TUGAS SOFTSKILL BAHASA INGGRIS 2

LISTENING COMPREHENSION STRATEGY

            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:

·         1. 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.

·         2. 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.

·         3. 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.

·         4. 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

·         1. 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.

·         2. Making Notes

While listening to a recording, notes should be jot down. These notes would help you to remember the important points given by speaker. The reason is also that, during the test you will be given only one chance to listen to a passage. Note making will help you to remember the details and the clues effectively.

·         3. 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.

·         4. 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.

·         5. 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.

·         6. 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.

General strategy for Listening Comprehension Section for part A, part B and part C.

1.      Be familiar with the directions. The directions on every TOEFL test are the same, so it is not necessary to listen carefully to them each time. You should be completely familiar with the directions before the day of the test.

2.      Listen carefully to the conversations and talks. You should concentrate fully on what the speakers are saying on the recording because you will hear the recording one time only.

3.      Know where the easier and more difficult questions are generally found. Within each part of the Listening Comprehension section, the questions generally progress from easy to difficult.

4.      Never leave any questions blank on your answer sheet. Even if you are unsure of the correct response, you should answer the question. There is no penalty for guessing.

5.      Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions that follow. When you finish with one question, you may have time to look ahead at the answers to the next question.

Part A : Short Conversations, a strategy that should be done is :

            This section consists of short conversations between two people (dialogue), both men and women. The conversation is usually the theme of daily life, from the workplace to the academic environment.

Here is an example of a conversation in Part A.

Example :

You will hear the conversation of two people as follows :

(man)       : What’s the matter? You don’t look too good.

(woman)  : I was frightened by a loud noise.

(narrator) : WHAT DOES THE WOMAN MEAN?

In the booklet you will get the following answer choices :

a)      She was not allowed to fight.

b)      Something scared her.

c)      She mad a loud noise that frightened some people.

d)     Some loud neighbors had a fight.

Answer (B) is the most appropriate. I was Frightened by a loud noise means something is scaring her.

Part B: Longer Conversation, a strategy that should be done is :

            This section examined the two long dialogue between two people, both men and women. Each dialogue is followed by four questions. So eight questions in Part B of this. Conversations in this section is usually the theme of the life of the campus and the school, such as how a professor delivering lectures, talks between the two students who were discussing the task, or the atmosphere when a student presented a paper.

Here's an example of a conversation on part B :


In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :

(narrator)  : Question 31 through 34. Listen to a conversation between two
                   students.

(man)       : Hey, Tiffany. How would you like to increase the extent of your

                   educational and historical background?

(woman)   : John, I don’t understand what you’re saying about.

(man)        : I just look my final in History 101 this afternoon, and I’m trying to

                   get rid of the books. They cost eighty dollars.

(woman)   : Why don’t you try to sell them back to the bookstore?

(man)       : I tried, but they’d only refund twenty dollars, and I paid so much
                   more for them. I’d like to get at least fourty dollars.

(woman)   : Well, I'm not going to take History 101, so I'm not really interested in those                            books. Maybe you should ask some other friend.

(man)        : I already have. Everyone I know has already taken History 101
                  and doesn't want those books.

(woman)  : Why don’t you put up some advertisements in history bulding?
                   Maybe someone you don't know will call you and buy them.

(man)       : I'll try, but I do not think that'll work.

(woman) : Then you'll have to go back to the bookstore. After all, twenty
                   dollars is better than nothing.

The questions :

In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :

(narrator)   : What is the topic of this conversation?

Answer options :

a)      The price of textbooks.

b)      History 101.\

c)      The university bookstore.

d)     Ways to sell used books.

In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :

(narrator)   : Why is the man interesting in selling his books?

Answer options :

a)      He desperately needs the money.

b)      Reading does not interest him.

c)      He's finished using them.

d)     He'd rather have cheaper books.

In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :  

(narrator)   : Why does the man not want to sell the books on the bookstore?

Answer options :

a)      The bookstore does not want to buy them.

b)      He would not get enough money.

c)      He does not like the bookstore's advertisement.

d)     It's too late to sell them to the bookstore.

In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :  

(narrator)   :What does the woman suggest that the man do?

Answer options :

a)      Post some advertisements.

b)      Take history 101.

c)      Give the books to the bookstore for nothing.

d)     Keep the books.

Part C: Talks

            This section consists of three lengthy monologue conversation. Discussion in this section is usually also take the background of academic life : like a lecture or presentation speech, and the topic of the news that is being warmed in the United States.

Here's an example of a conversation on part C :

In a tape recorder / audio device you hear :


On the recording, you hear:

(narrator)         Question 1 through 4. Listen to a lecture in a history class

(woman)          Salt, which today seems so plentiful to us, in the past used to be a valuable commodity. In the ancient past in China, salt was used to make coins, and in parts of Africa it was traded in place of money. In the Roman Empire, soldiers were not paid in money but were instead paid in salt. In fact, the English word “salary” which means the amount of money that one earns, comes from the latin root for “salt”.

The questions :

1. On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) What is the topic of the talk?

In your test book, you read:

a)      Valuable commodities

b)      Salt

c)      Ancient China

d)     Money

The first question asks about the subject. The talks began with the topic of salt and keep talking about it in all parts, so the best answer is the answer (B).

2. On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) What was salt used for in China?

In your test book, you read:

a)      To spice food

b)      To build houses

c)      To make coins

d)     To locate Africa

The second question asks about the use of salt in China. The speaker said that in China, salt is used for making coins, so the best answer is the answer (C)

3. On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) What does “salary” mean in English?

In your test book, you read:

a)      Coins

b)      Earnings

c)      Soldiers

d)     Commodities

The third question asks the meaning of " salary ". The speaker said the salary means the amount of money,so the best answer is the answer (B).

4. On the recording you hear:

(narrator) What is the meaning of the root “sal” in Latin?

In your test book, you read:

a)      Salt

b)      Rome

c)      Money

d)     Trade

The last question asks about the meaning of the root word of " sal ". The speaker said that the " sal " is derived from the Latin root for “salt”, so the best answer is the answer (A)

SUMBER:

http://www.studyabroad18.com/articles/toefl-strategies-for-listening-section.php

http://preparationtoefl.blogspot.com/2011/07/general-strategy-for-listening.html
Panca Prastowo,2012, Genjot Tinggi Skor TOEFL, FlashBooks, Jogjakarta