 STUDY SKILLS: HOW TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY • Program Summary While lecturing on human genetic variability, science teacher Mr. Gonzales notices three of his students having listening problems. Tom is distracted by what’s going on outside the window; Larry drifts off into a daydream; and Karen tries to get her homework done for the next class. When it becomes apparent that what he’s saying hasn’t penetrated, Mr. Gonzales “Invites” the students to an after-school conference. They meet on the athletic field, where Mr. Gonzales is coaching track, and talk while the team is warming up. Mr. Gonzales points out that listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing is passive—absorbing sounds without necessarily getting any meaning from them. Listening is active; it requires paying attention, screening out distractions and thinking about what you have heard. He goes on to give the students specific advice to remedy their particular listening problems. Tom, for example, faced with outside distractions, might have screened them out by maintaining steady “eye contact” with the speaker. Larry, inclined to let his mind wander, might have kept it on course by “hearing the speaker out”—concentrating on the content of what was being said, and sticking to it until the speaker was finished. And Mr. Gonzales has some advice for Karen: don’t even try to listen and work on some other task at the same time; treat listening as the full-time job it should be. Another part of becoming an active listener is knowing what to listen for. By recognizing what are called “clue words,” you can often understand how spoken information is organized, and predict what the speaker will say next. Mr. Gonzales uses examples based on the scientific principles behind track-and-field events to demonstrate. He uses pole vaulting to demonstrate the chronology pattern using words like “The steps involved in…,” “first,” “then,” “later,” and “finally.” The relationship between discus throwing and centrifugal force is used to demonstrate the cause-and-effect pattern, which includes clue words such as “why,” “reason for,” and “as a result.” The energy requirements of sprinters and long-distance runners are used to demonstrate a third pattern of organization: compare and contrast, in which the similarities between two or more things are compared, and the differences contrasted. Clue words for this pattern include “similar” and “different,” and “on the one hand” and “on the other hand.” Being aware that such clue words exist makes it easier to understand what a speaker is saying. Finally, Mr. Gonzales explains to the students, active listening means involvement with the speaker. The listener must be willing to ask questions to make sure that he or she understands clearly what has been said. Such questions might include any of the following: 1. Will you explain that in more detail? 2. Can you give me some examples? 3. Will you define that? 4. What are the consequences of that? 5. What other possibilities or alternatives are there? •Questions for Class Review 1. In the program, hearing is contrasted to listening. What’s the difference? 2. Why is it useful to maintain eye contact with a speaker? 3. Why is it important to “hear a speaker out”? 4. Can you listen and carry on some other activity at the same time? Explain. 5. The program demonstrates three patterns of organization—common ways of putting facts and ideas in order. What are they? 6. What are “clue words”? What are some of the clue words used in the three patterns discussed in this program? 7. Why is it helpful to ask questions of a speaker? What are some of the questions you might ask? • Answers to Review Questions 1. Hearing is the passive reception of sound. Listening is an active process of focusing attention and assuring comprehension. 2. To focus attention and tune out distractions. 3. To maintain attention and keep your mind from wandering. 4. No. Effective listening requires full concentration. 5. a) Chronology pattern, based on the order in which events occur over time. b) Cause-and-effect or reason-why pattern, presenting the causes that lead up to a specific result. c) Compare-and-Contrast pattern, comparing things that are alike, and contrasting things that are different. 6. “Clue words” signal that a particular pattern is being used. a) Chronology pattern: first, then, finally. b) Cause-and-effect pattern: why, reason, result. c) Compare-and-contrast pattern: alike, different, on the one hand, on the other hand. 7. Asking questions helps you make sure you understand what has been said. Such questions include: “Could you explain in more detail?” “Can you give another example?” “Will you define that?” “What other alternatives are there?” • Listening Skills Activities 1. Have students write a paragraph describing how they felt when someone important to them did not listen to what they were saying. 2. The next time you have a class discussion, have students keep track of the number of times they notice someone not listening to someone else. 3. Have students watch and evaluate the interviewing techniques of television talk-show hosts. Which seem to be the best listeners? What listening skills do they have? Are there any skills that they seem to lack? 4. Hold a brainstorming session in which students discuss things that help hinder good listening. Use these suggestions as the basis of a list of “Recommendations for Good Listening.” It might include some of the following: a) Come to class early—or at least on time. b) Come to class prepared. c) Sit as close as you can to the lecturer. d) Resist distractions. e) Watch for nonverbal clues and “body language.” f) Don’t listen only for facts. g) Don’t overreact to a speaker’s appearance, mannerisms, content or language. 5. Divide the class into two groups. Have each of the students in one group select a page or section from a textbook to read into a tape recorder. Tell them to try to stress key words, make appropriate pauses for punctuation, and pace the reading so that it can be followed easily by a listener. Then have each student in the other group listen to one of the tapes, taking notes if necessary on the content. Then in class discuss those factors that made listening easy or difficult. |
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