Attention and Listening

Primary and Secondary Schools - Attention and Listening

• Helping Children to Listen in the Classroom - Primary School

  Classroom management
  

  
  

  You may need to adjust the vocabulary, length and complexity of language to the needs of the individual child.

  
  

  The size of the group may affect the child's ability to listen.  

  
  

  There are children who can listen very well while appearing not to do so. It may be useful for these children to learn how difficult this is for speakers - through role play between adults, and through open discussion of how this makes the speaker feel.

  
  

  Others who genuinely find listening difficult may be helped by thinking about it in visual terms - what does listening look like? The actions of preparing their arms, legs, eyes and ears become a habitual reminder to listen.

  
  

  Holding up a hand ('give me five') can act as a quick clue to listening.

  
  

  NB: Older students are expected to listen without necessarily looking at the speaker, for instance, while looking at a textbook. Some of them may need guidance to make this shift in listening behaviour.

  
  

  Group/individual focus

  
  

  For some children, especially those who have/had hearing difficulties, there may be a great difference in their ability to respond to environmental sounds and to speech sounds.

  
  

  Other children may have mentally switched off from listening to speech - it may not have been helpful to them in the past because of diminished hearing, or difficulties in understanding. They may need the stimulation and sheer pleasure of listening games involving non-speech sounds in order to reverse this habit.

  
  

  There are many commercial materials available, but musical instruments or home-made listening tapes can be equally valuable.

  
  

  Some techniques to improve listening:
  

  • implement classroom code of behaviour for listening and make sure all children understand the 'rules' and routines
  • reward systems for good listening may be apropriate
  • check you have everyone's attention before starting to speak
  • some individual children may need to be alerted by name
  • signposting: give warnings of the need to listen very carefully or listen out for a paticular item/piece of information
  • Circle Time, by its very nature, promotes active listening.

  
  

  Attention and listening

  Some Ideas for Activities for developing listening and attention at school.
  

  1. Make up a story that contains the names of the children in your class. When they hear their name they have to let you know by putting up their hand.
  2. In PE have a drum (or other noisemaker). The children have to move quickly, slowly depending on at what speed you are banging it. Once you stop banging the drum they have to stop also.
  3. Again in PE you could put a picture on each wall and the children have to run to one of the pictures when you say its name.
  4. Musical Statues is also a good game to encourage listening.
  5. Play fruit salad. Each person chooses a fruit (you can give each child a picture if necessary). The person in the middle calls out two fruits that have to change places. If the person in the middle calls out fruit salad everybody has to change seats.
  6. For a quieter game play Chinese Whispers. Each player has a turn at thinking of a message. This is whispered around the group and the final person has to say what they heard and compare this to the original message. 
  7. ‘Look Hear’ is a good resource from LDA. This consists of a tape and pictures. Children identify which sound goes with which pictures. 
  8. Draw a simple picture or shape and then describe it a bit at a time for children to draw. See how similar your pictures are.

  Some other games that are good for listening also need reasonable language, auditory memory and sequencing skills. 
  

  1. Say a list of four words (e.g. cat, shoe, dog, rabbit) for the children to listen to and say which is the odd one out.
  2. Ask the children to listen and either draw or colour specific things e.g. draw a line under the house.

  Keep reminding the child or children about good listening and looking.
  
  

  • Helping children to listen in the classroom
  • Listening and attention: some ideas

• Helping Children to Listen in the Classroom - Secondary School

  Helping children to listen in the classroom

  
  Classroom management

  
  

  You may need to adjust the vocabulary, length and complexity of language to the needs of the individual child.

  
  

  The size of the group may affect the child's ability to listen.  

  
  

  There are children who can listen very well while appearing not to do so. It may be useful for these children to learn how difficult this is for speakers - through role play between adults, and through open discussion of how this makes the speaker feel.

  
  

  Others who genuinely find listening difficult may be helped by thinking about it in visual terms - what does listening look like? The actions of preparing their arms, legs, eyes and ears become a habitual reminder to listen.

  
  

  Holding up a hand ('give me five') can act as a quick clue to listening.

  
  

  NB: Older students are expected to listen without necessarily looking at the speaker, for instance, while looking at a textbook. Some of them may need guidance to make this shift in listening behaviour.

  
  

  Group/individual focus

  
  

  For some children, especially those who have/had hearing difficulties, there may be a great difference in their ability to respond to environmental sounds and to speech sounds.

  
  

  Other children may have mentally switched off from listening to speech - it may not have been helpful to them in the past because of diminished hearing, or difficulties in understanding. They may need the stimulation and sheer pleasure of listening games involving non-speech sounds in order to reverse this habit.

  
  

  There are many commercial materials available, but musical instruments or home-made listening tapes can be equally valuable.

  
  

  Some techniques to improve listening:
  

  • implement classroom code of behaviour for listening and make sure all children understand the 'rules' and routines
  • reward systems for good listening may be apropriate
  • check you have everyone's attention before starting to speak
  • some individual children may need to be alerted by name
  • signposting: give warnings of the need to listen very carefully or listen out for a paticular item/piece of information
  • Circle Time, by its very nature, promotes active listening.