AUDIO PODCASTS: A WAY TO REINFORCE LISTENING SKILLS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT EDUCATION

In this article the importance of listening skills in effective communication for language students is discussed and the benefits of using audiovisual materials in the teaching of English-as-a-second and foreign-language (ESL/EFL) are considered. To show the effective use of audio podcasts in teaching English for specific purposes a representative sample of undergraduate students of the Degree in Landscape Architecture Education were selected for the study. Data was gathered by means of questionnaires and interviews. In the first stage of the study a questionnaire was distributed in order to clarify the students' level of English as well as the ways they have used to learn English. The research revealed that oral communication skills (listening, speaking and pronunciation) were usually underestimated; indicates that students were not getting sufficient training in improving listening skills. In order to explore a more effective procedure for improving listening comprehension skills, the present study proposed some strategies for teaching listening. The second stage of the study suggests one specific listening activity to improve listening skills - the shadowing procedure as a method of teaching listening with Audio Podcasts. Included are activities that the classroom teacher could utilize to increase the student's ability to listen.