Suggested techniques to develop listening ability of the English Department students of Widya Mandala University

As the first language skill to appear, listening seems to be the foundation which is automatically learnt by a learner even a baby. A baby spends many months listening to the sounds around it before it is able to produce a word. Then it will speak when it is ready. During that period, the baby is trained unconciously to listen to the sounds spoken by people around it. The more sounds it hears the more words it will produce. In this sense, the readiness of speaking is also determined by how much time a baby spends its time for listening. In foreign language learning, listening seems to be the most neglected skill. In fact, listening is an activity that requires someone's attention in order to get meaning of something he/she hears. To listen to a speaker demands our comprehension so that we are able to give response. That's why listening is always an active process. Listening relates to other language skills. Realizing that listening is the basic skill of the others-reading, speaking, writing, the writer suggests five techniques which enable learners to become more encouraged in learning to listen . The first technique, Silent Listening is for teaching Listening I class. It consists of Listening, Reading, and Writing tasks. The second technique Integrated Listening is for teaching Listening III class . It consists of several purposes of listening such as listening to confirm expectations, listening for communicative task, listening for general understanding, and listening for details. The third technique Affective Listening is for Listening II class. This technique uses songs or music as the main media. The fourth technique Listening and Making Short Responses is for Listening I class . The exercise of this technique is obeying Instructions with its three activities: Physical Movement, building Models, and Picture Dictation. The fifth technique Listening and Making Longer Responses with its paraphrase as the exercise is for Listening II class. Finally, it is the teacher who should provide listening exercises that will give maximally effective and relevant practice in listening classes. Since this study is a library research, the writer obtained the information needed from books and articles to support her study. Hopefully, this thesis would be useful for teachers and learners at the English Department especially for teachers specialized in listening