Listening is an important skill that cannot be taken for granted. Most schools have posters mounted which remind students that it is a necessary skill. However, aside from the three or four suggestions like “look at the person who is speaking,” these posters do not “teach” the skill of listening.
Listening is taught intentionally in the kindergarten and first grade almost universally. A young child, in these primary years, is very self-centered as s/he views the world in relation to how s/he fits into it. Following directions is the primary skill first taught. Fire and storm drills with the proper procedures for taking shelter are the most important survival skills emphasized. Reading and following directions for completing written work are then taught and practiced.
As children grow older, the listening objectives change to those used for problem solving. Gathering information, making inferences from auditory clues, and deciphering body language are other listening skills which need to be practiced for success.
One area that has suffered much from the onslaught of video technology is the lack of “auditory experiences” in which children listen to stories being told or read to them. So much visual information is presented to students that they actually have difficulty visualizing a scene or character from a reading…much less a situation. These skills are very important. I tell my young students that if they were not so, God would have given us only one ear! In fact, we note almost on a daily basis, that we act as if God gave us one ear and two mouths!
Playing games in which children identify sounds is a good starting point. We play Lotto games which use sound effects. Another good game is to play “I Spy” using sounds instead of visual objects. As children become aware of the myriad of sounds around them, they are better able to pay attention to details in their classwork.
Learning how to “not listen” is another skill I teach my students. Ignoring a friend’s whispering when classwork is to be done is very hard for first graders. Likewise, I have to help students ignore the soundings made by beginning readers who MUST hear the sounds to decode words they are reading. All of these skills are part of the affective domain of teaching. I meet quite a few new teachers who have not learned the importance of these reading subskills. It is my intent to strengthen these basic skills in any and all students who are in my classes. The strong foundation of listening which I seek to give to them will prepare them better for leadership skills which will endear them to fellow workers and perhaps their own followers.
- Kay