Its definition could be found in The longman dictionary of English teaching and applied linguistics (Richards & Schmidt, 2010). it is described as the “degree of skill with which a person can use a language, such as how well a person can read, write, speak, or understand language. This can be contrasted with language achievement, which describes language ability as a result of learning. Proficiency may be measured through the use of a proficiency test.” In this study, the English listening proficient is measured through the scores in English listening test.
Empirical Studies on standard dictation at home and abroad
A great deal of research on standard dictation have been carried out in the past several decades across the world. These research
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these studies will be presented in this order.
Wang (2003) analyzed the scores in tem 4 standard dictation and elaborated the reasons of the collapse on short-term memory and its relations with dictation skills. Furthermore, he took it one step further and talked about the implications to elementary-stage teaching in English majors.
Zhong and Qiu (2003) investigated the effect of familiarity of background knowledge on standerad dictation, based on background knowledge and schema theory. The result indicated that standard dictation had a high requirement on background knowledge. The familiarity of background knowledge had a direct influence on the standard dictation. in other words, the more you were familiar with the background knowledge, the more correct ratio you would achieve because you were most likely to stimulate and activate your schema in you mind, vice
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They pointed out some problems in the scoring system. First, it overlooked the importance of textural meaning, although they emphasized the accuracy on discrete point and output. Additionally, it’s hardly valid despite its objectivity and reliability. Secondarily, this deduction scoring system could not predict students output in the test. Finally, it affected teaching negatively.
Zhang and Tan (2010) explored the relationship between the application of listening strategies and listening effects or profermance in standard dictation for English majors. The outcome showed that systemic, successful training on listening strategies would facilitate the improvement in listening performance.
Jin (2011) studied the common error made by 52 English major freshmen students in standard dictation practices. She found out that the common errors followed a pattern, that is, most of them involved English pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Hence, he proposed some strategies on standard dictation training for the purpose of strengthening students’ standard dictation ability as well as contributing to their performance on the standard dictation test in TEM 4 for English majors.
In her article, “The Case Against GRADES”, Alfie Kohn discusses the grading system and its faults. She opens her argument with information from an older psychological study that proves the negative impact of the current grading system, and she reinforces this with the proof that “no” research has contradicted this statement. Also, she gives many key reasons including: “Motivation”, “Achievement”, “Quantification”, and “Curriculum”. Kohn supports these topics with other reasearch for why the system is failing the students. She asserts that, “… the absence of grading is a necessary condition for promoting deep thinking and a desire to engage in it.” As support, she offers other solutions and then debunks them by proving that they would not solve
Build on learners' prior knowledge; (4.) Provide constant review; (5.) Simplify language; (6.) Build other skills while developing English. The use of standardized testing to identify and assess the progress of English language learners with special needs is problematic. Normally designed for native English speakers, many assessment instruments do not reliably assess speakers of other languages because they ignore differences among linguistic and cultural groups (Schwarz & Burt, 1995). Assessment of English language learners with special needs should...
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: The Seven Habits and Their Contribution to Listening
At the beginning of the semester our class was introduced to a new term, listenability. The level of listenability is at the mercy of the speaker, not of the audience. During our semester, we were taught to harness the listenability keys of strategy, structure, support, and style in order to achieve a high level of listenability. Examples of listenability include when a speaker engages the audience by asking questions, using narratives or stories that people can relate to, and has stimulating visual support and content. These are only a couple of keys used to create a listener centered speech.
In conclusion, I think we need to master different listening styles to be used in different situation in order to contribute to effective communication strategies and planning.
Each person has their own type of learning style. A learning style is a method in which each of us utilizes to better understand material. A preferred learning style is a style in which the person can learn best, reflecting their strengths and weaknesses of the individual. In order to understand material we take it all in with our senses, through sight, sound, touch, smell or taste. Multiple Intelligence theory maintains that there are at least seven learning styles (“intelligences”): interpersonal, intra-personal, body/kinesthetic, visual/spatial, mathematical/logical, verbal/linguistic and musical/rhythmic (Lazear, D.1991). For the purposes of this paper I will simplify the seven categories into three main categories in which people best learn information: auditory, visual and tactile/kinesthetic. Most people possess the ability to use all three learning styles but learn best using one specific learning style.
Teachers have always used grades to measure the amount a student has learned. This practice is becoming ineffective. Many students have a wide range of grades, which show that grades may not show what a student really knows. Therefore, the standard grading system should be replaced. Some reasons why grades should be replaced are bad grades can hinder a child’s performance, grades define who a student is in the classroom, and grades are not an effective way to see if students have learned the material. The current grading system should be upgraded and every school should incorporate the plus/minus system in their method of grading.
Papagno, C., & Vallar, G. (1995). To learn or not to learn: Vocabulary in foreign languages and the problem with phonological memory. In R. Campbell & M. A. Conway (Eds.), Broken memories: Case studies in memory impairment (pp. 334-343). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
As a professional in today’s society, it is greatly important to be able to communicate effectively with other professionals, with clients, and with those that are encountered in daily living. In order to communicate in a proper manner, not only is talking and non-verbal communication, but a large aspect is the ability to listen. Listening is a vital task in order to build a relationship and find meaning in someone else’s words. In order to find this meaning one must follow the characteristics of active listening, face the challenges to listening, and reflect upon one’s own listening skills.
Those not thoroughly educated in communication tend to confuse the terms “hearing” and “listening.” Although they appear to mean the same thing, utilize the same body part, and are both required for functional communication, there is a great difference between these two actions. Hearing involves the perception of sound using the ears, while listening is based upon giving attention to the sound being perceived. Additionally, because these concepts are different, there are also several different ways of improving hearing and listening. Thus, there are several differences between these two concepts, and it is important to signify these differences in order to practice effective communication.
Verbal and written communication skills are important competencies in the workplace, as much as 33 percent of the day is spent listening (Walker, R., 2015). Although a significant amount of our time is spent listening, this is a misunderstood skill often overlooked by professionals. “The ability to listen effectively can have a big impact on our ability to communicate well with others. Effective listening can help us build relationships, be more productive, and determine whether others are being deceptive” (Walker, R., 2015). To be an effective manager, teacher, collaborator, or leader one must be an effective listener. Effective listening is processing the information given to you by a speaker, showing that you are listening and attentive.
Let’s explore why listening is so critical. “Adam listened to Eve. In that first spoken word message and all since, no communication occurred until there was a listener. It follows, then, that there has become a much-heightened need to listen. We must understand the fundamental relationship involved, we cannot escape it” (Mills 1). The characteristics of good listening skills can be best understood by using the acronym MASTER. The “m” refers to mental. Mental is the ability to slow down and strategically control our ability to listen. “A” refers to active. Being active utilizes constructive listening responses and constant practice can keep this sharp. The “s” refers to sustaining attention. Experienced concentration is crucial for sustaining attention. “T” refers to target. There are four types of potential listening targets; responsive listening, implicative listening, critical listening and nondirective listening. Responsive listening is the agreement between listener and speaker. Implicative listening involves carefully understanding what is implied by hearing what is said. Critical listening is the process of coming to the point of a subject by clearing away all the non-important information. Nondirective listening is fully hearing the speaker out. The “e” refers to eliminating t...
To facilitate or participate in any classroom activities requires the use of oral language. Talk is significantly important because "language that is heard must be understood before the language that is read can be decoded and understood" (McCandlish, 2012, pg. 9). Specifically, Halliday (1975) categorised language into seven different functions each with its own purpose, allowing students to comprehend that language like writing has different genres and can be formal or informal, depending on the audience, context or purpose.
In all aspects in life effective listening plays an important role in our lives, both professionally and personally. As many of know from experience listening is never easy in fact it can be difficult to understand what is being said by the speaker. Because of laps in attention we tend to misunderstand some of the messages that are being relayed to us or disregard them altogether. Effective listening is important for receiving the correct feedback from those you’re speaking with and requires a focus that should be central to what is being said or what topic is being discussed.
To be effective listeners, the listening process should be incorporated into our lives. We should be attentive to what people say, clarify what the speaker is trying to come across, and respond in a way the speaker can understand what we are saying. I think I was aware that I needed some improvement in certain areas of this process but I feel as everything is slowly changing. In the future, I’m going try not to interrupt people, get distracted, tune out, and try to get a bigger picture of what the person is telling me. If good listening habits are applied in our day-to-day life, we can easily communicate with anyone and everyone.