basic+listening+comprehension+techniques

Train your students to listen to the "gist" of the message. Teach them to develop strategies to listen for and get the general gist of what is being said without understanding the entire message. At times they may have to settle for a vague idea such as "they are talking about //food//, //school//, or //some problem with the car".// Help them understand that this is the beginning of listening comprehension. They should listen for as much as they can understand and, above all, not give up prematurely.
 * LISTENING STRATEGIES **

Using context
Being aware of //where// and //why// one is talking will help someone understand. In many situations there are "standard" phrases and one can almost predict what someone will say or what questions they will ask. Don't all store clerks ask: "May I help you?" Role play with your students in a variety of common situations and they will soon learn to anticipate what is being said to them, even though many of the words are new.

Watching for non-verbal cues
Teach your students that there are many things a speaker does besides speaking that will help the hearer catch the message. There are facial expressions, gestures, body movements, intonation, and voice inflections. Some of these are the same in Arabic and English. Teach them the ones that are not. Try the following activities for exploring and recognizing "non-verbal" cues.

ACTIVITY : Play a charades game with gestures ACTIVITY : Do a quick exercise with non-verbal cues

ACTIVITY : Select your favorite Mr Bean episode. Watch a short clip without the sound. Have the students write a dialogue for the characters in the clip. Students could work in pairs to put the dialogue together, rehearse and perform for the class if they wish.

Mr. Bean is a character from a British television series. Many episodes can be found online. //The format is// similar to early silent films with Mr Bean speaking very little dialogue and relying purely upon physical comedy, facial expressions, gestures, etc.

ACTIVITY : Give students a short script. (Use the samples below or create your own.) Students work in pairs and become familiar with the dialogue then act it out using ONLY body language, gestures and posture.

DIALOG ONE A: I'm hungry. Is there a restaurant nearby? B: I think there is one next to the A: Can we walk or do we need a car? B: We can walk there in about 10 minutes. A: What kind of food do they serve? B: Chinese food. Is that okay? A: Great! Let's go.

DIALOG TWO A Excuse me. Could you take a picture of me? B Yes, of course. A Here just press the button. B Um, which one ? A The round one, on the top. B OK, right. Can you move back a bit. A Is that good? B Good. 1,2, 3 Smile! Very nice. See? A It's great. Thanks.