Listening skills in English as a foreign language

2.2 Songs and learning models
This new list of intelligences differs greatly from the traditional view, which usually recognizes only two intelligences. All of the nine intelligences are interrelated and complementary to each other. Thus, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences implies that teachers should use broader ranges of teaching methods to incorporate the intelligences. Listening to English songs, for example, has a great value for learner’s linguistic potentials. The link between music and language is explained by many researcher (Gardner, 2000; Ahlbäck, 2004). The popularity of music as an aid in second language acquisition may be explained by Gardner's (2000, p. 69) view of music as one of the forms of the innate intelligences. Gardner (2000) suggests that choosing learning material should take into consideration three factors: truth, beauty and goodness. Songs, therefore, may be seen as an element of (a) truth, because its features are authentic; (b) beauty, as it is an art; and (c) goodness, as it is a source of one's development in both cognitive and social ways. Thus, songs awaken an interest in the listener and may improve their motivation for learning (Cook, 1996; Gardner, 2000; Gee, 2004; Townsend, 2011; Woolfolk et al., 2008). Songs and learning models Students learning a new language come from diverse, unique backgrounds and so are their learning styles (Kolb & Rubin, 1974; Myers & Briggs, 1975; Barbe, Swassing & Milone, 1979; Gregorc, 1985; Honey & Mumford, 1986; Fleming, 2001). Accordingly, teachers are expected to develop teaching strategies that would cater to every student (Emmanuel, 2011; Williams, 1999). It is vital that teachers think and reflect upon their teaching approaches to be able to relate to the students (Brookfield, 1995). Teaching all students the same lesson in the same way without offering different teaching styles may prove to be unprofessional (Dunn, 1993; Biedenbender, 2012, p. 2).
A learning style is the preferred way in which an individual retains information (Pritchard, 2005). In the 1970s-1990s, many learning models were introduced to help individuals distinguish their personal learning preferences and styles (Kolb & Rubin, 1974; Myers & Briggs, 1975; Swassing-Barbe, 1979; Gregorc, 1985; Honey-Mumford, 1986; Fleming, 2001). Some learners prefer using visual materials, while others prefer aural ones. Thus, teachers should introduce the visual like graphs and colored figures and aural like music and songs to cater to both.
Role of teacher in selecting songs to develop listening skill There are various ways of using songs in the classroom to improve listening skill. The level of the students, their interests, their age, and the song itself are the main determinants of the procedure. This mainly depends on the creativity of the teacher. According to Brown (2006), the procedure of any listening activity should follow these steps to focus on a listening practice: 1) Activating prior-knowledge: Previously known information is organized in schemata: abstract, generalized mental representations of the students’ experiences. The schemata help the learners understand new experiences based on the knowledge they have. The idea of prior knowledge is one part of the cognitive model of language processing. In that model, one of the processing methods is top-down, which explains that when people listen or read, they process the information, using their prior knowledge and experiences. 2) While-listening: Having a purpose for listening helps students to listen more effectively. In the listening activities, teachers should explain to the students the purpose of the activity. Students could listen for the main idea, for details, and for making inferences. The idea of knowing the purpose of listening is very effective in teaching as it helps students organize and reflect on their learning experience (O’Malley & Chamot, 1990)
Post-listening: Teachers use post-listening activities to check and evaluate the understanding of students. A post-listening activity may include reading, speaking, or writing activities (Arevalo, 2010, pp. 125-126). Brown (2006) states that this sort of task is important because it allows teachers to measure the progress the students are making on listening skills. When the teacher applies songs in her/his teaching learning process, she /he should know what kind of song she would bring to the classroom. Harmer (2000, p. 243) suggests two ways for selecting the songs to be brought into the class: the first is to have students bring their own favorite songs to class. If they do this, however, the teacher has to see if it is suitable for teaching and learning activities. The second way is to use older songs and to ask students whether they like them. Teachers then can choose songs which they like and consider as appropriate to the topic and subject matter. One of the most famous genres used in foreign language classes is pop music. People of all ages relate to popular music and are enthusiastic about top music artists and bands. Domoney, Harris (1993) and Little (1983) investigated the prevalence of pop music in the lives of EFL students and found that learners use pop music to learn the language external to the classroom. At times, they may not completely understand the lyrics, but comprehension improves over time as they sing and discuss the music with classmates, family and friends.
There should be a clear reason in the language teacher’s mind as to why and how to use a song. Songs can be an effective means of developing language skills only when they are well integrated into a scheme of work and carefully selected with a view to the cognitive and linguistic needs of students. Kirsch (2008) states that listening activities should be based on meaningful, appropriate, and authentic texts (e.g., a story, song, or poem) that assist listening and remembering and that match the language and grade level of pupils. Ersöz (2007, p. 20), meanwhile, suggests that teachers should be careful to choose songs that contain simple and This chapter highlighted the importance, purpose and benefits of using songs in the EFL classroom. The relation between songs and the human brain has been well established in this study. In fact, music has been found to be very crucial to foreign language learning as it lowers the affective guards and facilitates learning. Theories and methodologies of music presented in this chapter all pointed to the fact that students have different styles of learning. Some scholars believe that teachers should accommodate their teaching methods to these styles, while others negate this idea, saying that the content is the main determinant of the teaching style and not the student. Based on the results of the information gathered, it is possible to say that songs are the most suitable type of authentic material to develop listening comprehension skills. This is because students feel motivated when working with this kind of material. Furthermore, the learners’ ages and social contexts need to fit the kind of music the teacher selects to work with in class to yield valid results. To conclude, music and songs for the teaching of a foreign language are not only a valuable resource, but they are also instrumental when it comes to creating a calmed and motivating classroom environment. Songs are the product of a culture and share values, commitment, responsibility, love, history, traditions, customs, and specific characteristics of spoken language and that is why they are popular authentic materials to be used during class time and as external sources of learning. They develop receptive and productive skills, and they encourage language acquisition through a complete, more meaningful learning process.
However, to make the most benefit of teaching a song after listening to it, teachers need another teaching and learning method to have their students practice the expressions, vocabulary and grammar that a song contains.In this study the researcher chose games for this purpose. The next chapter will show how games and songs complete and compliment each other to create a rich educational environment that leads to evoking the students’ curiosity and motivation to learn. Moreover, merging songs with games provides an active social learning context that benefits students’ skills on both sides, that is regarding language and social skills.
Most people, young and old, enjoy playing a game. From their first years, children find solace in playing and witness huge developments, experiencing with new games and new methods of playing. As infants, children begin playing, using all their senses. And as they grow older, they change and develop their playing techniques. Children between the ages of six and twelve start playing organized and planned games that usually include rules and objectives (Rixon, 1981, p. 3). When playing real life games, participants interact and communicate with each other for the game to work. The need for communication during games encourages children to talk freely, which practices their fluency. Many national curricula for foreign languages emphasize the importance of learning languages and the importance of communication. For instance, the curriculum in a European country emphasizes the need to use games to help achieve these goals as games make language learning enjoyable for students (Aðalnámsskrá Grunnskóla, 2007, p. 6). Andrew Right (1984) agrees with this method, stating “Language learning is hard work ... Effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work” (p. 2). Due to the importance of games in learning foreign languages and after introducing songs as a teaching and a learning method in teaching English in the previous chapter, the researcher presents in this chapter how games play a vital role as a complementary teaching and learning method to songs. The most fundamental aspects of games discussed in this chapter are the definition of games, its importance, and its purposes. Also, its types, its relationship with listening skills and motivation for learning will be addressed. Moreover, the researcher will explore the relation between using games in the foreign language class and different theories such as Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory and the VAK theory. Finally, a conclusion will be drawn, summarizing the main points of the chapter.
There are many definitions of the word “game”. Some of them are mentioned by different scholars (Turtledove, 1996; Hardfield, 1990; Haycraft, 1978), while others are defined by dictionaries. For instance, some dictionaries give the following definitions: “An activity or sport involving skill, knowledge, or chance, in which you follow fixed rules and try to win against an opponent or to solve a puzzle” (Collins Cobuild, 1987, p. 596). A second definition is “A form of play or sport, especially a competitive one with rules” (Pocket Oxford, 1992, p. 359). A third definition is “A universal form of recreation generally including any activity engaged in for diversion or amusement and often establishing a situation that involves a contest or rivalry” (Safra, Yannias, & Goulka, 1998, p. 105). The last more specific definition is “Any specific contest, engagement , amusement, computer simulation, or sport involving physical or mental competition under specific rules, as football, chess, or war games” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1991, p. 554). Furthermore, some scholars have defined game as “[a] structure that has rules, goals and agreement of players on the surface, and wonderful hidden processes underneath” (Turtledove, 1996, p. 3). Also, Hardfield (1990) defined game as “[a]n activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun” (p. 5). Finally, Haycraft (1978) defines game as “An agreeable way of getting a class to use its initiative in English and as it is gently competitive, it increases motivation. It is also a contrast to periods of intensive study” (p. 94)