Teaching listening skills is one of the most difficult tasks for any ESL teacher. This is because successful listening skills are acquired over time and with lots of practice. It’s frustrating for students because there are no rules as in grammar teaching. Speaking and writing also have very specific exercises that can lead to improved skills. This is not to say that there are not ways of improving listening skills, however they are difficult to quantify.

每个外语老师都会觉得听力是最难教的课程之一。这是因为，好听力不是一日练就的，它需要大量的实践练习。不像语法教学有规律可循，说与写作也有相应的练习供学生提高，而听力却不然，这令学生们感到很头疼。并不是说就没有好的途径去提高听力，只是难以对其进行量化而已。

One of the largest inhibitors for students is often mental block. While listening, a student suddenly decides that he or she doesn’t understand what is being said. At this point, many students just tune out or get caught up in an internal dialogue trying translate a specific word. Some students convince themselves that they are not able to understand spoken English well and create problems for themselves.

对学生们来说，练习听力时遇到的最大的障碍之一就是他们经常精神溜号。听着听着，有的学生突然发觉自己听不懂了。出现这种情况，许多学生是因为走神了，或者正在脑子想着某个词的意思。有些学生太不自信，认为自己没有听力天赋，听不懂英语口语。这也给他们自己造成了很多麻烦。

They key to helping students improve their listening skills is to convince them that not understanding is OK. This is more of an attitude adjustment than anything else, and it is easier for some students to accept than others. Another important point that I try to teach my students (with differing amounts of success) is that they need to listen to English as often as possible, but for short periods of time.

帮助学生们提高听力的关键是要让他们相信，听不懂是没什么的。态度上的转变比什么都重要。何况，一些学生的态度也比较容易转变。我在教我的学生(资质各不相同)时发现，还有一点很重要，那就是要让学生尽量多听英语，但每次听不要时间过长。

I like to use this analogy: Imagine you want to get in shape. You decide to begin jogging. The very first day you go out and jog seven miles. If you are lucky, you might even be able to jog the seven miles. However, chances are good that you will not soon go out jogging again. Fitness trainers have taught us that we must begin with little steps. Begin jogging short distances and walk some as well, over time you can build up the distance. Using this approach, you’ll be much more likely to continue jogging and get fit.

我喜欢这样类比：假如你想减肥。你打算去慢跑。第一天你出去跑了7英里。没准儿你还真能跑7英里。但是，你很可能近期就不再出去跑了。健美教练提醒我们，我们一开始要小步跑，跑的距离不宜过长，并走着回来。这样，你继续慢跑并变得健康的可能性就会更大。

Students need to apply the same approach to listening skills. Encourage them to get a film, or listen to an English radio station, but not to watch an entire film or listen for two hours. Students should often listen, but they should listen for short periods - five to ten minutes. This should happen four or five times a week. Even if they don’t understand anything, five to ten minutes is a minor investement. However, for this strategy to work, students must not expect improved understanding too quickly. The brain is capable of amazing things if given time, students must have the patience to wait for results. If a student continues this exercise over two to three months their listening comprehension skills will greatly improve.

对于练习听力，学生们也需采用同样的方法。要鼓励他们去看个电影或者收听英语广播。但是，不要让他们看一整部电影或者听广播听上2个小时。他们需要常听，但每次听的时间不宜过长，以5到10分钟为宜。每周听4、5次。就算他们什么都听不懂，5到10分钟的时间也不会影响到他们什么。但是，这种方法若想奏效，决不能让学生们急于求成。如果多给些时间，大脑是可以创造奇迹的。学生们一定要有耐心去等待。如果一个学生能坚持这种训练方法2到3个月，那他的听力肯定会有很大的提高