IMPROVE THE ENGLISH LISTENING SKILL BY PLAYING

Improve the English listening skill by playing

Julián Patiño Martínez.

Corporación Universitaria del Caribe.

Asociación Educativa

Práctica profesional dirigida

Martha Johanna Moreno

June 27, 2018

 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING 2

Table of contents

Abstract 3

Topic 4

ARS 4

General Objective 17

Aims 17

Methodology 17

Timeline 20

References 21
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING 3

Abstract

Developing English listening skills might be the hardest part of learning the language. There

are several reasons why pupils say listening is the hardest skill to improve. Some listeners think

it is hard to hear the sounds and understanding the meaning at the same time. The work

conducted with students of “La Asociacion Educativa” has indicated that they are very interested

for the English Class; nevertheless, they have a great difficulty for listening and comprehending

the language.

After doing some ludic activities with them, they have suggested the application of some

strategies for improving the English listening skill through some form of amusement. For that

purpose will be developed a board game that involves different levels of audios.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING 4

Topic

The work conducted with students of “La Asociacion Educativa” has indicated that they are

very interested for the English Class; however, they have a great difficulty for listening and

comprehending the language. After doing some ludic activities with them, they have suggested

the application of some methods for improving the listening through the game. For that purpose

will be developed a board game.

2) ARS

Name of the book, scientific journal English listening Rocks

article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which will
support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Developing English listening skills might be
the hardest part of learning the language. There
are several reasons why students say listening
is the hardest skill to improve. A report in the
Harvard Business Review suggests the average
speed speech for American is 124 words per
minute.
For students learning a language, those speeds
seem fast. It is hard to hear the sounds and
understanding the meaning at the same time.
Speed is one part of the problem for language
learners. There are four factors that can affect
the student's ability to hear well. Contractions,
assimilation, reduced forms, and dialect.
- It is hard to hear the sounds and
understanding the meaning at the same time.
- Developing English listening skills might be
the hardest part of learning the language.
English Listening: Why It's So Hard.
…..(n.d.). Retrieved from
…..https://www.englishlistening.rocks/english-
…..listening-why-its-so-hard/
- In order to improve listening skills, students
need to find a way to understand what they are
hearing.
- Have a picture of the words in their mind and
know the meaning of the words and phrases.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which will
support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
5
ITU Journal
ICT Discoveries
ISSUE NO.2
Data for Good.
It can be stated, with practically no
qualification, that people in general do not
know how to listen. They have ears that hear
very well, but seldom have they acquired the
necessary aural skills which would allow those
ears to be used effectively for what is called
listening.
-People in general do not know how to listen.
-Reading, is the primary medium by which we
learn.
Stevens, R. G. (2014, August 01). Listening to
…..People. Retrieved from
…..https://hbr.org/1957/09/listening-to-people
-Build the kind of aural experience that can
produce good listening habits.
-A major task in helping people to listen better
is teaching them to use their spare thinking
time efficiently as they listen.
Listening: What Makes It Difficult?
Communication and language acquisition
heavily depend on listening skills. Just think:
With poor listening ability, you cannot
participate or continue a conversation. You
cannot follow instructions correctly if at all.
Success at work, in a classroom, and elsewhere
would be significantly more difficult to achieve.
-Colloquialisms and reduced forms.
Cotter, C. (2014, July 09). Listening: What
Makes ….It Difficult? Retrieved from
…..https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2014070921
…..2858-…..26665973-listening-what-makes-it-
…..difficult
-Design activities that provide real, relevant
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which will
support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which will
support my research.
6
content that improve the awareness of and
ability to deal with colloquialisms, accent and
intonation.
Why listening is so difficult ... and what to do
about it
Speaking is easy; listening is difficult. Experts
say that that the average person actually
remembers a fraction of what is said to them.
Listening is an essential interpersonal skill that
needs to be developed. Psychotherapists say
that we have trouble listening because we
focus on body language 55 per cent on the
time, and on vocal intonation 38 per cent of the
time.
-communication skills.
Weinstein, B. (2010, June 15). Why listening
is …..so difficult ... and what to do about it.
…..Retrieved from
…..https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/25082
…../Why.listening-is-so-difficult
-To repeat back to listener what speaker is saying,
so that the thought is understood and
remembered.
Why Listening Is Difficult
At times, listeners have difficulty staying
completely focused during a presentation. We
can sometimes have difficulty listening to even
relatively brief messages. Some of the factors
that interfere with good listening might exist
beyond our control, but others are manageable.
It’s helpful to be aware of these factors so that
they interfere as little as possible with
understanding the message.
- Physical Noise
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
7
-Psychological Noise
(n.d.). doi:10.1075/ps.5.3.02chi.audio.2f
-Make a list of biases you might have as a listener
A 5-Step Method to Improve Your Listening
Skills
There are two ways for listening; namely, passive
listening and active one. The first is when the
listener listens something without giving full
attention. The second is when the listener gives
full attention. Active listening is the most
important because the brain needs to bring
attention to things to remember them.
- Language learning skill.
- Passively listening.
- Active listening
Granahan, J. (2017, September 04). A 5-Step
…..Method to Improve Your Listening Skills.
…..Retrieved from
…..https://www.fluentin3months.com/improve-
…..your-listening-skills/
-To improve your listening skills, you have to
implement methods for active listening.
- Passive Listening Doesn’t Work.
A 5-Step Method to Improve Your Listening
Skills
There are two ways for listening; namely, passive
listening and active one. The first is when the
listener listens something without giving full
attention. The second is when the listener gives
full attention. Active listening is the most
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
8
important because the brain needs to bring
attention to things to remember them.
- Language learning skill.
- Passively listening.
- Active listening
Granahan, J. (2017, September 04). A 5-Step
…..Method to Improve Your Listening Skills.
…..Retrieved from
…..https://www.fluentin3months.com/improve-
…..your-listening-skills/
-To improve your listening skills, you have to
implement methods for active listening.
- Passive Listening Doesn’t Work.
-Your brain needs you to bring attention to things
to remember them.
How can the listening skills be improved?
Improve the listening skill can be difficult but one
approach that can be suggested is to collect
authentic listening material. People need focus on
topics important for them. Source material might be
anything from favorite films or music; thus
listening will become so much easier.
- Listening skill.
- Authentic material.
- Grasp the topics.
Learning English | BBC World Service. (n.d.).
…..Retrieved from
…..http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learning…..
english/youmeus/learnit/learnitv39.shtml
- Source material might be anything from favorite
films or music.
- Using authentic listening material.
Why your students have problems with
listening comprehension
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
9
Developing the listening skill is very difficult
because students are trying to understand every
word. The progress is a slow one. Learners get
left behind trying to solve what a previous word
meant. On the other hand students ignore the
most import words. Moreover, they do not
recognize the words that they know. One of the
most important problems is the correct
accentuation. Finally it can be evidenced a lack
of listening stamina.
- Listening comprehension
- Developing the listening skill.
- Understanding the whole message.
Why your students have problems with
…..listening comprehension. (n.d.). Retrieved
…..from
…..https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/why-
….your-students-have-problems-with-listening-
….comprehension.html
- One method of facing this is to suggest them
to identify the important words that they need
to listen out for.
Why your students have problems with
listening comprehension
Developing listening skills requires a long
period of time. For that reason it can produce
either an experience of depression and
frustration or one of pride in the students; thus
teaching listening skills is one of the most
difficult tasks that a teacher faces. This article
evaluates contemporary research with the aim
of dividing and discussing the reasons why the
teaching of listening skills are so complex and
in consequence to suggest methods for
improving listening competence in the second
language teaching.
- Listening comprehension
- Teaching culture to enrich background
knowledge.
- Top-down processing skills.
- Bottom-up processing skills
Natasha Walker.(2014). Listening: the most
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
10
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
…..difficult skill to teach (1ed). [PDF File].
…..Manchester. Author. Retrieved from:
…..https://ebuah.uah.es/dspace/handle/10017/2
…..1619.
- Developing top-down listening activities.
- Developing bottom-up listening activities.
How to Really Improve Your English Listening
Skills
Improving the English listening skills is
difficult because people do not listen to English
enough. If people spent one thousand hours
listening to English, their listening will
definitely improve. Unfortunately the actions
for improving this skill are weak. They are not
significant enough to make a difference. On the
other hand, people are inconstant; at first, they
are enthusiastic to improve their listening, but
after a while, they find it difficult to force
themselves to practice. Finally, they lose
motivation and quit.
- Listening Podcasts.
- Teaching culture to enrich background
knowledge.
How to Really Improve Your English Listening
…..Skills. (2018, June 21). Retrieved from
…..https://engfluent.com/how-to-improve-
…..english-listening-skills/
- Turn boring time into listening time.
- Using Podcast for improve the listening.
These are easier to understand than movies.
Five essential listening skills for English
learners
Listening occupies approximately forty five per
cent of the time people spend in
communication. However, students often fail to
give this skill the attention it needs and speak
about it as the most challenging of all the skills
in English. There are many difficulties and
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
11
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
people may face in comprehending a talk or
lecture in a second language. There are many
reasons that turn so difficult the understanding
of the language; namely, the speaker talking
quickly, the listener's limited vocabulary and
the lack of knowledge of the subject.
Nevertheless, there are a few skills or strategies
that English learners can use for improving
their listening.
- Listening comprehension
- Developing the listening skill.
Five essential listening skills for English …..
…...learners. (n.d.). Retrieved from
….https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-
….magazine/five-essential-listening-skills-
…..english-…..learners
-Listening for details
-Practise detecting signpost language
The Importance of Learning English by
Listening.
Studies indicate that listening is the most
frequently used language skill by pupils.
Listening is important not only in
communication, but it also plays an important
role in how people learn.
According to these studies, listening is
basically how people obtain, and learn, new
information. In other words, listening involves
more daily communication time than other
forms of verbal communication.
In the efforts to improve the English, working
on the listening abilities must be at the core of
the learning practice.
But before students can start learning English
by listening, they have to make sure how to
listen effectively.
- Listening comprehension
- Listening effectively.
Goyo, G. (2018, February 16). Got Your
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
12
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
…..Headphones On? Good! Now Learn English
…..by Listening! Retrieved from
…..https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-
…..english-by-listening/
-Choose diverse listening materials
-Focus on the Big Ideas
The importance of teaching listening and
speaking skills.
The main objective of this writing is to
emphasize the importance of listening and
speaking skills in order to obtain a full
acquisition of the second language. It is
important to keep in mind that both skills are
connected. Students know the importance of
the learning of both abilities, and they know
that these skills need to be developed. Majority
of the textbooks include the typical listening
with the corresponding exercises, but pupils
think they need to know how to be good
listeners.
- Listening comprehension
- Teaching and learning
Segura Alonso Rocio.(2012). The importance
…..of teaching listening and speaking skills.
….. (1ed). [PDF File]. …..Madrid. Author.
…..Retrieved from: …..
…..https://www.ucm.es/data/cont/docs/119-
…..2015-03-17-
…..12.RocioSeguraAlonso2013.pdf
-Introduce new vocabulary before a listening
activity.
-Developing activities in which students share
ideas, opinions and experiences with each
other.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
13
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
English Listening Skills: Solutions to Fix Poor
Listening Comprehension.
Maybe listening skill is the most difficult one in
the process of learning English. This process
involves a series of steps. In the first one the
listener hears a sound; next, comes a step of
recognizing the sound as part of a word,
connecting the word to its meaning, after that
the listener remember what each word means.
As a result, comes the understanding of the
concept of the whole sentence.
Recognizing the Sounds.
Listening Training.
English Listening Skills: How to fix Poor
…..Listening Comprehension. (2017,
…..September 01). Retrieved from
…..https://realenglishconversations.com/englis
…..h-listening-skills/
-Start by listening to some audio that is not too
hard to understand
-Read the transcription to see what is being
said.
-Write the listened word.
3 Fun Ways to Practice English Listening for
All Levels
Improving the listening skill can be fun and not
so tedious like many people can think. When an
activity is fun, it is natural to want to do it
again. If people enjoy their practice, easily can
improve their comprehension skills.
Having fun while studying can support the
learning process itself. It has to do with
dopamine; the chemical that is release in the
brain when people are expecting a reward or
enjoyable experience.
-Fun Ways to Practice English.
Q. (2018, February 16). 3 Fun Ways to Practice
…..English Listening for All Levels. Retrieved
…..from
…..https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/engli
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
14
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
…..sh-listening-practice/
-Watch Authentic English Videos Online.
The best Podcasts to improve the listening
skills anytime, anywhere
Many people think that it is impossible to
understand native speakers. The reason is
because native speakers talk too fast and
sometimes break the grammar rules using slang
and difficult vocabulary. Nevertheless, there
are different strategies that can be applied for
destroying the barriers and improving the
English learning skill. The main strategy is the
use of podcast.
-Podcast
The 11 Best Podcasts to Improve Your
…..Listening Skills. (2017, December 18).
…..Retrieved from
…..https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/po
…..dcasts-improve-listening/
-Use Podcasts to Improve the Listening Skills.
-Effective and convenient way to improve the
English listening skills.
A study of English Listening problems and
listening proficiency of business students at
Bangkok University
Un study conducted with students at Bangkok
University with the aim of investigating their
English listening problems and listening
proficiency. The result of the study revealed
that the main reason that caused listening
problems is the listening text. Nevertheless the
most relevant problem was lack of practicing
listening skill and lack of exposure to different
contexts.
-Background knowledge.
-Significance of listening
-The messages, the speaker, the listener
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
15
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
and the physical
Suradej Anandapong.(2011). A study of
…..English Listening problems and listening
…..proficiency of business students at Bangkok
…..University. (1ed). [PDF File]. Bangkok.
…..Author. …..Retrieved from:
…..http://digi.library.tu.ac.th/thesis/lg/0641/titl
…..e-appendices.pdf
-Effective and convenient material to improve
the English listening skills.
The Difficulties in Learning Listening Skill of
Non-English Major Learners at University of
Industry and How to Deal with These
Difficulties”
Many English language students think listening
ability is the measure of knowing a language.
They consider listening as the most relevant
skill in the process of learning the new
language. For that reason, if learners do not
learn to listen effectively, they may soon get
deflated. One difficult that students face when
listening the new language comes from their
scarce vocabulary. They have to stop to think
as they meet new words, so they miss the whole
message.
-Difficulties in learning listening skill.
- Listening Skill
"The Difficulties in Learning Listening Skill of
…..Non-English Major Learners at University
…..of Industry and How to Deal with These
…..Difficulties". (n.d.). Retrieved from
…..https://www.bartleby.com/essay/the-
…..Difficulties-in-Learning-Listening-Skill-of-
…..PK7ZJY4KRZZS
Integrating Listening and Speaking Skills.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
16
Name of the book, scientific journal
article or web page
Summary or abstract of the reading.
Main categories and concepts which
will support my research.
References IN APA Style
Ideas which will be presented in my
research based in the reading.
Learners’ Listening Comprehension
Difficulties in English Language Learning: A
Literature Review
Many English textbooks emphasize in the
writing, reading and speaking skills, but do not
give enough importance to the listening one.
Maybe because this skill causes many problems
in students. Actually, they face a lot of listening
difficulties. It is important to emphasize in
listening comprehension, and listening
deficiencies. The pupils have to be aware of
the listening difficulties and the teacher needs
to find methodologies aimed to solve the
obstacles and improve their listening
comprehension abilities.
- Listening comprehension strategies.
- Listening difficulties
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani & Narjes Banou
…..Sabouri.(2016). Learners’ Listening
…..Comprehension Difficulties in English
…..Language Learning: A Literature Review.
….. (1ed). [PDF File]. Lahijan. Author.
…..Retrieved from:
…..https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1101226.
…..pdf
-Quality of Recorded Materials
-Listening activities should be provided based
on the students’ needs.
-Teachers should create listening tasks that
stimulate students’ interest.
- Listening activities must be presented
according to their level of difficulty.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
17

3) Research question.

What are the effects of ludic activities in the improvement of listening skill of a group of
young people among 20 and 24, who have problems for comprehending English?

General objective

To design and develop a board game for improving English listening skills.

Aims

To study the best strategies for improving English listening skills.

To learn new words through board games.

To obtain new knowledge through socialization.

To investigate the relationship between game and learning.

Methodology

For this study tasks have been administered to a sample of 10 students from the institution

“La asociación Educativa”. These pupils have had the opportunity of studying an English course

of 60 hours taught in the institution”. Their average age is between 20 and 24, and all of them

are Technical Institute Students. They are studying the Elementary and Intermediate English

Course taken from the Voice of America.

The first class, the students received traditional training in listening English. They listened to

an audio and after that the teacher asked them some questions about it. In the second class,
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
18

students were involved in some ludic activities where they needed to pay attention with the aim

of comprehending the audio. The teacher asked them question again, but awarding the correct

answers; here was applied the stimulus-response theory.

The investigation was based in Non-Experimental and Experimental Research, but mainly the

second. For the data collection will be followed the next diagram.

Pre- Post Tests

The students involved in the study are at the same level. It was concluded thanks to the pre-

test which determined the base lines of the participants. They all received the same tasks. It was

expected that they had more or less the same performance. When they began to learn through the

ludic activities their learning was both more fun and effective.

Data Collection

For the data collection were used three important technics; namely, observation, interview

and questionnaire. The observation was applied over the period of the course. As an introduction

to the study, the students were interrogated about the main alternatives for improving English

listening skill.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
19

Short outline.

The study started from the need for finding a good alternative for improving the English

listening skill. For that purpose was chosen a group of student from “La Asosiacion Educativa”.

They were involved in a study in which were applied ludic activities, as an excellent option for

improving the listening skill. One of the purposes was to apply the stimulus-response theory. For

that reason students received an award when getting good results in the game.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
20

Timeline

Task Weeks
1. Meet up with I II III
pupils.
-Speak about the
ways they use for
learning. (data
collection)
2. Getting the
materials for
making the board
game.
3. Making the
board game.
Video where the
final product is
shown.
4. Video playing
with pupils.
 LEARN NEW ENGLISH WORDS BY PLAYING
21

References

University, S. (2013, March 01). Using games as an educational tool provides opportunities for

11111deeper learning, panelists at Stanford event say. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

11111https://news.stanford.edu/2013/03/01/games-education-tool-030113/

Five Reasons to Use Games in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from

11111http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reasons-to-play-games-in-the-classroom.shtml