Active Listening

 Most of us listen but do we actively listen? Do our students actively listen?  Do they even know how?  None of us naturally practice actively listening, we have to be taught and that includes our students.

In math, it is especially important for students to listen to the ideas of others so they can make meaning of everything they hear.  Listening does not mean just being quiet, it means making a conscientious effort.

Although many think that hearing and listening is not the same, they are not.  Hearing refers to receiving sound while listening is receiving ideas and thoughts and comprehending them.  So we need to teach them to be participatory learners so they can interpret and make meaning from others verbal ideas.

There are certain steps we can take to help students learn active learning.

1.  Take time to teach students the difference between hearing and listening.  This means students stop to examine the difference between hearing and listening and helps them be more aware of which one they use during conversations and discussions.

2. Model Active learning for your students.  Ask another teacher to come in and help you demonstrate what active learning looks like.  Include "Think Alouds" so students know what your thinking is during the process.  Things to think about include "what did you actually hear?", "What might you be wondering about?" in terms of what was just said, "What new ideas pop into your head as you listen?" so students see what type of thinking goes on during active learning.

3. Schedule some time for students to practice active listening by sharing a mathematical thought with them and afterwards ask them what they heard, what they understood from listening, and did anything pop into their minds from the thought.

4. Set things up so they can actively listen better by minimizing distractions, change the seating so it is better for both speaking and listening, and go over their responsibilities as listeners before beginning the discussion.

5. Encourage students to practice active learning in all their classes.  In addition, speak with other teachers so students are offered the chance to practice active learning across the curriculum.

6.  Another way to practice active listening is to share three things with your students.  After each item, pause so students can discuss what they heard with one other person (pairs work).  At the end, have one student read a paragraph from the textbook while the other would say what they heard as they listened.  Then they switch.  Both of these activities give students a reason for actively listening.

7.  As students are learning active listening, provide a two column paper so one side is labeled thoughtful questions, while the other side is labeled thoughtful comments.  This way students can write down questions and comments that pop into their heads as they are learning.  This also helps students focus on what is being said so their minds are less likely to wander.

Basically, active learning boils down to paraphrasing what the speaker said  so you show you are listening and to show your understanding, summarize what the speaker said into one or two sentences  including key words, ask questions to clarify what is heard and to encourage the speaker to expand on certain things, make connections between what the speaker said and the listeners base of knowledge, and reflect on what is said by sharing a comment.

These are some ways to help students become active listeners and when they practice active learning, they learn more.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.