The social dimension of listening: From theory to HE practice

Abstract

The skill of Listening in Foreign/Second Language (L2) teaching and learning has been traditionally considered a "passive-receptive" skill. This paper illustrates how in the Spanish degree programme at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine we have applied the latest findings in listening research to move away from that assumption. Based on listening metacognitive strategies (Vandergrift and Goh, 2012); Sociocultural Theory in L2 learning (Lantolf and Thorne, 2007); and the Interaction Approach (Gass and Selinker, 2008) we have managed to innovate the ways in which we approach the teaching and learning of listening. This paper traces the theoretical shift from listening as a learner-internal phenomenon to a more social-oriented dimension. This social shift has deeply affected the kinds of listening teaching and learning practices in and outside the classroom in our programme. Examples of innovative listening classroom practice and research and comparison with listening practices in other HE institutions will serve to illustrate best practice in pedagogical research in the UWI Spanish degree programme.