From verse to versatility: the pedagogical potential of English songs to develop listening and writing skills

Abstract

[eng] The integration of songs in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is a current pedagogical trend in secondary education. The benefits of implementing songs in an educational context are diverse: they exemplify real linguistic usage, largely from the perspective of a native speaker; they generate greater motivation and engagement from students in activities and in the subject in general, they can be applied in different learning contexts according to the needs of the students, and they aid in the development of the four macro-skills along with communicative competence. However, many of the learning activities that are based on songs in English are usually aimed at developing oral skills (listening and speaking), since these involve oral input. In this essay, however, a series of activities are proposed in which songs serve as tools for the development of listening and writing skills, proposing contexts based on the songs mimicking real-life situations, promoting the use of different Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in the classroom, and fostering teamwork to develop students' communicative competence. A survey was conducted before preparing the activities, in order to learn about the musical interests of the target group, and another survey was passed after the target group had completed the activities. The results show that the students felt motivated and that they had improved their oral comprehension, which are two key factors proven to lead to better linguistic performance