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:
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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.
Toefl
test consists of three parts, as follows:
Toefl
Listening Comprehension Test, consisting of 50 questions
Toefl
Structure and Written Test, consisting of 40 questions
Toefl
Reading Comprehension Test, consisting of 50 questions
Here
I will give you tips on how to game the Toefl listening test. Listening
Comprehension Test consists of 50 questions, divided into three sections namely
section A = 30 questions, section B = 8 questions and section C = 12 matter.
Listening section A form of dialogue or conversation between two people (the
first ask and answer the second person. Narrator will make inquiries based on
conversations between the first and second., And all questions Narrator only
intended to answer the second. Means you should focus more on people's answers
second.
First
question: do you have to listen to all the conversations of the first and the
second? The answer may be - may be, but more importantly that you should be
able to catch the second person answers.
The
second question: Do you have to listen to all who answered the second sentence?
The answer may be - is okay. But more importantly you should be able to catch
one of the key words in the answer to the second.
The
third question: what is the keyword? Keywords that are meant here is a verb
(verbs) and adjectives (adjective). Why adjectives and verbs used as keywords?
Because you are looking for is OTHERWISE / synonyms (words that have the same
meaning) with the key words in the answer to -2.
Examples
of the conversation:
Merry:
Hi Bob, do you bring my English book? I need to finish my homework tonight.
Bob:
Oh, sorry. I forget to bring it.
Narrator:
What does the man (Bob) mean?
A.
The man Forgets to bring the book.
B.
The man does not know about the book.
C.
The man brings Merry's book.
D.
The man does not remember to bring the book.
The
correct answer is D (The man does not remember to bring the book). Key words in
the answer to -2 is forget. Then you have to find another answer which means
the same as the word forget that does not remember. Forget is a verb (verb).
Usually synonymous form adjectives (adjective) and verb (verb).
How
/ strategy applies to Listening Comprehension Part A, number 1 s / d 30.
Easy
- I hope you understand my explanation of this brief. Hopefully useful. Good
luck.
Tips
to improve reading skills (Reading)
Reading
in a foreign language is an analytical skill. You can master the skills of
reading if you use your logic and look at the sentence. Train yourself to
notice and remember details of writing such as accent and gender disparities
(in English, for example, his or her).
Ø Look for reading text that contains
a list of vocabulary and questions, for example from the book TOEFL test. First
of all, read the list of vocabulary used, and then read the questions about the
reading. Only then read the whole text two or three times to guess the meaning
based on context. Avoid translation per word, because only a waste of time.
Ø Isolate new vocabulary and learn
separately. Do not be written in a single line, but use a memory card. Write
one foreign word on the card and the translation on the opposite page. Take it
wherever you go and read it several times a day as you like. Learn continues
until memorized by rote (ie you do not need to flip the card to know what it
means, or you know the English language a particular word in the Indonesian
language without you flip the card that reads words in Indonesian).
Ø Isolate new grammatical forms and
study them separately. Write the pattern on the memory card and memorize. Make
an example sentence. If you see a pattern when reading the sentence, stop and
look at the pattern for mengenalinya.Tips to improve speaking skills (Speaking).
Speaking
is a skill performance. You can do well if you are trying to talk a lot.
Students in foreign language classes sometimes have difficulty listening and
speaking because they are afraid of making mistakes. It's okay to do wrong.
Take your time in talking.
Ø Speak out loud. Imitate the sound of
the language. Do not mumble. Although most people feel ashamed for making
strange noises, you will be more familiar with the language.
Ø If invited to speak in class, say
something even if it's wrong. You will be able to learn from those mistakes. If
you need time to think, ask them to repeat the question. If you do not know the
answer, say in a foreign language, "I do not know" or
"Help!"
Ø Practice with foreign students or
other students who can help you to learn English.
Pronunciation Practice
Ø Prepare a book or article in English
(up to you, but it's better if the book / article you like, such as fiction,
children or even books). Prepare a small dictionary with english pronunciation
guide at your side.
Ø Go to bed awake so your privacy
Ø Read aloud a page of the book or
article, as if you are a TV broadcaster or storyteller.
Ø If you encounter a word that
confused pronunciation, check the dictionary
Ø If possible, do not read word for
word, but see the sentence as a whole. If possible, read one sentence Repeat
until comfortable pronunciation
Tips on improving listening skills
(Listening)
Listening
is a skill performance. You can do well if you are trying to talk a lot.
Students in foreign language classes sometimes have difficulty listening and
speaking because they are afraid of making mistakes. It's okay to do wrong.
Take your time in talking.
Ø Persering use the language lab,
reading exercises in the book, then listen and read at the same time. Then
listen without looking at the book. Say keras-keras/tuliskan you hear.
Ø Listen to your friends while you
talk, focus on what he says, and do not worry how you'll speak.
Ø If you feel tense, relaxed for a
moment to take a deep breath. If you are asked to speak, stop, quiet for a
moment, and give you a minute to respond.
Ø Listen to your friends when you
dictate and write what you hear. Check the truth.
Ø For this exercise, join a language
club, see foreign TV, listen to foreign radio.
Tips
vocabulary (Vocabulary)
Often
encounter problems when you try to memorize so many vocabulary words in
English? No more! Try doing the following strategies and practical tips that
can help build your vocabulary!
Ø Connect: It is easier to memorize
vocabulary based on the same theme. Make your own connections between
vocabulary and if possible arrange them into a spider diagram.
Ø Write: The use of a practical
vocabulary can help you get attached to these words in your head. Write the
sentences using new vocabulary or create a story using a particular group of
words or expressions.
Ø Picture: Show me your artistic
talents by creating images that relate to the words you are studying. Your
image can help trigger your memory in the future.
Ø Perform the action: Draw the words
and expressions / expressions you are studying through your body movements. Or,
imagine and do the words in a situation where you need to use it.
Ø Create: Create a design / design
mini cards and study them at your leisure. Make new cards every week, but keep
their overall learning and periodic.
Ø Association: Give different colors
to different words. Associations such as these will help you remember your
vocabulary later.
Ø Listen: Think of other words that
sound similar to the words you are studying, especially complex words.
Associate these words with new words to assist you in pronunciation.
Ø Select: Remember that it's easier to
learn when the topic is something that interests you. So, be careful to choose
words that you think is useful or interesting. Be aware that the choice of
words was also a way to help you memorize and remember!
Ø Limit: Do not try to memorize the
dictionary in a day! Limit yourself to as many as 15 words per day, and you
will gain confidence and no longer feel overwhelmed.
Ø Note: Pay careful attention to the
words you learn when reading or listening to something in English.
Ø Take past TOEFL listening tests and
become familiar with the format. Quickly read the comprehension questions
before the recording begins - this helps you to listen out for key points –
often there is a lot of content that you will not be tested on – keep your
focus and energy for the points that count!
Ø Practice note taking whenever you
are listening to something in English – only write down key words or phrases,
use abbreviations for long words and always write in English. Record only the
major points – you won’t have time to write down the minor, unimportant details
in the exam.
Ø Improve your vocabulary – the more
words you know, the easier it will be for you to understand the listening
section. Learn new vocab and save words you have trouble with by becoming an
English, baby! Super member.
Ø Listen for signal words that
indicate major steps, changes or ideas such as seldom, at the moment, in 1975,
so far, usually, often, up to now, at the moment. Make sure to also listen out
for repetition, synonyms and pronouns.
Ø Download listening practice lessons,
such as lessons on Daily English Audio and stop it at different times. Try and
guess what will happen next! This is a great way to practice your ability to
connect and combine ideas. Then go back and listen to the lesson in full and
see how well you did.
Ø Determine the purpose of a
conversation or speech– what do you think the speakers are trying to do? Are
they angry? Trying to resolve a conflict? Sad? Express an idea? Practice this
technique every time you hear English including English movies or TV shows,
daily English lessons on English, baby!, even people you hear speaking English
on the street! This will help you focus on the key points and improve your
ability to filter out information that is not necessary for the TOEFL listening
exam questions.
Ø Recognize key points – who or what
is the conversation about? What is the main point of the lecture? Why are they
talking about this? Remember, the TOEFL listening exam is testing your
comprehension, not your ability to memorize and repeat what you have just
heard!
Ø Find connections between ideas – how
do these points connect to the key ideas of the passage? If they do NOT connect
to the key ideas, they are probably not the major ideas of the passage and you
should not focus on them.
Ø Pay attention when someone in the
exercise asks a question – often it is a clue that information is about to be
given. However, this is not always true so be careful for responses that sound
a lot like the answer to a question. Listen very carefully as these responses
are often there to test your ability to understand the context of what you
heard.
Ø Categorize the type of exercise you
are listening to when taking practice TOEFL listening tests. Ask yourself is
it a lecture (mostly one-sided and on academic topics) or a conversation
(language is more informal, two or more people)? This will help you understand
the flow of the conversation more clearly.
Problem
in listening :
1.
Listening
device is not working properly ( Example : audio device)
2.
Nerves
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