Listening in the Classroom (3-6-08)

I feel the same way Caitlin, but I always think that children and us both have to use this different listening skills everyday. I think that it is important to listen to different ideas and learn how to respond to each. For example, discriminative listening i s to distinguish sounds. This is important in learning how to speak. We as adults and our children, will hopefully learn a new word everyday. It is crucial to listen to the new words to stress emphasis and speaking and repeating the information.As for aesthetic listening, I feel that this is important in all aspects of learning for everyone. I feel that this is important for the children to find subjects that interest them and different ways that they can connect to the test. I see this everyday Tuesday during my experience at my school. The children are read to everyday before dismissal; they are able to sit back and enjoy a book that they are all able to share together. Efferent listening is listening that most of us do everyday. Listening to directions or instructional activities is efferent listening. This is obviously important to everyone knowing what is expected of them and making sure that all the students understand the material. I feel that critical listening is one of the best listening skills to learn and try to apply everyday. This listening skill allows for an students to think outside the box and apply what they have learned to everything around them. I also think that this listening strategy is important in developing class questions and discussion. I think that the teacher asking the children Why they think something, or explaining how they got an answer, would also fall into this category. I notice that my classroom teacher is also asking deeper questions and checking the students critical listening skills. See who is really picking up on the meaning of the reading.All four listening skills are important in the classroom and everyday life. I feel that you can't have one without the other. Granted, it is like a step process, but children should learn to accomplish all four, and the teacher as well.