Hello,
I am a languages student and I have one real weakness: listening to tapes/ CDs in the listening exercises. I daydream, I look out of the window, I analyse the tone of voice or the vocabulary used in my head and then miss everything that's being said. Since I became aware of having this problem, I now focus so much on asking myself "are you listening, are you thinking about other things, have you emptied your mind..." that I'm trying so hard to listen that I forget to listen, and still miss things on the tests!!! In real life, when I can see the people I'm talking to, I don't have this problem. I do when I am listening to the radio, though. I thought I just needed to practise, so I have tried lots of mock tests, listening to things and transcribing them, having the radio on more, but it's been four years now, and the basic problem is still there.
Does any other languages student have the same problem? What have you done about it? Any advice?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
When you do your listening test - is it possible to wear headphones? So that you are 'shut in' with the words being spoken - just as if you were listening to a real person you know, waffling on, on the phone [I presume you do pay attention to your friends when they phone!]
Generally you get the paper with the questions, before you listen to the text - and I think you have two minutes at the start, to go over the questions before they switch on the CD? OK - look REALLY HARD at these questions - if you have time, underline what looks like a key word in each one, e.g. if the question is something like " what is Martine's part-time job on Saturdays" underline job, to remind yourself to listen really hard for petit boulot or kleine Arbeit or whatever.
If you can do that with each question, so that once the CD starts you are ready to pounce on those key words with snapping jaws - well, you get the drift - be a predator! Be a competitor. And they do play it twice....