Listening: The receiving, retaining and processing of information or ideas.
Step 3: I listen to others and can tell someone else what it was about
Outcomes
To achieve Step 3, learners need to listen, retain, recall and share what they have heard.
This builds off previous steps by learners focusing on recalling and retelling longer pieces of information.
Learners need to be able to:
Understand how to listen effectively and stay focused
Understand how to retain and process information
Know how to recall and explain that information to someone else
Introduction
Ask learners to recount some of the strategies they know to help their listening and understanding and display these:
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…’
Asking questions to find out more information
Skill Starter
Interview
As a group, watch a post-match interview, with a sportsperson who has just lost a match/race/prize. Ask the learners:
What was each person saying during the conversation?
Who led the conversation? How can you tell?
How did the emotions of the situation affect each speaker?
Can you remember who spoke first? What did they say?
How would you compare the two conversations?
10 mins
Group activity
Discussion
Teach & Apply
Share a definition of a ‘discussion’: “Two or more people talking to each other about something.”
Before they listen to a conversation, tell the learners you are going ask them to repeat back specific information. They should listen out for key words or phrases that may help them to remember this.
When you share information, you are very unlikely to share it exactly as you heard it. The key thing is to focus on keeping the same key points – not to get all the words right.
Show a different clip of a post-match interview with a sportsperson who has just won a match/race/prize. Ask the learners:
What was the conversation about?
Who was involved in the discussion?
When did the discussion take place?
Who was the discussion for?
Optional Activity
Debate on a Stick
Learners get into pairs before finding another pair to work with. Each pair is given a lollipop stick with a debate question on it such as:
What is better, dance or cricket?
Who is the best athlete in the world?
Should female and male sportspeople be paid on the same scale?
One pair debate the question by arguing from contrasting perspectives whilst the other pair listen to the debate.
After 3 minutes, the speaking pair ask the listening pair the same questions posed as in the warm up activity.
20 mins
Paired activity
Discussion
Reflection & Assessment
Embed these strategies across your teaching and coaching to help learners apply what they’ve learnt.
When learners have a discussion in groups, have a “no hands up” rule to ensure everyone focuses and encourage all to share ideas.
Use these ideas for ways of assessing this skill step to help you check learners’ understanding and confidence.
At the start of the next session, or after a short break, ask learners to recap what was discussed beforehand.
Ask these reflective questions:
How do you help ensure that you stay focused?
How do you make sure you remember a longer piece of speech, a series of instructions or a story?
When do you find this easier or more difficult?