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Listening
in the Classroom:
A
Pathfinder to Electronic Resources about Listening in the Classroom
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/pathfinders/kammerer
James L. Kammerer
Graduate School of Library
and Information Science
The University of Texas at
Austin
LIS 382L.3
Information Resources in the
Social Sciences
March 5, 2000
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Annotated
Bibliography
Part 3: Pathfinder
Part 1
Introduction:
Listening in the Classroom
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/pathfinders/kammerer
The importance of listening in the classroom seems obvious. Traditional pedagogy asserts students need to pay strict attention to the teacher to learn the subject matter. “A child should be seen and not heard.” Traditional classroom furniture arrangement reinforces this axiom by lining up pupils in orderly rows facing the teacher. The idea is that the teacher is the font of all knowledge that is poured into empty and receptive student vessels. Current educational theory holds that both the student and the teacher bring valuable life experience and information to the classroom. The educational exchange is actually three ways. The teacher can learn from the students, the students from the teacher, and the students from each other. Of course, curriculum requirements must still be fulfilled. Effective teachers realize they must listen to their students. Doing so helps educators tailor their lessons to the pupils’ particular needs. Teachers in turn can receive valuable feedback from their students. Students are also more apt to listen, if they themselves are listened to. Immediate practical reasons for teaching good listening include greater student comprehension of the subject matter and more harmonious classroom atmosphere. Effective listening also yields long term benefits like empathy, respect, improved personal relationships, career advancement, and conflict resolution skills. Teachers in some instances are legally bound to listen to students, for example in situations involving child abuse.
This pathfinder seeks to provide electronic resources on the topic of teacher listening to students in the classroom. It will help answer the questions: “Where can I find information about the role of listening and conversation within the Native American classroom environment?” “Does a teacher listening to students hinder the presentation of subject material and student learning?” “What effect does teacher listening have upon a harmonious classroom environment?” “How does active teacher listening impact students on the personal level?” “Besides fostering an educated citizenry, are there societal reasons for encouraging a shift to greater teacher listening?”
My target audience are the undergraduates at the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) in Bellingham, Washington preparing to become primary and secondary teachers. All the resources are freely available on the World Wide Web.
I did searches on Google.com and Altavista.com search engines using “Listening to Children,” “Teaching and Listening,” and “Native Americans and Listening” as keywords. I have sought to provide some links that consider cultural differences between Native American and Euro-American ways of learning and listening. I omitted “study skills guides” found on college websites that only gave tips on student listening to improve grades.
Part 2
Annotated
Bibliography
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/pathfinders/kammerer
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995.
“Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association.” (1999-2000). American Psychological Association. Retrieved February 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html
1. Tharp, Roland G. and Lois A. Yamauchi. (1994). “Effective Instructional Conversation in Native American Classrooms.” National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/ncrcdsll/epr10.htm
Gives a culturally sensitive picture of the prominent role of Instructional Conversations (IC) within the Native American education environment today. IC requires significant listening skills by teacher and student because outside experiences are incorporated into the curriculum. This pedagogy contrasts with typical Western method whereby the teacher is the predominant speaker.
2. Hyslop, Nancy B. and Bruce Tone. (1988). “Listening: Are We Teaching It, and If So, How?” ERIC Digest. Number 3. Retrieved February 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed295132.html
Presents informative statistic that listening constitutes 45% of our communication. Listening is critical to academic progress and socialization. Development of listening skills within the classroom gets short shrift by teachers due to uncertainty of how to incorporate it into the curriculum. Author asserts that listening skills are best taught when tied to meaningful activities like the study of oral literature, the giving and receiving of instructions, and reading assignments.
3. Walker, Diane. (n.d.) “Active Listening for the Classroom.” Updated by Melissa Kelly. Retrieved February 22, 2000 from the World Wide Web:
http://7-12educators.about.com/education/7-12educators/library/weekly/aa081700a.htm
Positive student-teacher relationships and motivated students are the product of active teacher listening. Teachers must not just listen, but do so in a demonstrative manner obvious to the student. Specific steps for active listening are listed. Website offers additional links to resources designed to cultivate active listening.
4. Simich-Dudgeon, Carmen. (1998). “Classroom Strategies for encouraging collaborative discussion.” Directions in Language and Education. National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/directions/12.htm
Though written for ESL instruction, the theory and method of collaborative discussion is well suited for primary and secondary classrooms. It values classroom talk and its counterpart, listening as a means for generating meaningful curriculum content. Teachers listen to student discussion to incorporate emerging themes into the lesson plans. Teachers are reluctant to implement collaborative discussion because it is contrary to their own childhood school experience and quiet classroom continue to be regarded as signs of “productive work.”
5. “An Odyssey Toward Effective Listening, 2001 Conference.” (2001). International Listening Association. Retrieved February 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.listen.org/
This organization’s website is dedicated to “the study, development, and teaching of listening and the practice of effective listening skills and techniques.” Its extensive index lists listening resources, listening exercises, irritating listening habits, and quotations about listening.
6. Halley, Richard D. (n.d.) “Listening Exercises.” International Listening Association. Retrieved February 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://catsis.weber.edu/comm/EXlisten.htm
Offers several website links that involve student listening activities. The exercises appear very basic, but may offer significant learning. (Bold yellow color background of the webpages may annoy some readers).
7. “Listening factoids.” (n.d.) International Listening Association. Retrieved February 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.listen.org/pages/factoids.html
Gives interesting statistics about listening, e.g. “How much of what we know that we have learned by listening? 85% (Shorpe)” Regrettably the website citations are incomplete.
Also lists several important personal and societal health benefits connected with the individual person being listened to. Personal identity and the transmission of culture occurs through listening.
8. “Speaking and
Listening Activities.” (1997).
Saskatchewan Education.
English Language Arts: A Curriculum Guide for the Middle Level (Grades
6-9). Retrieved February 20, 2001 from
the World Wide Web: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mla/listen.html
This website is part of a larger language arts curriculum guide from Canada. It highlights the value of conversation as a means for learning. Listening is taught in tandem with speaking. Special emphasis is given to extending courtesies to fellow students. Teachers are expected to model good listening and social etiquette. Lots of activities suggested like storytelling, literature circles, formation of student committees, oral reports, etc. to develop the student’s listening skills.
9. Wenger, Win. (1999-2000). “The Importance of Listening in Education (An interactive listening technique to accelerate learning).” Visual Thinking Institute. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.innovationcentral.org/listening_skills.htm
Directly addresses the inadequate listening skills of teachers. Even conscientious teachers who subscribe to the principles of interactive learning find it difficult to implement in their classrooms. Author offers a large group activity whereby people pair off to talk to each other. He also mentions the transformative experience that occurs when a person has the sense of being listened to or heard.
10. Yen, Duen Hsi. (1999) “Listening.” Malama Learning Facility. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.noogenesis.com/malama/listening.html
Begins by examining the harmful, unstated significance behind the scold “You’re not listening” voiced by parents and teachers directed at children and students. Mental illness is a likely consequence. Two opposite scenarios are describe involving a parent who empathetically listens and a parent who is insensitive. Listening is also describe as a component of family therapy.
11. Smith, Carl. (2001) “How Can Parents Model Good Listening Skills?” Educational Resources Instruction Center. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.accesseric.org/resources/parent/listenin.html
This article though specifically geared towards parents has direct adaptive value for teachers who assume a substitute parental role. It provides a list of suggestions to model good listening skills.
Tips are given on how to extend conversations, how to ask questions, and how to express feelings. The critical importance of adults providing a model behavior for children is reiterated.
12. Cart, Stu (2000) “Listening.” Innovation Center. Retrieved February 21, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.innovationcentral.org/listening.htm
Addresses the profound human need for being listened to and how it relates to the classroom environment. Healthy marriages, relationships, self-esteem, academic performance, and career achievement depend upon individuals being certain in the knowledge that someone hears them. Teachers are remember not so much by what they taught, but how they taught, and how they made the students feel.
13. Miller, Alice. (November 2000). “Letter to College Students of all Nations.” Natural Child Project. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.naturalchild.com/alice_miller/letter_college.html
Speaks about the immorality and danger of teachers and parents administering corporal punishment to children. According to Miller, all but two countries, the U.S.A. and Senegal, have signed the U.N. convention that compels them to protect children’s rights. She describes the future consequences of beating and silencing as disastrous for society. The victims will grow to become perpetrators as adults. Denial of our own pain permits this cruelty to continue.
14. “Children, Crisis and Caring: Listening to Children.” Retrieved February 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.angelfire.com/blues/children/p9.html
This article stresses the importance of taking children seriously by listening to them intentionally. A series of rhetorical questions is provided to test how well adults listen to children. Good communication is the result of practice.
15. “Promoting Communication.” (n.d.) Project PARA. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved February 25, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://7-12educators.about.com/education/7-12educators/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://para.unl.edu/para/Communication/lesson2.html
Deals in a very succinct fashion about the twelve ways we inhibit communication with students. Our ways of blocking communication may be very innocent and oblivious to us. Author employs some Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T) methods to improve our active listening skills.
Part 3.
Pathfinder: Listening in the
Classroom.
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/pathfinders/kammerer
Prepared by Jim Kammerer
Scope note: Active teacher listening to students is a change from the educational era when the teacher dominated the classroom conversation and students were always obliged to quietly listen. A growing body of research and positive classroom experience supports this switch that facilitates teacher listening and more student led conversation.
Where can I find information about the role of
listening and conversation within the
Native American classroom environment?
This article goes into considerable detail about informal learning and teaching processes within Native American culture that can foster active teacher listening.
Tharp, Roland G. and Lois A. Yamauchi. (1994). “Effective Instructional Conversation in Native American Classrooms.” National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/miscpubs/ncrcdsll/epr10.htm
Does a teacher listening to students hinder
the presentation of subject material and student learning?
On the contrary, consistent evidence suggests that when teachers actively and sincerely listen to students, motivation to learn increases and curriculum becomes better suited to the students.
“Education.” (n.d.) Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/directions/12.htm
What effect does teacher listening have upon a harmonious classroom environment?
Students are more settled, engaged, and respectful when they know their teacher respects and listens to them. The importance of teachers modeling good listening behaviors can not be overemphasized.
Wenger, Win. (1999-2000). “The Importance of Listening in Education (An interactive listening technique to accelerate learning).” Visual Thinking Institute. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.innovationcentral.org/listening_skills.htm
Walker, Diane. (n.d.) “Active Listening for the Classroom.” Updated by Melissa Kelly. Retrieved February 22, 2000 from the World Wide Web:
http://7-12educators.about.com/education/7-12educators/library/weekly/aa081700a.htm
Greater self-esteem and a sense of security are two of the significant benefits of teacher listening
Cart, Stu (2000) “Listening.” Innovation Center. Retrieved February 21, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.innovationcentral.org/listening.htm
Besides fostering an educated citizenry, are there societal reasons
for encouraging a shift to greater teacher listening?
A more peaceful and civil community is likely when adults, caretakers, and teachers actively listen to children and advocate for them. Cycles of abuse and neglect can be broken and healed. Sometimes international and local laws require adults to listen to the needs of children, particularly in instances of abuse.
Miller, Alice. (November 2000). “Letter to College Students of all Nations.” Natural Child Project. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.naturalchild.com/alice_miller/letter_college.html
Yen, Duen Hsi. (1999) “Listening.” Malama Learning Facility. Retrieved February 22, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.noogenesis.com/malama/listening.html
Questions or comments may be emailed to me at jimkammerer@hotmail.com
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