It is important for you to be a good listener in class. Much of
what you will have to learn will be presented verbally by your teachers. Just
hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to what they say.
Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay attention and think about
and mentally process what you hear.
Here are
some things you should do to be a good listener in class.
Be Cognitively Ready to
Listen When You Come to Class. Make sure you complete all
assigned work and readings. Review your notes from previous class sessions.
Think about what you know about the topic that will be covered in class that
day.
Be Emotionally Ready to
Listen When You Come to Class. Your
attitude is important. Make a conscious choice to find the topic useful and
interesting. Be committed to learning all that you can.
Listen with a Purpose. Identify what you expect and hope to learn from
the class session. Listen for these things as your teacher talks.
Listen with an Open Mind. Be receptive to what your teacher says. It is
good to question what is said as long as you remain open to points of view
other than your own.
Be Attentive. Focus on what your teacher is saying. Try not to
daydream and let your mind wander to other things. It helps to sit in the front
and center of the class, and to maintain eye contact with your teacher.
Be an Active Listener. You can think faster than your teacher can
speak. Use this to your advantage by evaluating what is being said and trying
to anticipate what will be said next. Take good written notes about what your
teacher says. While you can think faster than your teacher can speak, you
cannot write faster than your teacher can speak. Taking notes requires you to make decisions about what to
write, and you have to be an active listener to do this.
· Be other-directed;
focus on the person communicating Follow and understand the speaker as if
you were walking in their shoes
Listen with your ears but also with your eyes and other senses
· Be aware:
non-verbally acknowledge points in the speech Let the argument or presentation run its
course
Don't agree or disagree, but encourage the train of thought
· Be involved:
Actively respond to questions and
directions
Use your body position (e.g. lean forward) and attention to encourage the
speaker and signal your interest - Meet the Challenge. Don't give up and stop listening when you find
the information being presented difficult to understand. Listen even more
carefully at these times and work hard to understand what is being said. Don't
be reluctant to ask questions.
- Triumph Over the
Environment. The
classroom may too noisy, too hot, too cold, too bright, or too dark. Don't give
in to these inconveniences. Stay focused on the big picture - LEARNING
http://www.how-to-study.com/GoodListeningInClass.htm You can prepare yourself to succeed in your
studies.
Try to develop and
appreciate the following habits: - Take responsibility for yourself. Recognize that in order to succeed you need to make decisions about your
priorities, your time, and your
resources
- Center yourself around your values and principles. Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important
- Put first things first. Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or
other interests, distract you from your goals
- Discover your key productivity periods and places. Morning, afternoon, or evening? Find spaces where you can be the most focused and productive.Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges
- Consider yourself in a win-win situation. When you contribute your best to a class, you, your fellow students, and even your teacher will benefit. Your grade can then be one additional check on your performance
- First understand others, then attempt to be understood. When you have an issue with an instructor (a questionable grade, an assignment
deadline, etc.) put yourself in the instructor's place. Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation
- Look for better solutions to problems. For example, if you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read
it.
Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a
classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center
Look to continually challenge yourself
Partially
adapted from the audio cassette by Steven Covey,
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People |
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Improving Listening Skills in Class.ppt - on Mar 6, 2009 8:10 AM by Sanderson Tattersall (version 1)
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