Listening Step 2

Listening: The receiving, retaining and processing of information or ideas.

Step 2: I listen to others and can ask questions if I don't understand

Outcomes

To achieve Step 2, learners will show that they can listen and then ask questions to clarify their understanding.

This builds on being able to listen without interrupting and being able to recall basic instructions.

Learners need to be able to:

Understand how to check their understanding when listening
Use questions to check their understanding

Introduction

Recap ways to present active listening and why it is important in team sports or activities. For example, in volleyball, calling for the ball, and listening to others doing so, helps you and your teammates remain aware of where each other is and prevents collisions.
Even if you are a good listener, checking you have understood what you have heard can help you to avoid any misunderstandings.

Skill Starter

Spending Spree

As in step 0, ask learners to think about the following question:

“If you won £1 million, how would you spend it in a day?”

An alternative question could be: "Which new sport or outdoor activity would you like to try and why?"

One at a time, each learner is given 30 seconds to explain what they would do with the money. Each listener must think of a question that they can ask to gather more information and check understanding.

10 mins

Group activity

Discussion

Teach & Apply

There are a few ways we can check our understanding of what we have heard:
- Repeating back what you think you heard
- Drawing a link to something comparable – for example, ‘is that like the time that…’ or ‘is this similar to…’

Other times we can find out further information by asking questions to help our understanding. We could ask about:
- Who – who is involved, and how?
- What – what is happening?
- Where – where is this taking place?
- When – when is this happening; at what time and for how long?
- How – how is this going to happen; what are the steps that will be followed?

Sometimes the questions you ask can be closed (answered with a yes, no or a single word) or open-ended (those which need longer answers).

Optional Activity

Open or Closed?

The coach explains the difference between open and closed questions: “Closed questions are those which can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no," while open-ended questions are those which require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer.”

Learners pairs up. One learner runs to a hoop on the floor, takes a question card from within it and reads it aloud to their partner. They decide whether it is open or closed, before running to place it in the corresponding hoop.

15 mins

Paired activity

Active

Reflection & Assessment

Embed these strategies across your teaching and coaching to help learners apply what they’ve learnt.

Talk about what makes a good question: “A good question is one that gathers a lot of information about the subject.” Praise the learners for asking these.

Use these ideas for ways of assessing this skill step to help you check learners’ understanding and confidence.

Observe to see if learners repeat questions or if they can successfully use other learners’ questions to build up an investigative picture.
Ask these reflective questions:
- When is it important to check understanding?
- How can you check your understanding through questions?
- What are good or bad questions to ask?