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Listening is perhaps the most neglected language art but also the most
used. Children need to learn how to listen effectively and for a variety
of reasons. In many ways, listening and reading are similar processes.
Visualizing and note taking, for example, are strategies that work
effectively when listening but can also be applied to reading. However
there are important listening skills that generally are not emphasized in
schools but which might help students immensely not only in language arts
but across the curriculum.
four types of listening:
discriminative, aesthetic, efferent, and critical
Listening
Inventory | Listening
Strategies | Teaching
Listening
| Listening
Inventory |
Yes |
No |
Sometimes |
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Learning How to Listen
- Do
I pay attention?
- Do
noises in the room interrupt my careful listening?
- Am
I willing to judge the speaker's ideas without letting my own
ideas get in the way?
- Do
I find the speaker's personal habits distracting (e.g.,
clearing the throat constantly?)
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Listening for
Information
- Can
I organize in my mind what I hear so that I can remember it?
- Can
I think up questions to ask the speaker about ideas that I
don't understand?
- Do
I understand the meaning of unknown words from the rest of
what the speaker says?
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Listening Carefully
- Can
I separate facts from explanations or from opinions?
- Can
I tell the difference between important and unimportant
details?
- Can
I pick out unsupported points that a speaker makes?
- Am
I able to accept points of view that differ from my own?
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Listening Creatively
- Am
I able to identify specific words or phrases that impress me
as I listen?
- Do
I get caught up in the poem, story, or play so that I believe
the action is truly taking place?
- Am
I able to put what I hear into my own words so that I can
describe it to others?
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Comments:
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Adapted from
Mowbray & George, 1992
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| Listening
Strategies Questionnaire |
1. When I have difficulty hearing I
_________________________________________________________________
2. When I have difficulty
understanding what a speaker means I
_________________________________________________________________
3. When I agree with a
speaker's message I usually
_________________________________________________________________
4. When I disagree with a
speaker's message I usually
___________________________________________________________________
5. My responsibility as a
listener in any situation is
___________________________________________________________________
6. As I listen to
someone speak I do the following things to help myself understand the
message
___________________________________________________________________
7. The most important thing
that I know about listening is
_____________________________________________________________________
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| SUPPORTING
AND MANAGING THE LISTENING PROCESS |
Characteristics of
Effective Listeners
- value
listening as a means of learning and enjoyment
- determine
their own purpose(s) for listening
- recognize
their responsibility to the speaker and listen without distracting
the speaker
- concentrate
and not become distracted
- send
appropriate feedback to the speaker (e.g., restate directions and
explanations, ask questions)
- prepare
to react or respond to what the speaker says
- make
connections between their prior knowledge and the information
presented by the speaker
- evaluate
the speaker's message and motive
- try
to predict the speaker's purpose and determine the speaker's plan of
organization
- identify
transitional/signal words and phrases, and follow the sequence of
ideas spoken
- observe
and interpret the speaker's nonverbal cues (e.g., smiles, frowns,
body movements) and use them to enhance their understanding of the
speaker's message
- recognize
the speaker's main point(s) or idea(s) and identify the supporting
details and examples
- distinguish
fact from opinion
- determine
bias, stereotyping, and propaganda.
Some ways that
teachers can promote effective listening and help students develop as
mature, active listeners include the following:
- model
effective and active listening
- regard
what the student has to say as important
- integrate
listening into daily speaking, writing, reading, representing, and
viewing experiences
- plan
opportunities for students to practice active listening for a
variety of purposes in a variety of contexts (e.g., face-to-face,
social situations, formal situations)
- adjust
the length of listening time to the maturity of the students
- emphasize
and explain effective, active listening behaviors using lists of
specific criteria relevant to the situation
- plan
for listening by using pre-listening, listening, and post-listening
activities
- assess
listening as a process within daily language experiences.
The following
should be observed in the classroom on a day-to-day basis:
- the
teacher modeling effective listening behaviors for students
- the
teacher using brief mini-lessons to instruct students about
effective listening practices and behaviors for a variety of
situations and purposes
- the
students listening in a variety of situations for a variety of
purposes (e.g., one-on-one conversations, group discussions, formal
speeches, oral reading, student presentations)
- the
students developing their social skills through listening (e.g.,
attending to speaker, questioning for clarification, using and
interpreting nonverbals, summarizing, and paraphrasing to
demonstrate understanding)
- the
students using listening effectively as a means of learning and
connecting to prior knowledge
- the
students and the teacher assessing listening practices and behaviors
using checklists or anecdotal notes.
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