How about a little noise? Hearing, listening and mindfulness in the EFL listening classroom

Folkerts, Jens-Folkert

Abstract

In school, ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’ are central activities students perform in mean- ing-oriented (e.g., listening to teachers’ instructions, to their classmates, to head- master’s announcements, etc.) as well as passive (e.g., hearing noise like rustling paper, the clicks of a biro/ballpoint pen during a class test, etc.) ways. Being con- stantly surrounded by noises inside and outside the classroom can stress the stu- dents and affect their ability to learn and work well, which is a central condition to provide a learning environment that is conscious of the students’ mental health. In the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, students perform cognitively challenging tasks when they listen to texts. The focus on the students’ comprehen- sion performance often comprises using tasks and settings that could induce foreign language listening anxiety and by that increase this form of mental distress. To support the students in a) coping with noise-related stress, b) learn how to listen to a foreign language, and c) to reduce foreign language listening anxiety, this contri- bution aims at developing a mindful approach to teaching EFL listening.