You have been working on Shadowing, which is the stage one practise technique for intensive listening. You are getting tired of it. When can you leave it totally behind?
Well, you can always stop your practise. And if you do, you will stay at that level. before you stop, you should consider the following questions:
the simplest way to know that you are done Shadowing is this: you have memorized the story. Then it is time to move on to the next story. But this means Shadowing the next story. So keep on doing stage one practise for new target English.
What skills are you building with stage one practise (Shadowing)?
The first skill you are building with Shadowing is the ability to hear the sounds and say them yourself. By doing this, you are becoming more sensitive to the sounds. You can recognize them when you listen to English other than the stories you are practicing.
You are also memorizing the stories, so you can remember the target English. If it is vocabulary, you are memorizing the words that come before and after the target English. That helps you use it later in your own speaking, too.
But you are also memorizing other patterns of English that are in the stories. This helps you recognize the English when you hear it. Even if you don’t understand it, if you recognize it easily, you have more brain power to think about the meaning. So memorize lots of English.
Have you finished that skill for the target English you studied?
You know that you have gained the skill for the target English when you have memorized the story, and can hear the target English in other stories. You have mastered it when you can use the target English in your own conversation appropriately. You will need a teacher or native speaker to give you feedback on the speaking portion.
But you can test yourself on the listening portion, especially if you have listening stories to test yourself with.
Should you use stage one practise techniques for each new language item you study?
If you have learned or are learning new language, then use the stage one practise with it – do the Shadowing. This will help you recognize it, respond to it, and use it yourself. As you do more and more Shadowing, you will find that the stage one practise goes quicker. You will become more efficient. You will start learning faster. This leads to the next question.
Can you limit the stage one practise to shorter lengths (of time)?
Yes, of course. If you are learning faster, memorizing the target language, then spend less time with this stage. You only need to use this stage until you have learned to hear the target language easily, and you have memorized it by ear. If you can say it in your own conversation well, it is time to move on.
Will you ever be finished stage one practise?
If you are learning new language (new grammar, or vocabulary), then the answer is no. You should do this stage everytime you learn a new part of the language. This will help you master it and also keep your skills sharp for listening in general.
You can also use stage one practise for review, even if you are not learning new language. This keeps you sharp and in tune. You always need to oil a machine to keep it running properly. The same is true with language. Keep it in practise so you do not let your skills fall.
Summary
Keep doing Shadowing until you have memorized the recording. Even better, stop only after you can use it yourself in conversation. You are building ability to hear sounds and how they are combining with each other in speech. You are also memorizing language patterns. Use Shadowing everytime you learn something new in the language. Do Shadowing for shorter lengths of time if you can learn the material faster. You should always do Shadowing, even if it is just to keep reviewing, and even if you only do a little. Always do some Shadowing.
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