Overview
As students move forward to create their Family Archives, there are many skills they need to learn and practice first. In this lesson, students will experience first-hand what it is like to become an “active listener” and what it is like to be listened to by an “active listener.” They will practice the attributes necessary to become an “active listener,” such as eye contact and subtle response techniques. Most importantly, they will learn by experience that to gather information for their Family Archive, they need to become “active listeners” while engaging with their interviewees.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Describe attributes of active listening
● Experience first-hand that competent listening skills are vital for future success
● Identify “active” listening skills in comparison to “passive” listening
● Practice listening techniques and skills
Essential Questions
● Is “active listening” as powerful as speaking?
Common Core State Standards
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify, or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
LRA Ed Glossary Board
● Active Listening: Listening closely, giving undivided attention to what is being said to provide a thoughtful, respectful response.
● Listening: A form of nonverbal communication using the sense of hearing to identify spoken words or other sounds and to aim to understand their source and meaning.
● Active listener: A person who listens carefully, giving full attention to what is being said in order to understand and respond thoughtfully. The person may demonstrate his/her/their attention through body language.
● Passive listening: A form of listening. In this case, the speaker may not know whether the listener is engaged because the listener does not exhibit cues such as eye contact with the speaker or head nodding in response to what the speaker is saying.
Materials for Instructor
● Blackboard or projection: Two ways to become an “active listener”
○ Eye contact: Using eye contact signals to the speaker that you are listening.
○ Nod of head: A gesture that can indicate acknowledgement that the speaker has been heard.
○ Responding: Let the speaker know you have heard them by commenting on what he/she/they are saying or by asking questions.
● Blackboard or projection: Definition of an “active listener”
○ Active listening is fully concentrating on, and reacting to, what is being said rather than passively absorbing the message of the speaker.
● A five-sentence story of your creation written out on an index card
Materials for Students
● LRA Ed Journals
I. Discussion (5 min.)
Share with students that before they interview a family member, they will need to practice the art of the interview. In this class we will focus on the important role listening plays in conducting an interview. The focus of this discussion is for students to contemplate the importance of listening while they interview a family member for their family archive. It is important that students understand and experience “listening” as an active state.
Entry-point questions can include:
● Do you consider “listening” an active or passive activity? Go to the LRA Ed Glossary and define “active listening” and “passive listening” as a class.
Note to Teacher: At the end of the class you will ask the same question and see whether students provide different answers.
LRA ED Glossary definition: Listening is a form of nonverbal communication, and when practiced with focus, can be active, not passive.
II. Telephone Game (8- 10 Min.)
STEP ONE
Share that it is time to begin an exploration of “listening” communication with a game they may know called “telephone.” Let students know that even if they consider it a game for children, a person of any age can learn a great deal from it.
STEP TWO
Have everyone sit in a circle; the teacher explains the rules. The five-sentence story the teacher wrote down is going to be shared with the lead person and will be passed on through a whisper to everyone in the room, one at a time. The lead person will see the story on the index card and whisper it to the next person. The next person must listen to it and then whisper it to the person next to him or her or them. It must be shared exactly as heard, word for word. If someone wants to hear it again, that person is allowed only one chance. That person must say “operator” and it is whispered one more time.
STEP THREE
When the story has gone around the room, the last person shares what he or she has been told out loud to the group. Then, the lead person reads out loud the original story that he or she read on the index card and then whispered to the second person.
STEP FOUR
Most likely, the end story is quite different from the original story. Guide students back through the circle to see whether you can trace where the story began to be misheard. This is a fun exercise, and it alerts students to the fact that listening is important and hearing things incorrectly has consequences.
III. Become an Active Listener (5 Min.)
Now it is time to guide students to understand the differences between being an “active listener,” a “passive listener,” or not listening to the speaker.
Entry-point questions include:
● Do you consider “listening” a form of communication?
● Is listening a passive or subdued state of being or is it an active state of being?
Let the class know that active listening is an engaged state, and developing the skills to become an “active listener” is essential for good communication, particularly when interacting with others, as in an interview. The activities that follow highlight the importance of being an “active listener.”
IV. Communication between the Speaker and the Listener Activity (7 Min.)
Discuss with the class that it takes at least two people for communication to take place. It takes the attention of both people for clear communication to occur.
STEP ONE
Select one volunteer to come to the front of the classroom to partner with the teacher for a communication demonstration. Let the volunteer and the class know that this is a role play. Put two chairs across from each other and sit facing each other. Tell the volunteer you want to know all about his/her/their favorite meal. Tell him or her you want a long, detailed description.
Questions can include:
● What is on your plate?
● What are the colors of the different foods?
● Is anything spicy? Sweet?
● Where did the meal originate? Etc.
STEP TWO
As the volunteer describes the meal to the teacher, the teacher looks up at the ceiling, looks at the floor, looks at other students in the room, fixes hair, ties a shoelace, etc. When the volunteer has finished his/her/their story, most likely the class will be laughing.
STEP THREE
Turn to the volunteer and ask the following questions:
● Do you think I heard you? Why or why not?
● Do you think I understood you? Why or why not?
● Do you think I was interested in what you shared with me? Why or why not?
● How do you feel now, after that conversation?
This role play represents the person being spoken to not listening at all. If class time permits, role play the scene two more times to represent the person being spoken to responding as an active listener and a passive listener.
V. Attributes of good listening (5 Min.)
Go over the definition of “active listening” on the LRA Ed Glossary Board.
Share several ways students can become “active listeners”:
● Eye Contact: Use eye contact to let the speaker know you are listening.
● Nod of head: A gesture that can indicate acknowledgement that the speaker has been heard.
● Responding: Let the speaker know you have heard him or her or them by commenting on what they are saying or asking questions.
● Add any other attributes that the students shared that are applicable.
○ Student Example
○ Student Example
VI. Attributes of Active Listening Partner Exercise (8 Min.)
Share with students that they will now practice the active listening attributes discussed in class.
STEP ONE
Have students sit face to face with a partner. One student will be Partner A, and one will be Partner B. Partner A will be the speaker and have two minutes to share a story about a meaningful family experience. Elaborate on why it was meaningful. Please include details. Partner A will not have to speak continuously for two minutes but can take breaks while telling his/her/their story.
One thing that makes this conversation unique is that Partner B will not be able to speak as Partner A shares his/her/their story. Although asking questions and making comments are attributes of “active listening,” in this activity, the challenge will be for Partner B to demonstrate “active listening” without using speech.
STEP TWO
Tell the students to start their two minutes. Let them know when they are at the halfway point, and then when the time is over.
STEP THREE
As Partner A shares his/her/their story, Partner B practices the attributes of being an “active listener.” Attributes may include eye contact, nodding, etc.
STEP FOUR
Ask Partner B to write two questions he/she/they wish they could have asked had they been allowed to speak.
Take a moment to ask and hear answers to those questions.
STEP FIVE
Switch roles and start the clock again.
VII. Partner to Partner Feedback (5-6 Min.)
Have students share feedback with each other on how they experienced their partner’s listening skills.
Suggest the following questions for them to ask each other:
● Did you feel that your partner was really listening to you?
● What was it like for you to remain quiet and not make comments?
● What listening attributes did you notice I used when you spoke to me?
VIII. Closing
Begin a closing discussion by circling back and asking the students:
● Now that we have gone through this exercise, do you think listening is an active or passive state?
● Do you have a different answer than from the start of this lesson?
● Do you feel the experience from this activity will support you when you interview a family member? If yes, in what ways?