empathetic/Reflective Listening

Using reflective or empathetic listening...

- Creates an opportunity for perspective taking
- Provides students with a reference and procedure
- Gives all a sense of being heard
- Lets all share their side of the story

Implementation

Overview

- Create a personal space such as a 1:1 conference where student is able to participate in a discussion rather than feeling as though they are being talked at even during a consequence.
- Use phrases such as “I understand how that could make you feel” or “I see that you're frustrated…”
- Attempt to support perspective taking and come from a place of understanding. Listen to how the student is feeling and why.
- Co-plan with the student a plan of action to support.

Core Components

- Students utilize affective statements
- Take turns to truly practice listening to the other person's side of story
- Emphasize perspective taking and minimize defensiveness

Proactive Implementation

- Explicitly teaching listening skills can be done at the beginning of a year or semester. This allows for a foundational understanding of what active, reflective, and empathetic listening actually looks like. Students can practice each of these skills and share a common language.

Responsive Implementation

- If a student, group, or class is struggling with listening to each other in a reflective or empathetic manner then explicit skills training may be introduced. Truly practicing and understanding these skills can support more positive interpersonal interactions.

Bucket Fits

Connection

If the need is connection then opportunities for feedback must be given. This can look like class meetings, circles, or affective statements.

Skills Training

If the need is skill building then explicitly teaching the empathetic & reflective listening skills should be completed with a reference card possibly created to support authentically.

Awareness

If the need is awareness then the establishment of common language on what empathetic & reflective listening should occur. This may look like co-crafting what each of these skills look like and then creating these look fors as a class.

Emotional Regulation

If the need is regulation then these skills should be combined with advocacy/emotional literacy tools such as I-messages to support in expression of feelings.

Considerations & Adaptations

Understanding Adaptations

Consider Factors Prior to Start

- Student factors-

Gender, race, function, topography, family dynamics, interpersonal relationships

- Contextual factors -

Resource availability, classroom instruction, physical space, time, technology

Intensifying or Fading During

- Duration
- Frequency
- Feedback
- Reinforcement
- Goals

REMINDER

- Make a note to document when you're starting this intervention.
- After 10 consecutive school days of implementation, use collected data to determine the intervention's effectiveness.