The Listening Process in Reading

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THE LISTENING PROCESS Listening is usually the first language mode children acquire, and it provides the basis for the other language arts. Listening is also important in learning to read. Children are introduced to written language by listening to stories that parents and others read to them. Listening can be described as the process whereby orally spoken language is heard and converted to meaning in the mind by the child or the individual. Listening is not only to hear what is being said but rather it is to think about what was said and to actually put meaning to what was said. The listening process contains three steps, namely receiving, attending and assigning. Listeners receive the aural stimuli or the combined aural and a visual stimuli presented by the speaker. Next, the listener focuses on selected stimuli while ignoring other distracting stimuli. Students have to listen to the speakers, message focusing on the most important information in that message. Thirdly, listeners assign meaning to, or understand the speakers’ message. There are four different types or purposes for listening. These are – 1) Discriminative listening, this is where students distinguish among sounds. 2) Aesthetic listening, this is where people listen to a speaker or reader when they listen for enjoyment. 3) Efferent listening, this is to listen in order to understand a message. 4) Critical listening, this is listen to evaluate the message in what is being said. LISTENING ACTIVITIES (DISCRIMINATIVE) TAPE RECORDING For the kindergarten age, a good listening activity is that of Tape Recording. The teacher can have recording of animal sounds, sounds of a car being drive, sounds of rain and thunder, sounds of musical instruments and other household noises. These recordings are played one at a time to the students.
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