Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy
"Students reference their teacher’s guidance in organization, study habits, character traits and values (like persistence, striving for accuracy, etc.). They have internalized these traits beyond just talking about them which has led to personal growth on the part of the student." (Johns Hopkins, n.d.).
Table of Contents
Introduction
One of the Habits of Mind that I taught in class was Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy. This is an important skill in not only conversing with others in another language, but we benefit from listening more and trying to understand the perspectives of others in general. As Costa and Kassick (2000) state, "We spend 55 percent of our lives listening yet it is one of the least taught skills in schools. We often say we are listening but in actuality, we are rehearsing in our head what we are going to say next when our partner is finished. Some students ridicule, laugh at, or put down other students' ideas. They interrupt are unable to build upon, consider the merits of, or operate on another person's ideas. We want our students to learn to devote their mental energies to another person and invest themselves in their partner's ideas" (p. 3).
This is apparent in my classes, as many students are still learning how to give their attention to other students while speaking. Since most of my students are between 13-16 years old, many are still developing in their ability to listen and interact with their peers. On top of that, they have cell phones and numerous distractions that my generation did not grow up with. Arguments and fights start on social media well before students come to class. Because of this, it is useful to teach students the tools necessary to interact with other students in a way that treats everyone with dignity and respect. With regard to Spanish and speaking another language, speakers need to be able to listen to others to truly understand and extract meaning.
Student Habits of Mind Sample
Self-Assessment
Once we addressed the habit, what it entailed, and why it was important, we looked at the students' own use of it. We looked at their answers on the self-assessment under Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy. Many of the students checked Most of the time and Frequently when asked if they can listen to others without interrupting, value the opinions of others and contribute their own thoughts and ideas after listening to others. However, there were still quite a few students that checked Sometimes and Not yet. I felt like the results were not quite reflective of our classes, as there are many students that talk over their peers in each of our classes. We further discussed the results and related them to class, and the classes generally agreed that this is a habit that needs more work in our class setting. However, in other settings, such as home, the students responded that they listen to their family members and close friends. Below are four examples of student responses.
Student Self-Assessment Responses
Listening Activity
After going over the results of the self-assessments, I had the students participate in an activity that applied it. The students broke into pairs and took turns talking about a different topic. However, during each topic, there was an additional direction, such as avoiding eye contact while the other person spoke or standing back to back. The students each spent one minute talking about each topic and then wrote down their thoughts and feelings on how each topic went.
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The students engage in the listening activity.
The student below mentioned how she felt socially awkward and that the activity was both fun and strange for her. It pushed her out of her comfort zone to participate in these listening activities. This is great practice in learning a language, it can be uncomfortable to listen and interact with native speakers. It is natural to feel overwhelmed or awkward when one does not understand everything that is said. This is where listening skills are useful. They help us understand as much as possible to find meaning and be able to function in an interaction with a speaker in another language.
Student sample #1
The two students below had a difficult time overall hearing and understanding their partners. This activity put the students in positions where there were many distractions, so that they could reflect on how much meaning can be lost when we do not give our full attention to the speaker. This is an important lesson for life, as many of us find it frustrating when others do not pay attention when we are talking to them. This is especially difficult now with all the distractions at our fingertips. The students would benefit from being able to separate themselves from their devices when in a conversation.
Student sample #2
Student sample #3
The student below mentioned that he found the first conversation, with one partner standing and the other sitting, was rather comfortable. However, as the directions and topics changed, he mentioned that it became more difficult and chaotic, such as the fourth conversation, where they both had to speak at the same time. This can be a good lesson in my class, as many times there are a number of students trying to speak at the same time. This activity highlighted that when multiple people speak at the same time, nothing is comprehensible.
Student sample #4
The student below felt comfortable in most of the conversations, except the second conversation, where they were asked to stand back to back. There were a few students who had no difficulties hearing and understanding their partners like this student; however, most of the students had trouble understanding everything that was said by their partners.
Student sample #5
The students overall enjoyed the activity and topics but found some of the additional directions challenging. Some mentioned that standing back to back was awkward or difficult to hear the other person speak. Many described the conversation where students avoided eye contact and looked around the room while speaking as rude or distracting. This one was particularly relevant to class, since many students have a difficult time paying attention while other students speak. The last conversation, where students spoke at the same time, was also challenging, since the students could not concentrate on what their partners were saying while talking at the same time. This one was also relevant to class, as many students have difficulty waiting for other students to finish sharing out before speaking.
Reflection
After the lesson, I had the students reflect on their experiences. We talked about if this is a habit that the students currently use and to what frequency. We then discussed how the students can use this habit inside and outside of class, as well as in the future. The students mentioned how they can work to pay attention more to their peers and teachers when they are speaking, as well as trying to understand each other before reacting/responding. The students then talked about how this habit can be useful in life outside of class and in the future. They discussed listening in their careers, college, to their family members and friends.
Student Reflection Questions
The student below reflected on how listening to others can be beneficial in school and outside in the real world, by listening to teachers, friends, family members and employers. This can lead to learning better and getting a job.
Student Reflection #1
The student below talked about how he felt disrespectful by not giving his partner his full attention. This is a key takeaway for many of my students who need to learn to give 100% of their attention to those who are speaking.
Student Reflection #2
The student below also mentioned how she can use this habit in school by listening to her teachers and peers and at home, by listening to her family members.
Student Reflection #3
Further Reinforcement
I continue to reinforce the habit Listening to Others with Empathy and Understanding in all of my classes. We participate in listening and speaking activities in the target language that require the students to pay attention, or they will not understand. We also do many group and pair activities, such as skits, role plays, speed dates, gap fills, etc. in which the students need to work with others and listen to what they have to say. Below are the PowerPoint slides from part of one of my Movie Talk units, called Paper man. In this type of TPRS Storytelling lesson, I played a short, animated film without audio. I then narrated over the video, while asking comprehension questions in Spanish. The students learned new, necessary vocabulary for the video and had to listen carefully in order to decipher the meaning of my narration and the Spanish questions. They also had to remain quiet and listen, so that their peers could hear the narration. After the video finished, the students completed a number of scaffolded activities, including a reading (where they had to listen to their partners/groups read) and a story retell (where they also needed to listen to their partners speak).
Movie Talk Power Point involving numerous listening activities
More Examples
Below are a few more examples of my class reinforcing Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy.
The students act out a role play. The class needs to be able to listen to the groups that present. This is a skill that many of my classes need to work on.
The student need to be able to listen to each other when participating in group activities; otherwise, they will have more difficulties hearing each member and might find the activity more frustrating to complete. When performing or presenting in front of the class, it is important that the class listens to the presenters. If they do not, the presenters have a difficult time being heard and will feel disrespected. I have encountered this when I teach, as well as when students share out or present for the class. Listening to presenters and showing them respect is a skill that many of my students need to continue to work on. It is not just a difficult skill for students, as I have been to many conferences, meetings and assemblies where adults in the settings do not show respect for the speakers and presenters. Because of this, I find it a skill that many people in our society need to work on.
The students listen to a story lesson.
During lectures and instructional times, the students must use their listening skills to learn the material. It is also important for their peers because if one student is disruptive, it makes it much more difficult for the rest of the class to hear and learn.
The students listen to each other during an activity.
In pair and group activities, the students continue to use their listening skills with their partners. In learning another language, the students gain much more exposure to the language when they participate and listen to their partners. If they do not pay attention, they lose out on a lot of time where they could be practicing their listening and speaking comprehension.
References:
ACTFL. (n.d.). USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://www.actfl.org/guiding-principles/use-target-language-language-learning.
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (2000). Describing 16 habits of mind. Retrieved from http://www.habitsofmind.org/sites/default/files/16HOM2.pdf