Embedded Files
Learning Target
Learning Target
Understand and reflect on listening, empathizing, and attending behaviors that improve student-teacher relationships and student learning.
Introduction
Introduction
It this module we will focus on strategies for improving our listening, empathizing, and attending behaviors. To start, take a couple of minutes to watch the video on the right and ask yourself, "Have I had similar 'conversations' with my students?" There's a whole lot of talking and not much listening. That's the difference between a conversation and an argument. I'm guessing that we have all felt that way with at least one of our students.
By listening to our students we show them they are important. It also gives us an opportunity to show empathy. In fact, as shown in the video below, empathy is often what students need. However, it's important that teacher/mentors move past showing empathy and also attend to student messages in ways that facilitate learning.
Exploring
Exploring
Most of the material on listening, empathizing, and attending focuses on the face-to-face environments. As a result, as you go through some of the materials for this week you will need to think about how it should be applied to an online context.
Listening and Empathizing
Listening and Empathizing
READ: Strategic Empathy in Virtual Learning and Instruction: A Contemplative Essay About Teacher-Student Rapport During Times of Crisis LINK
This essay was written during the pandemic and for higher education. However, the concepts can be easily applied to K-12 online and blended contexts.
WATCH: 5 Ways to Listen Better (video, 7:46) LINK
In this TED talk, Julian Treasure talks about what makes listening difficult and then provides specific strategies to improve our ability to listen. He doesn't talk about online learning but with some creativity we can see interesting parallels that are insightful on what makes it difficult for online teachers to listen to students and strategies to listen better. The concept of R.A.S.A. is especially applicable. Julian also has another TED Talk called How to speak so that others will listen (LINK) that is worth a listen but it's not required.
Attending
Attending
READ: Basic Attending Behavior (8 pages) LINK
This document is especially important and is really the heart of the module. Specifically, the article provides five strategies for attending to students.
Reflecting
Reflecting
When you are finished reading/watching the materials above you will reflect on your learning by responding to the following:
What and so what? (2-3 paragraphs)
In this portion of your reflection you will synthesize what you learned. Rather than simply summarizing what was said in articles/videos, your synthesis should highlight what was similar and unique across the resources. As you do, you should include specific citations (Author, Year) for the two readings and two videos. All for resources should be discussed and cited.
Now what? (2-3 paragraphs)
In this portion of the reflection you should relate your learning to your teaching. As a you do, consider your strengths and weaknesses of your listening, empathizing, and attending behaviors. As you do, please provide specific examples without revealing any identifying information. You should also identify specific ways that you can improve.
You can access your reflection document here.
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