Ah, listening
Developing listening skills can help aid the questioning process. When students become active listeners they are more attentive to class material.
Rebecca Alber's blog on Edutopia gives great insight into my question of "how can the questioning method be altered to avoid the jungle of students bounding to answer?". To begin the process of altering the questioning method, I propose that we start with teaching the students how to be active listeners.
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5 ways to get students to listen
Written by: REbecca Alber
Strategy #1: Say it Once
Repeating ourselves in the classroom will produce lazy listening in our students. If kids are accustomed to hearing instructions twice, three times, and even four times, listening the first time around becomes unnecessary. Begin the year by establishing that you are a teacher who rarely repeats instructions and this will surely perk up ears. Of course you don't want to leave distracted students in the dust so for those few who forgot to listen, you can advise them to, "ask three, then ask me." Strategy #3: Student Hand Signals
Asking students to pay full attention and indicating that they will follow this with a non-verbal signal is a wonderful tool for sharpening those listening skills. It can look like this: "I'm going to read a former president's statement about why he believes war is sometimes necessary. When I'm finished, you will share your opinion by holding up one finger if you agree, two fingers if you disagree, and three fingers if you are undecided or if you have a question." This strategy allows whole-class participation and response. It's also a favorite for kids who are more on the shy side, giving them a "voice." |
Strategy #2: Turn and Talk
One way to inspire active listening in your students is to give them a listening task. It might look like this, "I'm going to describe the process of ________. I will pause along the way and ask you to turn to a partner and explain to them what you heard." You can ask students to take turns talking each time you pause, and meanwhile, walk around observing their conversations (also allowing you to check for understanding). |
Strategy #4: Pay Attention, Pause, Paraphrase
Children need structured opportunities to restrain themselves from speaking in order to keep their attention on listening, especially when working in groups. Try this strategy:
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Strategy #5: Creating Questions
If your students are listening to a speech, watching a documentary clip, or hearing a story read aloud, break it up by stopping a few times and having students write a question or two about what they just heard. This way, students actively listen for any confusion or wonderings they may have, this takes a high-level of concentration. It's important to provide models for this since we are typically trained in school to look for the answers and information rather than to focus on what is not understood or is still a mystery. |
Click button to see some activities to foster active listening.