Some_Strategies_for_Effective_Listening

SOME STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE LISTENING We have already noted that many people often assume, wrongly, that people who have ears should be able to listen effectively. We know, however, that many people who have ears often fail to display efficient listening. Some mishear words, some other forget things as soon as they hear them. This situation provides the indication that listening should be taught deliberately and systematically since we spend more time listening than we spend speaking, reading or writing. In the rest of this section you will learn some strategies for training in effective listening. The Re-telling of a Story Strategy: let one student listen to a recorded story. After listening, he should re-tell the story to another student. The study could be re-told to about five or ten students. Each version of the re-told study should be recorded and later compared with the original story. In an individualized teaching/ learning situation, each student could tell his own story to the teacher who will then compare that the story with the original story. If important points/details are not left out, then the listening is effective. The Blind Mouse Strategy: Blindfold a student and give him instructions which require him to turn, move and perform some actions until a certain task is accomplished. Since he cannot see beyond the bandage, he has to rely on listening to carry out the instructions and accomplish the task. The extent to which he can do this satisfactorily is a measure of his ability to listen effectively. Direct Action Strategy: This is similar to the “Blind Mouse” strategy. The difference is that the listener is not folded here. Rather, the instruction is graduated from simple actions to complex actions. For instance, we can start by asking a student to stand up and jump up two times. The activity can then be advanced to something like “stand up, go to the blackboard, draw a rectangle inside the big circle and a triangle inside the small circle...” If the student is able to carry out the instructions satisfactorily, then he can listen effectively. Completion Game Strategy: Let a student listen to a statement which can be completed by adding a clause or another sentence. For example when a student hears, “The boy fell off his bicycle”, he can add “he injured his leg”. The Injury statement is a consequence of the fall. The ability to complete the spoken statement adequately is evidence of effective listening. Marking Stress and Rhyme: A poem could be tape-recorded or read out. The students’ function will be to mark the stressed syllables and rhyme in the duplicated copies they hold. Ability to mark the correct stressed syllables and rhymes would indicate effective listening.