TOEFL Strategies for Listening Section
3/10/2015 06:35:00 AM
TOEFL listening section, tests the
ability of a student, especially a non-native English speaker, to understand
spoken English (accentuated) in educational setting. Listening is an important
skill to understand the concepts and ideas. Only when the concepts are
understood completely it becomes a lighter task to score in the listening
section of TOEFL test. In order to develop the listening skills for TOEFL,
there are certain set of listening strategies or steps. They are explained in
detail given below.
Requirements for TOEFL Listening
Strategy
Listening strategies for TOEFL aims
at providing each and every minute detail that are required to respond to all
the questions within the given time in this section. Responding to the
questions in time is very important because, it will help TOEFL candidates to
save time, which they might spend on, one specific part of the test section.
There are certain steps in
strategies that would help in managing time in each part of listening test
section (recordings). There are some basic requirements for listening skills
which serves the steps in TOEFL listening strategies as detailed below:
§
Basic Comprehension
When
students listen to a recorded lecture or a conversation, they should understand
the central or main idea in it. Then they should skim the recording for key
points, important facts, purpose and the relevant details that connects the key
points.
§
Practical Understanding
It may also be called as “pragmatic
understanding” where the meaning of a word should be taken, according to the
context. Students are needed to find the intended meaning of the speaker i.e.
from his point of view. A wide range of vocabulary is necessary for this
process because, the recordings in listening test are usually from academic
background. Practical understanding also becomes a must to find the purpose of
a lecture or a conversation.
§
Relate Ideas given in multiple information sources
Relating ideas is the final state
where the key points and the important facts are compared to find the
relationship between them. This method would initially lead to construct an
argument. Then a string of supportive and non supportive elements are
categorized and as a result the causes for the events are traced. This is where
a student would end up identifying the conclusion which is expressed
indirectly.
§
Inference
Inference is to find the implied
conclusion in recordings from the author’s point of view. The conclusion might
be implied or expressed indirectly anywhere in the passage.
These are the basic requirements necessary,
in each part of the strategy of listening section, which consists of two
recorded lectures and one long conversation. These fundamentals are to be
followed, in the following few preparatory steps.
Strategies in Preparation
§
Spoken English From Various Sources And Accents
There are variations between the
accents of English. It is the best to listen to English from various sources
like television, music, radio etc. And also it is good to listen to the native
speakers of English with different pronunciation and dialect. By doing this
students would be able to improve their listening skills and also they will get
used to different kinds of accents. It will be helpful very much if they listen
to academic passages or conversations.
§
Making Notes
While you're
listening, you'll also be taking notes. You'll be able to use these notes as
you answer the questions. Here's how to take notes effectively:
- Don't write down every word. Your
pencil is not as fast as the speakers. You'll just end up falling behind and
writing down one part of the passage while you're listening to another, which
can be confusing. Instead?
- Write down key names, places,
events, and main points. Write only as much as you need to jog your memory
later. For example, if a person in the dialog spends three or four sentences
talking about how furious she is that she got a C on her paper, you could just
write down 'student - angry - C.'
- For multiple people, try a column
chart. If you have a lecture passage with multiple speakers, it helps to make a
chart that looks something like this.
Then, you
can write down what each person says or other important details about them in
an appropriate column. Just from reading this chart, you can almost reconstruct
the whole conversation in just a few words and symbols of notes.
Write your
notes however you like. It's perfectly fine to use smiley faces, abbreviations,
diagrams, text speak, pictures, or slang in your notes; you won't be graded on
the notes and nobody else will ever see them. They're only there to help you,
so write down the information in a way that makes sense to you.
§
Main Idea
The main idea of a passage should be
identified in a recording, as a first task while taking notes. Main idea of a
lecture is usually given in the introductory part. The other details would be
given in the rest of a lecture. Once the main idea is found it becomes a
lighter task to find the purpose of the speaker.
§
Pointer Words, Important Facts And Relationship Between The Facts
The pointer words may be defined as
signal words or clues, given by the speaker. These keywords should be collected
along with important facts and events. This should be done in order to compare
them and identify the relationship between them. In turn this would give you
the cause of the events.
§
Summary of Observation
Give a summary of the recording
which was listened, using the notes that are taken down. During this process,
only important facts, relevant details, main idea and the key facts are
covered. This is a good time saving technique, to prevent going through the
notes again and again.
§
Building your Vocabulary
Above all it is also important to
build a student’s vocabulary, to find the meaning of a word, according to the
context of the speaker. Students should get familiar with the words which they
consider as new ones and practice them in their everyday life.
The steps and the requirements in
TOEFL strategies for listening section, which are elaborated above should be
followed and practiced to manage time while taking up the test. The most
important part in listening section is to concentrate on the subject of the
speaker, and a student does not have to be distracted by the accent.
Question types:
Understanding Gist
- What is
the main topic of the lecture
- What
are the speakers mainly discussing
- What is
the lecture mainly about...
- Why
does the professor ask...
- Why is
the student talking to...
- Why
does the professor discuss...
Understanding the Gist questions test your ability to understand the main
idea and purpose of what you have heard. These questions are not about specific
details. Some Gist questions focus on the purpose while others focus on the
content.
Detail
- According
to the professor, what is the problem with...
- What
does the student say about...
- What
caused...
You will likely need your notes to help you answer the detail questions.
Remember to take down important facts as you listen. Examples and support for
the main idea are often the subject of detail questions. You will not be asked
questions about minor details. Make sure not to pick an answer choice just
because you heard a word from the lecture. It is common to find these words in
the incorrect choices.
Understanding Attitude
- What is
the student's impression of...
- How
does the professor feel about...
- What
does the professor mean when she says...(listen again)
Listen to the sound of the speakers' voices for hints about their attitudes
and opinions about the topic.
Understanding Function
- What
does the student imply when she says this...(listen again)
- What is
the purpose of the professor's response...(listen again)
Part of the listening passage will often be replayed in these questions.
Make sure that you are listening for function of what is being said.
Organization
- How is
the lecture organized?
- Why
does the speaker mention/discuss...
These questions are most commonly paired with lectures. As you listen, take
note of how each lecture is organized (chronologically/compare and contrast) in
case you get one of these questions.
Making Connections
- What
does the speaker imply about...
- What
does the professor imply when he says...(listen again)
- Organize...in
a chart...
- Place
the following sequence of events in order
These questions require you to draw conclusions, understand relationships,
and make inferences. You may have to fill out a chart or match terms with
definitions.
Try
the following Listening examples. Remember that in the real test you will hearthese parts.
You will not see them, but you will be allowed to take down any notes while you
listen. You will hear each section once only.
Example 1: Casual conversation
Now get ready to answer the questions.
1. What are the speakers mainly discussing?
A) Their plans for next semester
B) Why the woman can't go to the concert
C) Their favorite band
D) Finding a tutor
B) Why the woman can't go to the concert
C) Their favorite band
D) Finding a tutor
Explanation:
- Choice A is
incorrect because they are discussing the woman's plans, not the man's.
- Choice C is
incorrect because the man suggests it is supposed to be "the best
show," but does not say it is his favorite band.
- Choice D repeats
the word tutor, which is related to tutorial leader, but neither of the
speakers are looking for one. Again, it is not the main idea.
The correct answer is B. This is an understanding
the gist question.
2. What will the woman do on Saturday?
A) Teach a class.
B) Mark tests.
C) Visit her cousin.
D) Go to a concert.
B) Mark tests.
C) Visit her cousin.
D) Go to a concert.
Explanation:
- Choice A is
what the woman does, but not on the weekend.
- Choice C repeats
the word "cousin" but is not the correct answer.
- Choice D is
what she wants to do but can't.
The correct answer is B. This is a detail question.
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