IMPROVING PUPILS’ LISTENING SKILLS USING YOUTUBE

By: Wong Vincent & Chan Xian Wei

wongvinc90@gmail.com xianwei352@gmail.com

Abstract

English is one of the most important languages in the world and in Malaysia, and the educators
are always trying to make learning of the language more effective. In this paper, we explore the
significance of listening to learning English. The KSSR modular approach, which lists listening
as one of the first skills to engage, highlights the importance of listening for learners to achieve
success in the other skills. Although that is the case, listening skill prove hardest to teach due to
multiple deficiencies in our learning environment. This paper also discusses the impact of digital
tools in language learning. The 21st century has seen a boom in web tools, and with technology
playing such an important role in almost every aspects of our lives, we cannot ignore the option
of including technology in education. This paper focuses on YouTube as the web tool to aid
pupils’ listening skill. YouTube will continue to be discussed more extensively in relation to how
it can help improve pupils’ listening skills in the following sections, with some examples and a
lesson plan to further illustrate our point.

Introduction

A language is considered a foreign language when it is taught as a school subject but is

not a medium of instruction or communication. In Malaysia, English is the second or foreign
language in most schools as Malay or Mandarin is the usually the lingua franca, either for
communication or instructional purposes; hence, English Language Learning has always been a
subject of fascination as educators seek to make learning of the language more effective.

Learning English in Malaysian classrooms has evolved with the times as we adopt more
current pedagogies. During KBSR, language learning was largely based on learning the basic
features of the language, such as vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure. It was considered
sufficient then for pupils to master the fundamentals of English, as classroom sessions were more
theoretical than practical. However, as the world and dynamic of societies change with the
advancement of technology and the Internet, the status of English has elevated as the social
“glue” that ties everyone together and allows for more exchange between people of different
races and nationalities. While fundamentals of the language are still essential, the communicative
feature takes centre stage these days, driving a wave of change across syllabi in schools. The
implementation of KSSR English in 2011 and subsequent introduction of CEFR in 2017 see a
shift to a more skill-based approach and increased emphasis on ‘can do’ rather than just
knowing.

English in KSSR is teaching of familiar topics based on a modular approach of the four
skills – listening and speaking, reading, writing, and is usually summed up with a more relaxing
session of Language Arts, where pupils get to use the language in a more creative and free
context. As shown by the modular approach, listening is one of the main components in language
learning; in fact, modular approach lists it as the first skill to engage when pupils are introduced
to a new topic with a new set of vocabulary. Listening plays a crucial part in our daily life.
According to River (1981), we listen twice as much as we speak, four times as much as we read
and five times as much as we write. In other words, perception takes precedence over production,
and listening plays an important role in our everyday language input. Generally, listening is a
process when we make an effort to interpret the sounds that we heard. For our pupils, we should
provide them with high degree of success so that they are always motivated in building up their
self-confidence and developing their listening skill.

Besides the four language skills, KSSR also stresses on the inclusion of learning skills to
facilitate the learning process whilst strengthening essential skills for the complex life and work
environments in the 21st century. These skills are also known as 4Cs: Critical Thinking,
Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. Critical Thinking involves logical thinking and
reasoning such as comparing, classifying, sequencing, predicting etc, while Communication is
expressing thoughts clearly and communicating coherent instructions. Collaboration occurs when
two or more people work together to accomplish a common goal and Creativity refers to the
ability to look at things from a different perspective and to produce new, diverse and unique
ideas. In this paper, we will further discuss Critical Thinking and Communication from 4Cs in
relation to Listening with the aid of YouTube.

1.1 Listening in English Language Learning

Richards (1990) and Schmidt (2016) provides a clear description of how listening
comprehension is achieved by native and non-native listeners. He refers to this listening process
as bottom-up and top-down processing. In top-down processing, igniting the previous
knowledge has become the priority in the process of leading the pupils to predict the information
he or she is going to listen to. This really tests their critical thinking. For an effective learning to
occur, we should play our role in providing context for listening by acknowledging them with the
overview of the texts in order to ensure the listener can relate what he is about to hear with what
he already knows.

However, bottom-up processing occurs when what is heard by the listeners does not
trigger his or her previous knowledge. In this issue, we should guide our pupils to communicate
with the texts in a proper way, for example through listening for meaning rather than
pronunciation, word knowledge, etc. Skimming and scanning are crucial in the process of trying
to guess the meaning of difficult vocabularies from the context. In this listening strategy, the
pupils need to use their creativity in term of focusing in whole-to-part which aids understanding
the whole message.

It is common for the presence of a situation whereby the pupils’ mastery in listening skill
is solely based on what they have learnt in the school as a result of being a passive listener.
Based on our teaching context, most of the language learners are authority-oriented learners by
referring to the learning types and preferred strategies, especially they prefer the teacher to
explain everything instead of becoming active learners. In tackling this issue, we have our role to
provide opportunity for the young learners to be familiar with the language and enable him or her
acquire it unconsciously, especially with the introduction of authentic texts. Kilickaya (2004)
defines authentic materials as exposure to real language and use in its own community.
 The use of authentic texts allows the acquisition of knowledge which takes place
unconsciously by interacting with those texts (Melanlioglu, 2013). Somehow, the lacking of
comprehension to those texts has demotivated them and forces the teacher to repeat what the
speakers had just said. As a result, it does not meet the initial intention to portray authenticity. It
is true that the usage of a language should be rich in a learner’s environment in order to show the
effectiveness of the listening activity. Frequent use of the language will surely enhance the
ability to use the language fluently and appropriately. For example, some of the children are used
to speaking English at home and this has become their main medium of instruction. For sure, it
sparks off from the listening skill that has become part and parcel in their life. Undeniably,
motivation is an important aspect to determine the successive of language acquisition. For the
pupils who are living in rural areas, extrinsic motivation should be given in order to drive them
towards integrative motivation, which is a desire to be assimilated into the culture of the speakers
of English. In another word, to learn English as a foreign language, conscious learning of
selected language items should be supported by exposure to a lot of use of the items in real life
situations to enable acquisition to take place. However, that is the biggest hurdle in Malaysian
classrooms and the community in general as English is not widely spoken enough to enable our
pupils to pick up the language in more casual and natural circumstances. To counter this
disadvantage, the introduction of digital technology in the form of YouTube is a viable
alternative to solve this issue by increasing learners’ exposure to various forms of authentic
language.

2.1 The use of digital technology in teaching listening

Information technology provides access to search for various learning resources. The best
learning occurs when real world problems are paired with real world tools for problem solving
(Collins, n/a). First of all, the learning process for the pupils would be easier if they use digital
technology as the source to improve their listening skill . The theory of inquiry-discovery
method is one of the effective ways in promoting language learning (Cambridge International
Examinations, 2015). Pupils’ prior knowledge had been taken into consideration as they played
their roles in figuring the answers by themselves. In this case, the whole concept of digital
technology is surrounded by the inquiry-discovery theory as the pupils need to apply their self-
initiative in order to choose the knowledge that they want to acquire. Simply, the aim of using
the inquiry-discovery in teaching and learning activities was to provide the opportunity for pupils
to take their own initiative to observe, explore, ascertain, think, analyse, interpret, and finally
develop their awareness.

According to Wittrock (1963), although implementing the inquiry-discovery theory in

teaching and learning is more complicated than direct teaching, the inquiry-discovery theory is
definitely more effective as it contains more positive learning transfer. For example, a teacher
can give some listening tasks based on the videos that had been uploaded in his or her personal
website, such as Weebly. The role of the pupils is to complete the listening tasks at their own
pace when browsing the Internet at home. From this activity, the pupils could see the values of
the knowledge gained and they show their effort in figuring the answers, which indirectly would
help in memory retention. In another word, avoiding the spoon feeding method is the main
priority of using digital technology as this does not permit the pupils to figure themselves. This
stage is the important starting point and acts as the booster in order to prepare themselves for the
challenges in language learning.

Thorndike (1913) suggested three laws on learning readiness and two laws have closer
context to digital technology. Firstly, when one is ready to carry out a certain action, and being
successfully carried out, then one will be satisfied with the action. In regards to digital
technology, this is all about self-initiative. Secondly, when one is not ready to carry out a certain
action, but is forced to do it, then such action will cause one to feel sad and unhappy. Most
importantly, the platform to provide the opportunity for the pupils to develop their listening skill
should be constructed by the teacher through the application of digital technology. This is a long
term effort for self-improvement from time to time when it comes to language learning.

3.1 Using YouTube to improve pupils’ listening skill.

A listening task with no purpose is no listening at all. Language serves the purpose of
transmitting messages and ideas to the other person; hence, listening is to make sense of an oral
speech so that effective communication can be established. By that logic, a listening task cannot
just stand on its own so that would defeat the most basic purpose of language. For a listening
task to be effective, the inclusion of Critical Thinking and Communication of the 4Cs is vital as
it reflects true elements of language use in the real world (Bastos & Ramos, 2009). There can be
no true listening without some form of thinking and understanding of the message, either explicit
or between the lines. This requires the skill of Critical Thinking as learners learn to grapple with
the multiple facets of language in use. Communication points to clear expression of thoughts and
coherence of instructions, which listening tasks will also be able to provide the learners as they
can imitate native speakers in the ways they use target language authentically. For the two
elements of 4Cs to be assimilated in a pupil’s listening, authenticity of listening tasks should not
be overlooked.

Due to the advancement of technology, enhancing the process of learning is easier with
the utilization of YouTube (Almurashi, 2016). Comac (2008) believes that YouTube offers an
ideal platform through which to incorporate audio blogs into the classroom and instructors can
use such blogs to manage oral assignments, interact with learners and to evaluate performance
outcomes. This is supported by Nejati (2010) who argues that YouTube is critical, particularly in
relation to enhancing future language learning, because such platforms play a “pivotal role in
practicing the target language and its pragmatics, engaging pupils in active and productive
projects, preparing them for likely future encounters in computer-mediated communication,
learning more about other cultures and preparing them for becoming autonomous learners”. In
general, the users need to be wise and selective in choosing the right videos to promote language
learning, especially in listening skill. According to Alimemaj (2010), she argues that this
presents new challenges as well as opportunities, because even though YouTube offers a vast
array of clips of authentic examples of ‘everyday’ English used by ‘everyday’ people within a
wide range of contexts, the poor sound quality, pronunciation, and slang featured in many of
these short videos can also make them more difficult to understand than traditional listening
platforms.

Apart from that, through YouTube, we can provide a variation of context for listening
purpose and are mostly authentic texts. Nuttall (1996) argues that "authentic texts can be
motivating because they are proof that the language is used for real-life purpose by real people.”
Researchers claim that when authentic materials are used with the purpose of pupils’ learning,
pupils will have a sense that the real language for communication is being learnt, as opposed to
classroom language itself.
 In addition, thinking routines are defined in Project Zero ( 2010 ) as primary strategy for
organizing memory, as they are crafted to achieve specific goals, such as making connections or
deep inquiry. Young children can expand their repertoire of thinking strategies when they are
exposed to thinking critically (Bastos & Ramos, 2009). In this case, memory retention could be
acquired when there was repertoire of thinking strategies in term of the connectivity between the
listening input and purpose. By using YouTube, the teacher can easily find the texts that enable
the pupils to listen to the same listening input many times to the extent that each time serves a
different purpose. Different types of tasks can also be introduced to engage different 4C skills
from the same task, such as Critical Thinking when learners have to guess the implicit message
from a short exchange or Communication when learners replicate dialogues that they heard with
minor changes (Bastos & Ramos, 2009; Fleck, Beckman, Sterns, & Hussey, 2014). Finding the
listening input and listening tasks that pupils enjoy doing are important to nurture a positive
attitude to listening. According to Vygotsky (1978), by bringing to light what children
understand, teachers can help them reach a higher level of development (Vygotsky, 1978).

To enhance the effectiveness of listening skill, it must accompany with listening tasks
that aim to test the pupils’ understanding (Schmidt, 2016). According to Rotter (2009), isolated
bits of information will not be memorized as effectively as those associated with existing
information. Due to this, the more associations that are made between the known and the new
information, the better it will be learned. Undeniably, listening and writing at the same time is
difficult. The teacher should use formats that require minimum writing, such as filling in gaps,
completing statements, multiple choice questions, true and false questions, circle the best answer,
etc.

4.1 Discussion

The biggest obstacle that our pupils have in learning English is their exposure, or rather
the lack thereof, to the language. A lot of pupils just do not encounter the language and see its
extensive use to be able to appreciate it, let alone learn it. Teaching English in such a depraved
environment poses a big challenge as teachers are, in most cases, their only source of the
language, and pupils view language teachers and classroom activities and tasks as the only
reasons for them to engage the language, which is not much to speak of. Pupils quickly lose
interest, especially when the content becomes unbearable and they cannot catch up, first from
lack of practice outside of classroom context and later from demotivation, which inhibits further
learning. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Introducing authenticity will not only allow us to overcome the problem of lack of
exposure to language outside of the classroom, but also enriches the learning experience as it
taps into their existing schemata. Melanlioglu (2013) supports using authentic listening tasks as
pupils will not experience listening anxiety. These tasks will also prepare them for real-life
communication and speech forms, which will aid their listening comprehension (Almurashi,
2016). Of all the listening texts available, YouTube proves to be easiest and richest source.

YouTube is no longer an unfamiliar web tool to both teachers and pupils alike, which is
what makes it such an interesting and convenient proposition to be added to the classroom (Lo,
2012). It is already widely used in teaching practices, with teachers relying on them to illustrate
scientific concepts or steps to make an artwork. The research done by Fleck et al. (2014) also
shows that pupils show an overall positive attitude to YouTube. In a language classroom,
YouTube can provide an abundance of authentic materials as the scenes depicted in these videos
are real-life situations where language is used to communicate and transmit messages (Fleck et
al., 2014), instead of scaffolded into simpler bits and pieces for the sake of teaching. While the
emphasis on form should not be neglected entirely, Melanlioglu (2013) states that making use of
authentic texts will free the learners from the ‘shackles’ of structure and form and instead direct
their focus on the message, making the whole process of dealing with L2 much less daunting.
Pupils are also familiar with it and the videos, so they feel less anxious about tasks that are based
on YouTube, which can greatly enhance their listening capabilities and memory retention
(Melanlioglu, 2013).

All these benefits point to YouTube being a useful tool to language teachers. An L2
classroom’s main objective is to educate its learners into effective language users, which would
mean using the language classroom in the real world. By the same definition, when we talk about
listening skills, it would also be referring to the ability to listen to the language being used in the
real-life contexts, where speeches will be simpler and more direct. Real conversations are also
littered with fillers and a lot of repairing will also occur. Stress, intonation and parsing can also
prove to be a challenge. There will also be a range of acceptable responses to forms of initiation
that depends on how the conversation develops that textbooks just cannot cover it all (Schmidt,
2016). YouTube, however, can prove to a friend as pupils will be exposed to how language can
be used creatively to express their thoughts and opinions, and there will be no shortage to the
variety of forms; and, as they are by first language speakers of English in everyday events that
are possibly relevant to them, pupils can feel a little more relaxed and confident in dealing with
language (Melanlioglu, 2013).
5.1 Example of a lesson plan on a chosen ELT topic that integrate the use of YouTube with
the learning outcome to improve pupils’ listening.

Daily Lesson Plan

Theme World of Knowledge

Topic Safety Issues
Learning Standard(s) 1.1.4 Able to speak on related topics with guidance.
1.2.4 Able to talk on topics of interest in formal situations with
guidance.
Objective(s) At the end of the lesson, pupils can:
a) get at least two main points from oral texts about safety
measures in different situations (i.e. fire, food, elevator…)
b) talk about the main points according to their situations.
Teaching Aids YouTube videos –
https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=qM8jW4sRfRk (Fire
Safety)
https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=eJZ1eDpys0M (Road
Safety)
https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=F-qeFLMkEng (Safe Food
Handling)
https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=3WKnSWpP1AA
(Escalator Safety)
https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=92-kIcS-8uI (Life Safety)
Mind map
SMARTBoard
Cross Curricular Knowledge Acquisition
Elements Preparation for the Real World
Activities Set Induction
1. Teacher talks about different real-life situations according
to the textbook, for example like lining up to go up the
bus, eating out, using electronic appliances etc.
2. Teacher prompts discussion from pupils and elicits
examples of dangers of each real-life situations from
them.

Pre-Listening
1. Teacher tells pupils that danger in most situations can be
averted by being more careful and taking precautions.
2. Teacher gives instructions for task to watch YouTube
videos on safety precautions and measures during
 emergencies and listen to key points.

While-Listening
1. Teacher groups pupils in pairs.
2. Teacher describes each video briefly and distributes mind
maps to pupils to take notes individually while watching
the videos.

Figure 1

3. Teacher plays the YouTube videos.

Figure 2

4. Pupils watch the videos and listen to the safety

instructions from each video, taking short notes of main
points.

Post-Listening
1. Teacher instructs pupils to talk to their pair about the main
points in the videos and review their notes together.
2. Pupils are then grouped into groups of four and continue
comparing notes and main points.
3. After pupils are done talking in groups of four, pupils take
turns to stand up and talk about one main point for each
situation. Teacher writes down the points in a table on the
board.
 Figure 3

4. Teacher concludes session when pupils no longer have

anything to contribute. Teacher may help fill in any points
that pupils missed out from the videos.
Closure
1. Teacher prompts discussion among pupils about the
importance of following these safety precautions i.e.
“Why do you think we should follow these safety
measures in these situations?”
Reflection
5.1 Conclusion

Throughout the history of English language teaching ( ELT ), most pupils never been
taught to listen ( Thorn, 2009, as cited in Schmidt, 2016). However, listening deserves to be a
priority as learners encounter the language in oral form more often than written, and as L2 users,
they receive more than they produce. Thus, listening is an essential skill for language learners to
further develop their competence in English (Barr et al., 2002; Owca et al., 2003, cited in
Melanlioglu, 2013). As teachers, it is our duty to exploit the convenience of listening as a means
to facilitate language learning as a whole. Digital tools present one of the many opportunities
readily available to teachers, and none is as accessible and cost-free as YouTube. The vast array
of materials on YouTube do not only provide a platform for learners to get in close proximity
with the authentic form English but also requires learners to think critically as they listen to the
language being used in context instead of in isolation as in the textbooks. Besides that, it also
provides chances for communication among pupils either by imitating the native language in the
videos or discussions in their own language (Fleck et al., 2014).
References

Alimemaj, Z. (2010). YouTube, language learning and teaching techniques. AngloHigher, 10-12.

Almurashi, W. A. (2016). The effective use of YouTube videos for teaching English language in
classrooms as supplementary material at Taibah University in Alula. International
Journal of English Language and Linguistic Research 4(3), 32-47.

Bastos, A., & Ramos, A. (2009). YouTube for learning English as a foreign language: Critical
thinking, communicative skills. EDULEARN09 Conference (pp. 87-92). Barcelona:
ERIC.

Cambridge International Examinations. (2015). Digital technologies in the classroom.

Cambridge: Cambridge International Examinations.

Collins, S. (n/a). How digital tools prepare pupils for the 21st century. Beaverton: Inspiration
Software, Inc.

Comac, L. (2008). Using audioblogs to assist English language learning . Computer Assisted
Language Learning, 181-198.

Fleck, B., Beckman, L., Sterns, J., & Hussey, H. (2014). YouTube in the Classroom: Helpful
Tips and Student Perceptions. The Journal of Effective Teaching 14(3), 21-37.

Kilickaya, F. (2004). Authentic materials and culture content in EFL classrooms. The Internet
ELT Journal, 10(7).

Lo, Y.H. (2012). What Is the Participant Learning Experience Like Using YouTube to study a
Foreign Language. Theses and Dissertations. 636.

Melanlioglu, D. (2013). Impacts of authentic listening tasks upon listening anxiety and listening
comprehension. Academic Journals vol.8(14), 1177-1185.

Nejati, M. (2010). Annals of language and learning. London: Universal.

Nuttall, C. (1996). Teaching Reading Skills in a foreign language (New Edition) . Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Richards, J. (1998). Listening Comprehension:Approach, Design and Procedure. The Context of

Language Teaching. Edinbugh: Cambridge University Press.

Rivers, W. (1981). Teaching Foreign-Language Skills, 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago

Press.
Rotter, K. (2009). Enhancing memory in your pupils:COMPOSE yourself. Retrieved April 2,
2018, from Teaching Exceptional Children Plus:
http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol5/iss3/art4

Schmidt, A. (2016). Listening Journals for Extensive and Intensive Listening Practice. Retrieved
April 7, 2018, from English Teaching Forum: www.americanenglish.state.gov/english-
teaching-forum

Thorndike, E. (1913). The Psychology of Learning. New York: Columbia University.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological processes.

Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.

Wittrock, M. (1963). Verbal Stimuli in Concept Formation:Learning by Discovery. Journal of

Educational Psychology, 90-110.

Zero, P. (2010). Visible Thinking. Retrieved April 2, 2018, from Research Projects:
www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/ResearchVisible.htm