Secrets of Stellar Student Listening
True story: I was tired of repeating directions and instructions over and over and over again in the classroom.
I was also frustrated with the noise level – and how when I really need to get my students’ attention, I had defaulted to trying to talk over them in order to be heard.
I also knew a few students were good listeners and I wondered how I could get the rest of the class on that route.
I knew there had to be something out there that would help me to teach my students how to be active listeners {before I lost my marbles} – but when I did Internet searches, most came back for ESL listening activities.
Hmmmmmm…my students weren’t ESL students. In fact, their English was definitely front and center. Especially during the school-wide assembly, when I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide until it was over. lol.
Trust me, I hear you…
The thing is that the students weren’t necessarily being defiant. They honestly just wanted to be heard. And it didn’t matter if their best bud was talking – or the president of the universe – they would just talk louder to make sure everyone knew they were there. Being so wrapped up in being heard, it was virtually impossible for that child to actively listen to someone else. You can’t be the star of the show and the supporting actor at the same time.
And again – there was nothing out there to help me make sense of it all – or offer specific activities to improve this situation. I knew if I was having this conundrum, so were other teachers out there. No way I could be the only one.
So I conducted my own research and created some quick and easy action steps you can do if your classroom of angels is also struggling with active listening. Or maybe you are just one “I didn’t hear what you said” away from a meltdown.
You might also be interested in:
Do you ever have issues with students who never seem to listen to the directions, even after you have given them 3 and 4 times? I know I have in the past, so I decided to do some listening skills practice activities in order to fine-tune their listening capabilities. See more pages here.
Each version includes the following:
•36 weekly activities which can be done as a whole class or as a center activity, including the answer keys
•All the matching handouts are included as a full page and as a half page, in both color and in grayscale, which will make for easier printing for those that do not have access to a color printer
•All 36 weeks worth of audio files See more pages here.
Where, where, where?
Where is this magical unicorn training you ask? Right here at Secrets to Stellar Student Listening! A completely FREE on-demand workshop which will share the 4 secrets to active student listening – WHAT?! Yup. For reals.
Oh – and did I mention you can watch it at home, at your leisure, and in your PJs with your favorite snack and beverage?
I wish PD at school were this cool!
PLUS – I have included a certificate of attendance for .75 hours if you are allowed to use it for continuing education credits (make sure to check with your district to see if it is accepted). That certificate will appear once the training is over. So you really do have to pay attention.
And listen. Actively. Kind of a cool skill, right?
Head on over and sign up for the free training now. Kick back and prepare to get your wheels turning! Your “about-to-meltdown” self thanks you many times over.
See you there,
~Charity
