LISTENING

Welcome back, Readers! Last week, we looked at how we could settle ourselves back into the classroom after the long break. Let us continue in this edition by discovering what it takes to excel in communication which is the basis of being a successful student in school and beyond. We learn by listening. Is it difficult to get yourself to listen in the classroom sometimes?

Your teachers would love to have you listening carefully to their lessons and instructions. It is then perhaps a good idea to work on your listening skills so you can retain more of the information you are being given. Would you like to try these out with your classmates? Ask your teacher to assist or comment or join in!

Perhaps, you could also like to refer to the following sites to further enhance your listening skills: 1. Dictation Exercise - https://www.englishclub.com 2. Listen and Write- https://www.listen-and-write.com 3. LingoRank- https://lingorank.com

1. PLAY A GAME:

With your classmate, play a game of Willy Says .One of you could be Willy while you can be the game player. Look at “Willy” in the eye, repeat the directions to yourself (aloud so he/she can hear you), not starting until you’ve heard all the instructions (say aloud, “Ok, he’s/she’s finished giving me the instructions so now I may begin”) and speaking aloud what you’re going to do as if you were visualising it in your mind before doing it. After “Willy” gives you a few short instructions, ask the class to comment on what they saw you doing well in. You can gather their answers in a thinking map on the board.

2. CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS

You can all sit together as a group in a circle and take turns sharing your stories. In doing so, you are being encouraged to look at the each other and listen to what each has to say! Isn’t that great? This should help you further in the class if you are usually hesitant to answer questions when asked by the teacher!

3. CONVERSATION IN PAIRS

If having a conversation in a group is not comfortable for you, you could pair up and have a general discussion. Each one of you takes turns in being the speaker or the listener. When one of you has finished speaking, the other could repeat one of the speaker’s main points and offer praises if it is correct! When your teacher divides you into pairs during lessons, what you have already practised in pairs will be of a great advantage of receiving and sharing what is heard!

4. DAILY SKILL PRACTICE

One way to see a marked improvement in your listening skills is to carry out a short, daily skill practice because it can be fun and practical in manner. In this case, you could carry out an oral instruction that your teacher usually gives, visualising the task given and then completing it accurately. Perhaps you could have your classmate, act as the teacher and give you short instructions verbally for completing that task, or two or three tasks in succession (depending on your age) and have you practise listening and completing the tasks without repeating the instructions!

For example, your classmate can ask you use a blank sheet of paper and follow these instructions:

a. Draw a large brown circle in the center of your paper. b. Add an orange letter V in the center. c. Use a black crayon to draw two large circles, side by side, above the V” (and you end up with a basic sketch of an owl on your paper so that you can finish drawing details and colour on your own). Were you able to follow it?

5. THE STORYTELLING GAME

Don’t we all like to tell a story? Switching this to a game then means, you start a story with a beginning phrase and then each one in the classroom adds one word to the story in turn. Everyone in your group must be active participants and follow the story closely so that when their time comes to add a word, the story will make sense. How about starting with a line of a story (The Silent One) you have read or a movie (A Dog’s Purpose) you have watched? Have your teacher comment on your skills as the story progresses!

In doing so, you are killing two birds with one stone- you are listening and responding! According to www.wittcom.com, listening is the skill we use most frequently for communication and many of us spend 70 to 80 percent of our waking hours in doing that. Good communication is a great necessity in today’s competitiveworld. So, let us start the new academic year by being efficient listeners!

The CAS English Section of the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts wishes you the very best for the weeks ahead!