The listening skill is of paramount importance in receiving and decoding a message. It is even more particularly essential to EFL/ESL learners as there are so many varieties of English/Englishes. Yet in many cases, it is neglected or ignored in classroom practices for different “reasons” . This is prcisely why it has been decribed by David Nunan as the “Cinderella Skill”. Luckily, learning technology can compensate this lack of classroom listening activities thanks to so many apps available for both android and iOS devices. These are three of the best listening apps I tested on my android smartphone.
Learners can practise listening thanks to thousands of conversations with audios and transcripts. They can aquire English vocabulary including high frequency words, english idioms and phrasal verbs . The app also comes with a lot of vocabulary games and listening tests which can help to enhance the listening skill and vocabulary acquisition.
LearnEnglish Podcasts by the British Council helps to improve listening and reading on the go. New downloadable podcasts are added every week . The interactive audio scripts allow the the learners to slow down the audio speed or to replay of hard-to-hear phrases or vocabualry. It is also possible to listen to the audio while the screen is off.
“VOA Learning English: Listening & Speaking” is a free application with English language lessons from Voice of America. The main app’s features include: Lessons with audio & transcripts, a download manager, background audio, speed control and much more.
