Listening is good part 2

Professor John Hattie's team for the Melbourne University Graduate School of Education works in schools observing teachers as they communicate with students in the classroom.  The team is of the view that too much talking at the students to the detriment of listening to the students reduces the effectiveness of the learning.  A team member observes the teacher and measures the extent of the teacher input and the student input.

I observed a teacher under this scrutiny on a TV documentary and the teacher found it daunting, but gradually adjusted to provide more time to listen to student concerns about the learning in progress.  From memory the teacher was in the early stages of the observation surprised at how her input dominated.

Lets consider an example where a new maths algorithm is being taught.  It will require what I call some direct teaching from the teacher to initiate the new learning. During this explanatory period the teacher pauses to take questions from the students. As the questioning proceeds the teacher gauges from the students' questions and comments whether the students have a sufficient grasp of the process to attempt an example.  An example is set and the teacher moves quickly around the room doing over the shoulder advising and assisting.  This process is repeated until the teacher feels confident to let the class have a try at say 5 examples.  Again the teacher moves around the class doing the over the shoulder assisting, marking the student's output and providing positive encouragement. At the conclusion of this step the teacher calls for more questions and comments, all the time gauging the success of this total pedagogic process.

The imagination of your teachers will be able to apply the listening procedure to various subjects.  For example in science there can be a lot of encouragement for students to work out what will happen if one does this or that in say chemistry or physics.  The students do most of the talking.

The trick in all of this is to ensure that students are bold enough to ask questions and to raise points without fear of any sort of put down from fellow students.  Of course they should never fear a put down from the teacher.

Listening is good!


May the Force be with you!


GD