strategy
One of the most important skills in an academic context is listening: listening to instructions, listening to concepts, and listening to others. For teachers, a common challenge is addressing the misconception that listening is the same as hearing. Hearing refers to the physiological act of perceiving sounds, whereas listening involves understanding those sounds and assigning meaning to them. But how can we effectively listen if we have not been taught how to do so?
**Early Listening** is a strategy designed to teach children how to manage their bodies and focus their attention, fostering the habit of active listening.
learning
During the session, students adopted the "meerkat position" (related to their project on animals) as their designated listening posture. They then practiced a rhyme to reinforce the behavior: “Eyes, eyes on your teacher, Ears, ears on your teacher, Hands, hands on your desk or chest.” After this, I introduced the lesson topics by writing them on the board and asking students what they already knew or thought about them. The students were very engaged, and I used variations in my voice’s tone and volume to maintain their attention. At the end of the class, I asked them whether the topic was easy or challenging, and each student shared their opinion.
_surprises/delights/wondering_
The students surprised me with how much prior knowledge they possessed, often exceeding my expectations. Nearly all of them actively participated in the discussion, which was very encouraging. However, I am now wondering how I can refine this strategy to encourage shy students to speak more confidently and share their ideas.
related
patterning
DOT FROM preview-next-diagram