Teaching Listening Comprehension (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers)

Teaching Listening Comprehension begins by identifying and focusing on two of the most fundamental and pertinent questions that English foreign language teachers ought to be asking; What does listening to English in real life entail? and What problems do second language learners face when trying to listen in a foreign language? The introduction, which is roughly one fifth of the book, deals specifically with these two issues, with the remaining hundred or so pages being made up of classroom activity examples. Ur's knowledge, experience and common sense, and her refusal to lose focus of what we are doing and why, make each of her suggestions worthy of time and consideration, and her clear and non-academic style of writing makes for easy reading, too. Although Teaching Listening Comprehension is now somewhat dated (it was written in the mid-eighties), the pedagogical principles are still basically the same as they used to be. You may not want to try out all of Ur's suggestions (who would?), but if you are looking for a thorough and practical guide to the nuts and bolts of listening in a foreign language and how to be an effective listening teacher, and you are prepared to modify Ur's exercise examples to suit your own teaching environment, then there is much to be gained from reading and using her book.

The first part of this book is dedicated to the general principles of teaching listening comprehension to language learners. This part is really invaluable. Penny Ur is considered an authority in the teaching of listening after writing this,at least here in Europe, and it is surely a must have for anyone involved in Language teaching.

It was originally published in 1984, however, and at points it may seem dated especially its second part with suggestions of listening exercises.

Even so I especially enjoyed the clear and informal language which presents the necessary theoretical background without the academic stiffness.