is the first language skill. It is
perhaps the most important skill of all, and forms the basis for the other
three. Listening is key for all effective communication; without the ability to
listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks
down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated.
If there is one communication skill you should aim to master, listening is it.
LEVELS / KINDS OF LISTENING
1. Listening
for enjoyment - for example listening to an amusing story, jokes,
music, movie, or play
2. Listening
for information
When you listen or informative speech e.g. news. This requires more
concentration than listening for enjoyment you need to learn the main idea of
the speaker
3. Critical
listening – refers to an active process it involve listening for
information and eventual that information. This skill help to determine how
information heard in speech can affect a person. It is important to take notes
and later ask the speaker question about his/ her items
4. Precision
listening - refers to the exactness or ability to distinguish
clearly listening with precision gives due to a speaker talks of changing in
the volume of the speakers voice can help determine what is most important to a
speaker
5. Emphatic
listening – Emphatic is the ability to put yourself in another
place. It enable you to understanding why a person feels, believes and acts in
a certain way when you listen to speaks it is often important to understanding
why the express certain ideas such as understanding will help you to determine
evaluate the information you hear more completely.
Empathy helps respect the speaker even if you disagree with what he/ she
says. To achieve this level of listening you must listen for information you
must evaluate critically and you must listen to emotion as well as words.
Emphatic listening is considered as the most difficult level to master it
requires only great constetoation but also you / see back skills.
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| Listening |
CAUSES FOR POOR LISTENING
Causes for poor listening can be categorized into two types namely physical
barriers and mental berries
a) Physical
Barriers
1. Partial hearing
2. Noise or other physical destruction creates barriers to good listerning
3. Speaking too softly
4. Is not speaking Clearly
5. Listeners physical condition eg tiredness illness or uncomfortable
2. Mental
Barriers
1. wondering mind
2. In attention
3. Negative attitude eg. If you have negative attitude (dislike ) about the
speaker then it will make you become difficult to listen attentionaly.
4. Listeners’ knowledge especially when there based on familiar words
5. Selective listening when people by selecting black out what they do not
want to hear.
When you are listening to text read by a teacher or anyone else, in order to understand, the following must be done.
1. Figure out the purpose of the text. Activate
background knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and
identify appropriate listening strategies.
2. Attend to the parts of the listening input that
are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity
enables you as students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the
amount of information you have to hold in short-term memory in order to
recognise it.
3. Listen for the main idea.
4. Predict the content.
5. Listen for specific details.
6. Recognise word-order patterns.
7. Check for comprehension while listening and when
the listening task is over.
8. Draw a conclusion.
9. Summarise.
How to Improve Listening
1. Making concentration – Try to block out destructions think about what
you hear
2. Practice-use every opportunity you can on what you hear. Watch news and
other information programs on TV. Also spend quiet time and concentrate on what
speaker says.
3. Prepare yourself to listen be read to listen and sit where you can see
and hear the speaker
4. Listen to keywords- speaker of tuil gives clues about what is important
most important things or in summary are help you to organize the information
you hear.
5. Take notes: It is not necessary to write down every word but just
outline important ideas. Also listen to keywords and summarize.
Example
Listen to the following text and answer the questions that follow:
The HIV is Human
Immuno-deficiency Virus. It destroys the human immune system. This virus causes
AIDS – Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome – an incurable disease. This disease
is caused by the virus which prevents the formation of WBCs, White Blood
Corpuscles – a constituent of blood which is responsible for immunity.
Destroying the WBCs and preventing their formation, natural immunity which
fights against diseases, is reduced making the body prone to various diseases.
A person infected with HIV
becomes carrier and can infect other persons. This communicable disease is
sexually transmitted; it is also passed through body fluid and infected
syringes and blood transmission.
This disease has spread rapidly
worldwide, especially in poor and developing nations, and poses a serious
threat to human existence. Africa, Asia, Latin America and other parts of the
world have large populations who are infected with the disease. In2000 about
thirty-five million people were infected with HIV, of which about 29 million
are in the sub-Saharan region.
African and Asian countries have
highest spread of HIV, South Africa being the largest HIV infected land while
the largest number of HIV patients are in India . About 3 million people die
every year due to HIV/Aids.
No drugs or treatments have been
proved effective to cure it, even some primary stage treatments are very
costly.
Reasons for its Spread in Poor Countries
1. These countries have most of the population
living under poor conditions and lacking proper nutrition, which makes them
more prone to the disease.
2. Lack of awareness about preventative steps has
resulted in the wide spread of HIV.
3. Some traditions and customs of such countries
have led to practices polygamy, multi-partner sex, prostitution, which have
spread the disease.
4. No or little policy implementation to create
awareness and prevention of the disease in poor countries.
Exercise
Answer the following questions:
1. What is HIV?
2. How is HIV transmitted?
3. What causes HIV?
4. In Africa which country has the highest number of HIV victims?
5. What are the reasons for the higher spread of HIV in poor countries?
The topic has been well summarized, anyone who read carefully must understand it.
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