One of the most important questions that we must ask ourselves as teachers is: "Are we applying the listening skill appropriately in class?"
Listening is one of the important skills that a student must learn since a lot of things depend upon it. When students listen accurately it means that they are receiving messages and they are able to interpret them and understand them. Listening is considered the key to effective communication, and when listening is not taking place appropriately then communication will break down.
Listening has a great effect on students personalities and it makes them sense self - confidence and it allows them to share their thoughts and ideas with others easily; also this helps them to communicate in a better way with their friends and makes them wanting to listen more to others and wanting to communicate.
But what we see in classes nowadays that most teachers don't apply listening as it is supposed to be, rather they present it in a way that makes students feel that listening is a punishment. Teachers must provide activities for students that make them encouraged to listen effectively and listen to understand not only listening for grades and exams.
Moreover, the teacher must first understand the difference between listening and hearing, and then teaching this difference to students since many teachers and students think that they are the same. In fact, hearing refers to the sounds you hear, whereas listening requires more focus.
Listening as you mentioned is a very important factor in the classroom, and when the teacher and the students use it effectively, the learning process goes smoothly and easily in the classroom. An important thing is that any teacher should model listening with her/his students before asking students to practice it alone because the teacher is a model for her/his students (for example if one student is talking to the teacher or sharing his thought the teacher should listen and focus very well). Also, the teacher should integrate listening carefully to others into the classroom routines and practice it with the students until they master it.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned listening is the key for communication, and communication is one of the strategies the teacher would use within the classroom to make students learn and understand deeply. Students respect teachers who are willing to listen and really hear what they have to say. Active listening makes children feel understood and cared about. The teacher is a model for his/her students; she/he should listen to their questions and answers and make them feel that what they are saying is valuable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a coincidence today's advanced methods class was about the listening skill and how we teach it properly.The listening activities are all the same and many teachings do the same ideas for this skill .Using the tape is the prevalent way in many schools.We as skillful teachers we should teach our students how to listen not test their listening as all teachers do.Here are some strategies that encourage this:
ReplyDelete1.Walk around the school or school yard silently. Instruct students to pay attention to the sounds that they hear.
2.Discuss the sounds that students heard once you return to the classroom. Talk about the importance of the sense of hearing. Discuss the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is the ability to pick up sounds through the mechanisms in the ear. Listening is the ability to pay attention and analyze these sounds.
I hope these this way could help because it really helped me .