Active listening for students

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21st-century learners have to be equipped with multiple skills to be employable adults for the future. The core focus is on critical thinking and cognitive skills.

While we discussed instilling reading as an essential life skill in our previous article, today, we are shedding light on developing good listening habits, and its importance from an early age.

There is a common misconception about the difference between listening and hearing. As the dictionary defines, hearing is the process, function, or power of perceiving sound. In contrast, listening is paying attention to someone or something to hear what is said, sung, played, etc.

When a teacher delivers a lesson or gives a speech, students often pay attention in a classroom. However, it would be difficult to tell if the student heard or listened cautiously to what was said. We also know that in conferences or similar settings, where a speaker is talking alone for an extended period, there is often a possibility that the audience is just passively listening in.

Passive listening and hearing have a lot in common. Students who are physically present in a class but not paying attention to the conversation or messages exchanged around them are primarily only hearing or passively listening. What that means is that the student is not 100% attentive to the discussion. While they may put some context to the topic, they may not have necessarily understood or followed the entire communication thread.

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We tend to passively listen when we feel dissociated from the communication happening around us. Students who have relatively average scores consistently may also fall into the passive listener category.

It may be straightforward to tell who is a good orator or a communicator in a classroom. However, it may be challenging to tell who are good listeners from those who are not.

It is a human tendency to enter a `switch-off` mode if the topic does not interest us or we disagree with the speaker. A person`s state of mind also impacts their attention span and listening abilities in any given situation.

While research has proven that active listeners tend to perform better, here are a few observations of what active listening can bring to the table-

1. Higher concentration and focus
2. A better grasp of information
3. Lesser chances of misinterpretation
4. Improved work productivity

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Since the early years, educators have focused on fine motor and communication skills; but they should also educate students about the importance of being good listeners.

Active listening has many advantages, and practising this will prove beneficial to students in upgrading their academic and non-academic performance in the long run.

The ability to be mindfully present and listen to the speaker non-judgmentally is one of the core principles of active listening.

Students who practice this can retain more information and ask better questions. This further makes them more confident, helps them absorb the necessary details and leads them towards improved self-efficacy.

It is also true for teachers to practise this skill when in a classroom. Active listening will foster better relationships with students, be more receptive towards their ideas, set a good example in front of the learners and improve communication in a class.

Few tips for teachers to encourage active listening in the classroom:

1. Open a two-way dialogue before starting a new lesson: Instead of taking the traditional route of delivering a one-dimensional talk, try opening a conversation when introducing a new task. This will enable students to concentrate better on the lesson from the very beginning
2. Maintain eye contact: As a teacher, it is important that you maintain eye contact with students and encourage them to do the same with you. When you tell them the importance of making eye contact, they will be able to focus and actively listen in the classroom
3. Ask students to summarise: Asking students to summarise the lessons is an excellent way of inclusion. This will facilitate communication from both ends and will encourage students to participate actively
4. Encourage Q&A: After each session, encourage every student to ask a question on the topic. The inclusion of each student will also enable them to avoid passive listening and paying more attention
5. Discourage interruption: As a thumb rule of good communication, discourage interruption in the class. That means that both teachers and students must not interrupt each other and break the speakers thought process.
6. Be patient: Teachers are often overworked and exhausted. This may lead to impatience. If a student cannot answer correctly in the first attempt, it is advised to show more patience and empathy towards the student for attempting. Practising patience while listening to others will also set a good example in front of the students
7. Let students talk about their favorite topics: Try exercising this tip once a week. Opening a session for students to share their thoughts with the class will take them by surprise, and they will try to listen to their peers and share ideas actively

Here is a short animated video from GCFLearnFree.Org that summarises active listening for us

Read more from Myelin:

Why should we raise better readers?

Children love asking questions! Here are 4 unique ideas to boost their curiosity & cognitive skills

If you are interested to know more about how myelin is helping schools to become more efficient, visit: www.myelin.co.in or write to us at

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