Listening Tool

Concept: We hear things all the time, but we don’t always Listen. When we pay attention and “listen between the lines” to the information we hear, we can make sense out of it. It becomes meaningful and we get the message. To listen and make meaning, we need to use our eyes, hearts, and minds, as well as our ears.

Hand gesture: Use two fingers to gently tap behind one of your ears.

Suggestions on how to introduce the tool to your students:

• Why is listening important?

• Put up the pictures of ears, eyes, and heart. Point to them and say that when we listen, we use all different parts of our body. (can link to 2^nd step lesson of eyes watching, ears listening, body still)

• Role play with a student telling you a story, and you engage in active listening. After the story ask the class the following questions:

  • How did I use my eyes to listen to what the student way saying?

  • How did I use my ears to listen to what the student was saying?

  • How did I use my heart to listen to what the student was saying?

  • How did I use my mind to listen to what the student was saying?

• Have the class repeat the tagline while using the hand gesture “I listen with my ears, eyes, and heart”

Practice and implementation- choose from the following:

• Look for examples of deep listening when reading to your students. Invite them to reflect by asking, “Who in this story do you think has a strong Listening Tool”?

• During circle ask students to share a story of when they used their Listening Tool, or when they had a friend who used it when them

• Point out when students are being good listeners by using phrases such as [student] was using their eyes to listen to their friend because they had their eyes focused, I noticed that [student] was using their mind while listening to my lesson because…….I noticed that [student] used their heart when listening to their friend by having empathy, etc.

• Prompt students to use the Listening Tool before resolving conflicts.