Learning English – What Does ‘Listen and Read’ Mean?
That’s easy, you might say. It means Listen. And then Read. So what?
It’s Part of a Bigger System.
Well, there is more to ‘Listen and Read’ than that. First, you have to know that it is part of a bigger system. Second, another part of the system is called shadowing.
Because it is a system, they work better together. You can listen to English, and then read it.
And your English will get better.
But if you use the system, your English will get better faster.
This system can help you understand English better when you listen to it. It can help with fluency too. Both through training the ear, and training the mouth.
How Do You Do It?
The Listen and Read portion of the system starts with step one.
Step One
Turn on the recording and listen to it. Listen more than once, to let it sink in. I also recommend you shadow it while you listen.
The bigger system advises you to listen at least three or four times. If you listen just once or twice you might not focus on the actually sounds and word linkages. You may think,”I know what I am hearing,” but actually you are hearing something different.
My students often hear me say something different. I check. I say a sentence. I ask them to repeat what I said, and they repeat something different. I repeat, giving them several chances. They keep repeating the same error.
We often keep repeating the same error when we don’t know we are making an error. And the more we repeat it, the more correct we think we are.
That is why we move to step two.
Step Two
Listen to the recording and read aloud at the same time. If the recording is too fast, you may have to jump a bit. This is still good practice.
As you do this, you may be surprised, as you see things that you did not expect. That is good. If you are a bit surprised, you may remember it better.
Write down anything that was different from what you thought.
If you fee frustrated, then just read silently while you listen. Later, as your skill increases, you can read out loud faster and faster.
If you want to try a more advanced level of practice, try shadowing once or twice before reading the script as you listen. The more shadowing you do, the better. But it is still good to read about one time in every five times you listen.
Step Three
Repeat the cycle. You may repeat the cycle twice in one study session. After that, take a break. Keep studying the same story daily for a week, or until you have actually memorized it.
These steps are building skills. You will not see much improvement in a short time. You have to keep at it, over a period of 3 months. Be sure to practice frequently. And keep your practice sessions short so you do not lose motivation.
