Active Listening Introduction

Without giving the students any information place the Active Listening Cards face down on each desk. (We want our students to build their own understandings and connections). Next have the students pick up the card and stand with a partner somewhere in the room. Students take turns sharing the sentence and discussing what the sentences have in common. Then ask them to thank each other, switch cards, hold their new cards in the a air and look for another classmate who has his or her card in the air. Repeat the process until everyone has paired and shared several times. Finally students meet at the carpet to brainstorm  What did all the cards have in common? "What is Good Listening"?  What does it look like, sound like, feel like?  Think, Pair, Share. The video "Talking Twin Babies" is a great real life application of active listening.

PVF paired verbal fluency gives students an opportunity to process something new that they have just viewed or heard. Ask the students to find a partner and decide who will be "A" and who "B". A explains something for 30 seconds, and B who works at summarizing what A said. Switch roles from Listener to Speaker.  Encourage the same "Active Listening" strategies that are now in place (appropriate body language, facial expressions, and eye contact). Having students use a sentence starter such as "You mentioned _____; tell me more about that." should help students begin to learn how to paraphrase what has been said.