Second Thoughts on Teaching Listening

Two views of listening are examined. The first, listening as comprehension, emphasizes accessing meaning through listening, and focusses on the message rather than on form. The second, listening as acquisition, emphasizes the role of listening in promoting language acquisition, and emphasizes the role of noticing in facilitating language development. These two views of listening lead in different directions for classroom pedagogy and pose some dilemmas for classroom instruction and materials development.