Skills and strategies: towards a new methodology for listening

This article calls for a rethinking of the purposes of the listening lesson, and examines ways in which we can teach the skill rather than simply practise it. The approaches proposed are based on micro-listening exercises which practise individual subskills of listening. The implications of using authentic materials are then examined, and a case is made for teaching recognition of the features of spontaneous speech. Finally, a strategic view of listening is presented, and it is argued that classroom activities need to take account of the true nature of real-life L2 listening, where understanding is partial, and inferencing is crucial.