Tecnología

Learning English with serial killers

«Technology is fruitful to improve our language learning so, in order to make Englishpart of our lives, we should take advantage of it outside our classes.»

Sophia Herrera Figueroa

Licenciatura en Lenguas Modernas

Learning English in this bachelor has been one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. Every single class that I took provided me with new experiences, knowledge, and challenges. Indeed, whether it was in either reading, writing, listening, or speaking, I always had a topic to review or to work on harder, so I studied a lot to overcome these difficulties, especially before exams. Nonetheless, there is one skill that you cannot study the day before the exam, which makes it a little tougher to learn: listening. According to Hamouda (2013), language learners encounter many difficulties when trying to comprehend a speech in a foreign language, which makes it a troublesome task for them.

Since understanding a discourse in a foreign language is difficult, students need to practice frequently to get used to the speakers’ accent and pace. Nevertheless, how can they train their listening skills when they do not have contact with native speakers? There is a myriad of options like, for example, by watching movies, series, YouTube videos or news. These alternatives

“Considering the above, it is worth questioning what would be a useful and practical way to practice listening, and I found that podcasts would be”. “There is one skill that you cannot study the day before the exam, which makes it a little tougher to learn: listening”.

are good for practicing; however, they have one problem: they are not practical. You can watch neither series nor YouTube in Transmilenio because it is either dangerous (your cell phone can get stolen) or impossible (if you do not have enough mobile data). Additionally, you may not have enough time to look for a piece of news or a movie to watch every day, making it difficult to practice your listening.

Considering the above, it is worth questioning what would be a useful and practical way to practice listening, and I found that podcasts would be. Consequently, I looked for podcasts in my Spotify and I bumped into Serial Killers. Since I discovered this podcast, I listen to the stories of notorious serial killers, their upbringings, psychological problems, and modus operandi every day. Its production makes you feel inside a horror story due to the sound effects that come with the narration. However, if you do not like serial killers, you can always search a podcast that fits your interests. Fortunately, Spotify offers a variety of podcasts with different topics, such as politics, sports, or history. Podcasts help you acknowledge more vocabulary, which allows you to broaden your speech. They also encourage you to practice your pronunciation since you can repeat the words that you do not know and google their meanings. Moreover, podcasts can help you identify the stress in words, which is effective for avoiding miscommunication and having a more natural speech to not sound like a robot. This tool can be also useful for understanding grammar topics, such as verb tenses, reported speech, etc., since you can listen to their real use in handy authentic documents, which may facilitate the introduction of these topics in your daily use of language. Technology is fruitful to improve our language learning, so to make English part of our lives we should take advantage of it outside our classes. Now, discover your podcast and practice!

Referencia:

Hamouda, A. (2013). An Investigation of Listening Comprehension Problems Encountered by Saudi Students in the EL Listening Classroom. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2(2), 113-15.

Parcast Network (Producer). Serial Killers. Retrieved from https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ parcast/serial-killers