Extensive and Intensive Listening 1 Extensive Listening
27 The explanation of the listening activities in the classroom can be described as
follows.
1 A Warming-up Activity
Before going to the main task of listening, the teacher can guide the students to do a warming-up activity. The activity itself can be a kind of pre-
listening activity. The pre-listening activity is usually done after they know the main topic of the recording, but before they begin the main listening task. There
are some ways to do pre-listening activity suggested by Nunan 2003, p.37. The first is micro-listening which deals with the target items that occur mostly on the
recording. While listening to the recording, the students should pay attention to the target items. Whenever they caught the items, they should raise their hands.
The second is bits and pieces in which in this type the students have known the topic. Then they do the brainstorming of vocabulary which likely occurs on the
recording. The students make a list and circle the one they listen from the recording. The third is “What do I want to know?” In this type the students have
known the topic and are asked to imagine the situations. Then they write some questions about the information they think will be gotten in pairs or small groups.
2 A Main Listening Task
After doing a warming-up activity, the listening activity can be continued by the main listening task. Nunan 2003 gives some ways of delivering main
listening task p. 39. The first is “What is the order?” In this task, the students are asked to work on ordering some items in the correct order. Then listen to the
recording to check the correct one. The second is “Which picture?” In this task the
28 students are provided by some pictures and they are asked to identify the one that
goes with what they are hearing.
3 A Speaking Task Related to the Previous Task
Nunan 2003 states that although listening and speaking are different skills, they can be put in one section in which both skills can work to complete
each other p.41. In this case, listening can be useful to stimulate a speaking activity. On the contrary, after listening to something, the students can use their
speaking skill to respond to what they have listened to. Thus, in the classroom activity, speaking skill is also useful to encourage the students in gaining their
listening skill. The students’ speaking task can be done in pairs or groups in which they respond to each others’ comprehension and answer on the materials listened
to and tasks they have done.