How to Boost English Listening Skills

Parents, we know that children and teens love spending time on their electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. But what if we could use this fascination with technology to help them improve their English listening skills?

In this blog post, we'll explore how to turn screen time into a positive learning experience, introduce research-based strategies, and provide specific resources to help your child develop their English listening abilities.

Free Online Resources for English Exposure

Exposing your child to English through various sources is essential. Fortunately, there are numerous free online resources that you can use to promote listening. 

Here are a few examples:

• YouTube: TED-Ed  offers engaging and educational videos.
  • To find content that suits your child's level, visit the TED-Ed website (https://ed.ted.com/lessons)
  • click on "Discover," then "Lessons," and filter by student level and content type.
  • The content types "TED-Ed Animations" and "TED Talk Lessons" include discussion questions.
    

• Podcasts
  Storynory (https://www.storynory.com/) offers children's stories
  while Brains On! (https://www.brainson.org/) focuses on science topics.
• LibriVox (https://librivox.org/) provides free audiobooks of classic literature, and Storyline Online (https://www.storylineonline.net/) features celebrities reading children's books aloud.
• LearnEnglish Kids by the British Council (https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/): This website offers games, stories, and songs specifically designed for young learners.

Creating a Language-Rich Environment at Home

To create a language-rich environment, provide your child with a variety of English materials. Encourage them to read books or watch videos in English. 

You can also set aside specific times for practicing target English skills, like reading aloud together or watching English movies with subtitles.

Visit your local library to borrow English books and movies, or explore websites that offer bilingual resources or booklists for ELLs. Choose materials that are engaging and appropriate for your child's level.

Here are some websites you can check out:

1. Colorín Colorado (https://www.colorincolorado.org/): This website offers booklists for ELLs, which include recommended books in English for different age groups and reading levels.
2. Little Fox (https://www.littlefox.com/): Little Fox provides a collection of animated stories and songs designed for children learning English, with Korean translations for many stories.
3. International Children's Digital Library (http://en.childrenslibrary.org/): This digital library offers a collection of children's books from around the world, including books in English.
4. Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/): Goodreads is a social cataloging website for book recommendations. By searching for "Korean" or "English-Korean" in the search bar, you can find booklists created by users that include bilingual or English and Korean books.
   

5. Google Books (https://books.google.com/): Google Books allows you to search for books in multiple languages, including English and Korean. You can search for specific titles, authors, or use keywords to find books in either language.

6.  Hanbooks (https://www.hanbooks.com/): Hanbooks is an online bookstore that offers a variety of Korean books, including bilingual and dual-language books in English and Korean. Browse their selection to find books in both languages.

By providing your child with diverse and engaging materials in English and Korean, you'll be creating a language-rich environment that fosters language learning and development.

Teaching Listening Strategies

Help your child become a better listener by teaching them these explicit listening strategies:

• Predicting: Encourage your child to make predictions about what they will hear based on the title, images, or prior knowledge. For example, "What do you think this story is about?"
• Asking questions: Teach your child to ask questions before, during, and after listening, such as "Who are the main characters?" or "What do you think will happen next?"
  
  
• Summarizing: Have your child summarize the main points of what they heard in their own words. For example, "Can you tell me what happened in the story?"
• Making connections: Help your child connect the content to their own experiences or knowledge. For example, "Have you ever felt like the character in the story?"

Visual Aids and Personal Journals

Encourage your child to use visual aids, such as creating a bulletin board for English vocabulary or grammar topics. They can also maintain a personal journal where they cut and paste information, write notes, or draw diagrams about what they are learning. A vocabulary journal can promote active listening, as students jot down new words and use a word web to expand their understanding. Journal prompts can include:

• Writing a narration of what they read or watched (parents can act as a scribe for younger students)

  

• Drawing a picture of what they heard or read
• Writing a book or movie review
  

Active Listening

Active listening is a conscious effort to fully engage with and understand spoken language. Unlike passive listening, where English may be playing in the background, active listening requires focused attention and concentration on the speaker's words. Research has shown that active listening enhances comprehension, improves vocabulary acquisition, and strengthens overall language skills.

Advantages of active listening include:

• Better understanding of the speaker's message
• Improved retention of information
• Enhanced ability to respond appropriately
• Greater empathy and rapport with the speaker

Here are some strategies parents can use to teach and promote active listening at home:

• Set clear expectations: Let your child know that active listening requires their undivided attention. Encourage them to focus on the speaker, minimize distractions, and avoid interrupting.
  
• Model active listening: Demonstrate active listening by showing interest in what your child is saying, maintaining eye contact, and providing verbal and non-verbal feedback (e.g., nodding, saying "uh-huh" or "I see").
  
• Encourage note-taking: While listening to English audio or watching videos, have your child jot down important points, new vocabulary, or questions they may have.
  
  Notetaking will help them stay engaged and process the information more effectively.
  
  
• Pause and reflect: After listening to a passage or watching a video, ask your child to summarize what they've heard in their own words. This promotes active engagement and helps reinforce their understanding.
• Ask open-ended questions: Encourage your child to think critically about the content by asking questions that require more than a simple "yes" or "no" answer.
  For example,
  
  "What do you think the speaker meant when they said...?" or "How did the character's actions affect the story?"
  
• Provide opportunities for practice: Give your child plenty of opportunities to practice active listening in various contexts, such as during family conversations, while listening to podcasts, or while watching educational videos.

By teaching your child the importance of active listening and providing them with strategies to practice this skill, you'll be supporting their language development and setting them up for success in their English learning journey.

Research has consistently shown that active listening is a crucial component of effective language acquisition, so incorporating these strategies into your child's daily routine will greatly benefit their progress.

For more information on how listening is essential to language aquisition, visit here:

To further support your child's active listening skills, consider our guide for choosing appropriate listening materials for different English proficiency levels, from novice to advanced learners (below).

By providing engaging and level-appropriate materials, you can foster active listening and promote language growth.

Regular Listening Practice

Incorporate regular listening practice into your child's schedule. Use transition times, like listening to English audiobooks or music in the car, or during meals. Here are some suggestions for short English listening resources:

• BBC Learning English: Offers short audio clips and videos on various topics.
• VOA Learning English: Provides news stories in simple English along with audio.

A Leveled Listening Guide

Here's a guide for parents to help them choose appropriate listening materials for their children at different English proficiency levels:

Novice learners:

For very young or new language learners, focus on simple songs, nursery rhymes, and short stories with repetitive phrases. Choose materials that have clear visuals and a limited vocabulary. Listening duration can range from 5 to 10 minutes per session.

Examples:

• Children's songs and nursery rhymes
• Short, repetitive stories with pictures
• Basic vocabulary videos or audio clips

Beginner learners:

As your child's language skills progress, introduce slightly longer stories or videos with more varied vocabulary. Focus on materials with simple sentence structures and clear audio. Keep listening sessions between 10 to 15 minutes.

Examples:

• Picture books with simple text
• Animated stories or cartoons with easy dialogue
• Audiobooks or videos adapted for beginner English learners
  
  

Want to know where to start in supporting your beginner or intermediate student with reading comprehension?

Low Intermediate learners

At this level, your child can start engaging with more complex content. Choose materials that cover a wider range of topics and incorporate more advanced vocabulary and sentence structures. Listening sessions can be around 15 to 20 minutes.

Examples:

• Short chapter books or graded readers
• Educational videos or podcasts on various subjects
• Age-appropriate movies or TV shows with English subtitles
  
  

See more creative ideas for intermediate learners, here:

High Intermediate learners

For high intermediate learners, continue to increase the complexity and length of the listening materials. Encourage your child to explore different genres and types of content (such as science and history related readings). Listening sessions can be 20 to 30 minutes.

Examples:

• Non-fiction books or articles
• Podcasts or radio programs on various topics
• TED-Ed videos or TED Talks
  
  

High Intermediate students are often ready for more formal grammar instruction:

Read about how teachers at NSEO accelerate intermediate students to the next level here:

Advanced learners

Advanced English learners can handle a wide range of listening materials, including news podcasts, classic literature, and content related to science or social studies. Encourage your child to challenge themselves with diverse and complex content. Listening sessions can be 30 minutes or longer.

Examples:

• News broadcasts or podcasts
• Presentations, documentaries, or interviews
• Classic literature or more complex fiction

Advanced students benefit greatly from authentic discussion and feedback from native teachers:

By providing your child with listening materials that match their proficiency level and gradually increasing the complexity as their skills develop, you'll be supporting their language growth and keeping them engaged in the learning process. Remember to adapt the content and duration of listening sessions according to your child's needs and interests to maintain motivation and ensure effective learning.

Conclusion

By leveraging screen time, transition times within your day (car trips and meal time), and free time, you can turn your child's fascination with electronic devices and videos into a positive learning experience. Implement the research-based strategies and resources mentioned in this blog post to help your child develop their English listening skills. 

Additionally, consider enrolling your child in online tutoring programs like Now Speak English Online, where they can engage with native English speakers. One-on-one tutoring is a simple and effective way to promote regular listening practice and improve their English skills.