Chapter 4: Helping Young Children Become Better Listeners Alyssa Gray
QUESTION Think about this... What do you think of when you hear the term effective listening?
EFFECTIVE LISTENING Three elements 1. Hearing 2. Listening 3. Comprehending
HEARING Physiological response The ability to hear, discriminate among sounds, to blend sounds together, and to hold sequences of sound in memory Ex: hearing a dog bark; being able to determine it as an animal sound, and to remember it as such
COMPREHENDING Act of cognitive processing Includes retrieving meaning from what is heard, associating sounds, organizing, imagining, and appreciating what is heard Making connections Ex: hearing a dog bark, focusing on the tone of the bark, then retrieving meaning--an excited vs. whiny bark
GOOD LISTENING We can help students learn how to listen better as opposed to listening more How to listen better!? Focusing attention Processing information Making comments Asking questions
QUESTION Think about this and then talk to your neighbor... Listening plays an essential role in learning! Why? :)
As soon as hearing organs of the fetus are fully formed and functional, the child is able to listen Newborns can usually be calmed by sounds that are similar to those heard inside womb Infants on respirators breathe more rhythmically and with a strong beat
Listening is the language skill human beings use the earliest and the most often throughout life It helps us make connections about life and interpret the world It is the foundation for speaking, reading, and writing
DIFFICULTIES Students with receptive language difficulties will likely have expressive language difficulties Do not always keep up with the pace of verbal instruction May not understand the content of ideas Do not always have strong skills for communicating (not sure what they do, or do not know) Are usually DISENGAGED and UNAWARE
QUESTION Raise your hand and tell us... What are some of your experiences with listening?
WHY IS OUR JOB IMPORTANT? Students must be taught how to listen and listen well Listening skills are developed by example -- having someone listen to them Communicating respect and building relationships
LISTENING DEVELOPMENT Phonological awareness Sensitivity to rhythm and sounds of language Ex: child who can detect patterns of sound that are more pleasing to the ear than ordinary talk Capacity Auditory acuity (ability to hear) Auditory perception (ability to discriminate among sounds, blend, and hold sequences in memory) Sounds may not reach the brain or may be very late or distorted for children with impairments or hearing loss
LISTENING DEVELOPMENT: WHAT WE CAN DO Motivation: Is there a reason to listen? Students will strive to listen if they recognize a tangible benefit Being held accountable Ex: cooking activity Habits: ( + or - ) Positive or productive habits include: Focusing, processing information, making predictions or comments, and asking questions
LISTENING DEVELOPMENT: WHAT WE CAN DO (cont.) Context: Aspect we can control Reactions to confusion are affected by setting Social relationships among teachers and students Asking for clarification
OTHER WAYS OF HELPING TO DEVELOP LISTENING SKILLS Being open to ALL questions Helping students perfect appropriate phrases or signals to move the conversation Ex: I mean.., Yes, but Incorporating activities that relate to real objects, to pictures, and then to words Ability to connect what they hear with personal experience Ex: stories, songs, noises
QUESTION Turn to your neighbor and discuss... What can we do for students as teachers to help students develop and perfect listening skills?
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS Infancy to 1 year Startles to loud or strange noises Orients head in direction of sound Responds differentially to different types of music (lullaby vs. lively) Vocalizes in response to music and other sounds Looks at speaker Begins to understand words accompanied by gestures (up, hi more)
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS Red flags for Infants Infant does not react to sounds by blinking, widening eyes, startling, or crying At 4 months, baby does not orient toward sound outside her or his view At 7 months, baby does not immediately turn toward the sound of a voice across the room At 9 months, baby does not babble or stops babbling
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS 1 to 2 years Recognizes own name Associates words with action Understands simple instructions ( bring me your book, you can ride in grocery cart ) Learns simple games (Peek-a-boo, Pat-a-cake) Understands no, bye-bye Points to body parts (nose, eyes, mouth) Listens and attempts to join in nursery rhymes and songs
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS 1 to 2 years (cont.) Listens to books for babies that label common objects (Pat the Bunny) Responds correctly to basic questions ( Where is your blanket? ) Attempts to imitate words even when not fully understanding them, or dropping syllables or letters Distinguishes pronouns (her, him, we) Understands there is a category of things called colors and may know a couple examples, but cannot match accurately
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS Red flags for 1 to 2 year olds At 12 months, baby does not respond to simple words like no and bye-bye At 18 months, child s speech does not have a natural quality to it. may be loud, soft, nasal, high pitched, or monotone Speech does not include a variety of vowels and consonants Child is not yet putting together two words (mommy work, more cheese)
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS Red flags for 1 to 2 year olds (cont.) Child has difficulty with simple directions, (returns book after adult says go get your ball ) At 2, child often turns up the sound on the TV or radio
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS 3 to 4 years Memorize simple fingerplays that have been repeated often (Eeency Weency Spider) Understands simple concepts (big/little, today, bedtime) Enjoys hearing the same story repeated Incorporates words and phrases from earlier discussions of books Points to different animals when named Understands two-part directions (first do this, then do this) Matches distinctive musical sounds to instruments
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS 3 to 4 years (cont.) Responds appropriately to questions during conversation Holds up correct number of fingers in response to question Understands and defines objects by their use, (a hole is to dig in) Understands simple comparisons (big, bigger, biggest) Understands conditional statements (if, then, because) Understands Just pretending vs. real Learning words from past, present, future Talk briefly about current task Emulates significant adults style of speech
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS 5 to 6 years Identifies basic colors and shapes Can demonstrate understanding of spatial relations (on, under, near) Perceives differences in pitch (high/low) Can follow more involved instructions (operate piece of computer software) Listens to longer stories and identifies with story characters Understands and uses all types of sentences and clauses ( Yes, you can go outside but first you need to ) Retains information in the correct sequence (can retell a familiar story
MILESTONES & RED FLAGS Red flags for Preschool/Early Primary Child seems to get more confused when in a noisy environment or seated at a distance from speaker Child does not respond to statements or questions that would normally excite children in the group ( Who wants to do this!? Child says What? or Huh? frequently Child has more difficulty following instructions when not watching the speaker s face
Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Adults must be good listening models for children Build relationships Show them you care Managing classroom transitions C L E A R directions
Basic Strategies Sign-in sheet posted outside the door each morning and an interest table from which children can choose an activity A pleasant sound/signal (wind-chimes, lights dimmed, etc.) for an after-lunch read-aloud A shy puppet who will not venture out until quiet A menu of events throughout the day in bright colors
Classroom Activities to Support Listening Play a Variety of Musical Selections Children can associate words with actions, listen without interrupting, develop their literacy skills, and focus attention Make Picture Book and Music Connections Can plan a unit around distinctive examples of music and their picture book counterparts As they listen, they can think about how music is used to create a mood and enhance the story Do this, Do That Explain How Something Functions Bring in common kitchen gadgets or household items and tell children to find out everything they can about the object what it does, how it works, then will explain it to a partner
Classroom Activities to Support Listening (cont.) Reenactment of Imaginary Scenes and Everyday Events Children reenact or respond to various events they have observed or can imagine Conversation Station Learning center where a small group and an adult use vocabulary picture cards and talk about the words Let s talk about Tell a Story Having children re-tell a story in their own words Dubbing a special object for children to tell a story about using cassette recorder, etc. Sound Effects Making different sound effects out of everyday items and then recording your own version
Classroom Activities to Support Listening (cont.) I Tell, You do Children work with partners using clay, one partner tells the other partner what to create with the clay Story Line Arranging copies of pages and key events from a book in correct sequence for a story Translate Sounds Children convert what they hear into musical, dramatic, or written form
Classroom Activities to Support Listening (cont.) Compare/Contrast Children listen to a song, then listen to a song in a book with movable parts and compare/contrast Sound Identification Participatory Listening Telling story (can be with musical instrument), then inviting children to chime in with a song or phrase Audio Recipe Listening to an audio of a simple, no-bake recipe Picture Song Books Consists of song lyrics that have been illustrated and published as a book
Research-Based Literacy Strategies Audiobooks Give children independent access to literature and enable them to practice reading as many times as they wish with a book Technology to Support Listening For individuals who cannot process words or sounds can be using PowerPoint-based Ready-to-go program to produce custom-made phonics worksheets. Or cochlear implant that enables a child with a hearing impairment or deafness to hear
WRAP UP What have you learned about listening? What are some overall red flags to look for? What are some ways you will help your future students listen well?