Most English Learners Get This WRONG About Listening
In this video, we’ll explore the difference between intensive and extensive listening, and why most English learners are using the wrong approach.
You’ll learn how each type of listening helps develop different skills, from comprehension and vocabulary to speaking fluency — and what the research actually says about which method works best.
I’ll also show you a simple technique that combines the best of both, and how to use it with podcasts to improve faster.

? Mentioned in this video:
? English Learning for Curious Minds
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➡️ Listen to English Learning for Curious Minds (on YouTube):
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? You might also like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0zLtfXVOU&list=PLWYV8lHn0fV8U4DO92MJKGwNvaekxObK7&index=2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGXNiaLXg98&list=PLWYV8lHn0fV8U4DO92MJKGwNvaekxObK7&index=3
https://youtu.be/fG5aNNP0FJE?v=gGXNiaLXg98&list=PLWYV8lHn0fV8U4DO92MJKGwNvaekxObK7&index=3

Let me know in the comments — do you do more intensive or extensive listening? What’s helped you the most? ??

? What You’ll Learn — Timestamps:
00:00:00 - ? Why listening is harder than it seems
00:00:27 - ? Two types of listening: intensive vs. extensive
00:01:11 - ? What the research says about each method
00:02:58 - ? When to use extensive listening
00:04:28 - ?️‍♂️ When to use intensive listening
00:06:12 - ⚖️ Key differences (length, focus, processing type)
00:07:06 - ? Which helps more: fluency vs. test-taking
00:08:22 - ? Study: Listening + Reading = Best results
00:09:50 - ? Vocabulary acquisition: what works best
00:10:40 - ? How to combine both for faster progress
00:11:23 - ? Why podcasts are ideal for this strategy
00:13:12 - ? The “best of both” technique (only possible with podcasts!)
00:14:57 - ? AI tools to create intensive activities

? Key References
Chang, A. C.-S., & Millett, S. (2014).
The effect of extensive listening on developing L2 listening fluency: Some hard evidence.
ELT Journal, 68(1), 31–40.
https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/cct052
Karlin, O., & Karlin, M. (2023).
A comparison of extensive and intensive listening practice in a Japanese university EFL program.
System, 114, 102992.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.102992
Karlin, O. (2018).
An investigation of extensive versus intensive listening homework in a Japanese university EFL program.
The Language Teacher, 42(6), 3–9.
https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTTLT42.6-1
Nguyen, T. T. T. (2021).
The impact of extensive listening on EFL learners’ vocabulary acquisition and listening comprehension.
Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 31, 67–91.
https://doi.org/10.1075/ajelt.00047.ngu
Gönülal, T. (2020).
The effect of podcasts on EFL learners’ listening comprehension.
Language Learning & Technology, 24(3), 117–130.
https://www.lltjournal.org/item/30924
Brown, R., Waring, R., & Donkaewbua, S. (2008).
Incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading, reading-while-listening, and listening to stories.
Reading in a Foreign Language, 20(2), 136–163.
https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October2008/brown/brown.pdf
Waring, R. (2010).
Extensive listening: What it is, why it’s good for our students, and how to get started.
Lecture and slides retrieved from robwaring.org:
https://www.robwaring.org/presentations/extensive_listening.pdf
Alm, A. (2013).
Extensive listening 2.0 with foreign language podcasts.
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 7(3), 266–280.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2013.836205
Faramarzi, S., Elekaei, A., & Koosha, M. (2019).
The impact of podcasting on EFL learners’ listening comprehension.
International Journal of Instruction, 12(1), 1–16.
https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.1211a
Siegel, J. (2014).
Exploring L2 listening instruction: Examinations of practice and possibilities.
ELT Journal, 68(1), 22–30.
https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/cct058
Elley, W. B. (1989).
Vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories.
Reading Research Quarterly, 24(2), 174–187.
https://doi.org/10.2307/747863

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Leonardo English
Are you looking for a more interesting way to learn English? English Learning for Curious Minds is where you can learn English from native speakers while learning fascinating things about the world. Every episode comes with an interactive transcript & k...