Different kinds of listening

Listening is important because it helps learners develop competence in the target language. Though listening is a receptive skill, it provides tremendous input for developing reading, writing, and speaking skills. It also provides learners with the opportunity to understand the phonological pattern of the target language. By improving listening, learners can be more competent in communication with native speakers of the language. There are various kinds of listening. 

The major types of listening are: 

Appreciative: This kind of listening is for entertainment. Some people listen to music, sports commentary, or speech. The speakers, in this case, use soothing and humorous words and rhythm to attract listeners: For example, listening to favorite music or religious lecture can be appreciative. 

Emphatic: People do emphatic listening in serious moments. For example, a doctor listens to her patients very carefully. Emphatic listening can also be done when we listen to somebody in danger or sorrow. When someone talks about her recently dead mother, we listen to her emphatically.

Comprehensive/active listening: People do comprehensive listening when they try to understand the message of a Jecture or talk. Classroom lecture is a kind of comprehensive listening. People not only try to understand the keywords and themes of the talk but also try to critically read the facial expressions and gestures of the speakers. Active listening Requires active engagement in the process. By predicting," guessing meaning in context, and taking notes of the keywords and ideas, people can do active listening. 

Critical/analytic listening: People do critical listening when they evaluate the authenticity and validity of the talk. People evaluate the themes, organization, and arguments of the speaker. This is a post-listening task that students do. Students can do group work or whole-class discussions to critically interpret a talk. , 

Though there are various kinds of listening, all of them require attentive and goal-oriented listening. In Bangladesh, most listening tasks in English classrooms appear to be active. Students require active listening skills of note-taking and guessing to jot down the main ideas of a talk or lecture. Critical listening is also important for advanced listeners as it helps students engage in critical conversation.