Allied Schools
Teachers Training & Capacity Building
Reading Material Listening skills
Teaching Strategies to Increase Your Student's Listening Skills
The knowledge imparted by a teacher is only as good as its reception by the students. Hearing
and listening, two seemingly synonymous words, are not quite so. Listening is a broader concept
that comprises hearing, absorbing and understanding information. Thus, teachers need to focus
on techniques that enhance the listening skills of their students. The best IB schools in Mumbai
undertake workshops where teachers are trained to impart knowledge in a manner that enhances
the listening skills of their students. Teachers at The Aditya Birla World Academy understand
the importance of good listening, and hence, they leave no stone unturned in moulding their
students towards becoming better listeners.
Following are some of the strategies that increase student’s listening skills:
1. Listening to Students:
Teachers that actively listen to their students can expect their students to return the favour.
When a teacher is a good listener, students would try to emulate that and become better
listeners themselves.
2. Accepting Feedback:
Students are always more likely to listen to teachers that are receptive to students’ opinions
and arguments. If students feel that their ideas are not given due importance by the teachers,
then they may switch off mentally. Whereas, if students feel that their voice matters, their
engagement in the classroom sky rockets. Active engagement results in active listening.
3. Encouraging Note taking:
When students are asked to jot down notes during classroom teaching, it can lead to improved
listening. Making notes is a process that involves absorbing information, followed by
interpreting it and subsequently jotting it down. It is difficult for a student to make notes when
the student is not fully being able to comprehend the subject matter. Hence, encouraging note
taking would ensure that students ask questions until their doubts are resolved. While taking
down notes, concentration levels tend to be higher than normal. The fear of missing out on
jotting down necessary points, encourages students to listen more intently and actively to their
teachers.
4. Pausing and asking questions:
With the gradually reducing patience levels of students, it is often quite challenging for
teachers to hold their attention. As a result, an interactive style of teaching is considered a
preferred method. Teachers can use tools such as making long pauses and asking questions.
When teachers pause, it usually gives students a window to quickly ask any question that may
have been bothering them. Similarly, teachers asking questions ensures that students are
listening carefully so as to be able to answer correctly.
5. Relating to the students:
Teachers these days are always encouraged to get to know their students better and be more
approachable. It has been observed that students perform better in classrooms where teachers
are closer to the students. When teachers know students by name, their likes and dislikes, a
student feels a certain sense of connection with such teachers. As a result, students would
participate, engage and listen far more attentively in these classes.
6. Using visual aids in teaching:
Students have to sift through tens of textbooks each day. This can create a sense of monotony
and lead to reduced attention as the day progresses. To counter this, teachers are encouraged to
Allied Schools
Teachers Training & Capacity Building
Reading Material Listening skills
use visual aids while teaching. These could range from pictures, PowerPoint presentations, to
even short films. Visual aids help to recapture the attention of students and thereby improve
their listening.
7. Talking less and listening more:
Traditionally, a teacher was meant to teach the students while students kept quiet and listened
carefully. However, this methodology has shown to prohibit active listening amongst students.
The newer philosophy states that teachers must in fact talk less and listen more. This leads to
an improved result in students’ concentration and classroom engagement.
Simon Says
Many elementary school teachers use the Simon Says game in their classrooms, but fewer know
the real benefit of this game. When playing Simon Says, students must listen carefully to follow
the given directions, but they also have to listen for the name “Simon.”
To add some challenge to this game, try using other names that start with “s,” or make rules that
students must follow, such as: “Simon says, everyone who is wearing red, jump three times.”
Memory circles
Having students repeat what was said before is a clever way to reinforce active listening.
Have students sit in a circle, either as a whole class or split into two circles, depending on the
class size. The traditional way to play the game is something along the lines of “We’re going on
a picnic, and so we brought….”
The first student would say a food that begins with the letter “A” (apple, for instance). The
following student would repeat and add a food that starts with the letter “B” (e.g., bread), and so
on.
The third child would say, “We’re going on a picnic, and we brought an apple, bread, and a car
full of ants.”
The game can be modified to be items they saw in a picture book the class read, or the alphabet
requirement could be removed to support fewer items or a more restricted topic.
